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Burrowing Owl Winery, First Things First Okanagan host green living expo

To all but a few deniers, climate change is real. Still, it continues to get more lip service than action. So to see a whole bunch of people gathered together who not only believe the mounting evidence but are involved in combating it is a treat.

That was the case Saturday at the spectacular Burrowing Owl Estate Winery just south of Oliver. The occasion was "Three Ways to Save the Climate," a solar energy and transportation exposition organized by Penticton-based green advocacy organization "First Things First Okanagan" and supported fully by Borrowing Owl founder and environmentalist Jim Wyse.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who> Burrowing Owl founder Jim Wyse discusses the winery's solar initiatives

We spent about three hours at the event and found a whole bunch of informed people ready to not only to impart their knowledge but also tune us into a variety of way cool "green" products.

First Things First vice chair and retired scientist Michael Healey was playing the role of greeter when we arrived.

"Our intention is to motivate people to take action to combat climate change," he explained.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>

"Today so far has been great. Lots of interest and a big turnout. Jim Wyse gave us the facility for free, and Fortis gave us a $2000 grant for the day, which really helps because we're a volunteer group that operates on a shoestring."

Three Ways to Save the Climate, he said, was the fifth First Things First event of 2019. And there are many more to come, including a student art display at the Penticton Art Gallery and public discussions/lectures.

Healey says it doesn't take a scientist such as himself to see what's going on, even right here at home. He points to increased wildfires and increased flooding as the most obvious local results of a changing climate.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who> First Things First's Michael Healey rides an e-bike

He also gave us a list of actions we can all take to help diffuse the situation.

"The first is to make your house more energy efficient. You can get an energy audit done that will show exactly where you're losing heat. Changing out old windows and adding insulation will reduce your heating bills and your contribution to greenhouse gas emissions."

"The second is to buy locally or to grow your own food as much as you can so you cut down on all the transportation costs of food being brought to your house."

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who> Burrowing Owl EV charging stations

"The third thing is to ride a bike when you can or get a hybrid or electric vehicle to reduce your personal consumption of hydrocarbons.''

"The fourth is adding solar panels to your roof. I looked at that ten years ago and it was pretty expensive and it would have a 20-year payback period. I just looked at it again and the cost is less than half and the payback is seven years."

"And the fifth is to get involved politically. The sooner we can make a transition to a low carbon economy, the better. We need to push our politicians. Write your MP and MLA. When John Horgan says that liquid natural gas is going to save BC's economy, tell him you don't want it."

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>

And Healey invited anyone to help them in their fight. A yearly membership, he says, is $20 for an individual or $35 for a family, and every cent goes to helping First Things First offset costs and raise awareness.

From Healey we trekked on over to Kurt Flaman and his display of Light Electric Vehicles - essentially high-end electric bikes. Flaman runs Freedom Bike Shop in Penticton, and he's a big believer in the LEV.

"We're here today to highlight electric power. Bikes with electric power extend people's range. They extend how late in their lifetime they can ride their bikes. We had a client who bought his e-bike when he was 94. It kept him going for years."

According to Flaman, solid bikes with sophisticated electronic components begin at approximately the $3000 mark. But they can go much higher. The high-end, full-suspension Specialized e-bike we asked First Things First's Michael Healey to demo ran $7600 and sports a 125-kilometer range.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who> Kurt Flaman tunes up a "Light Electric Vehicle"

"The very best e-bikes," explained Flaman, "use Tesla's brand new batteries that Tesla's aren't even using yet."

Flaman explained that electronic assist only kicks in while you're peddling. "Your legs and you are the throttle, but it does amplify your power more than 400%. Hills are easy."

We then strolled over to what was certainly the star of the expo - a 29-foot, 15-passenger, fully electric boat made by Kelowna-based Templar Marine Group and designed primarily for Okanagan Lake.

<who>Photo Credit: Templar Marine Group</who>

Templar co-owner Jennifer Fry explained that she and husband Mark had purchased an electric boat several years earlier. But, she says, "it wasn't built to handle the rough weather of Okanagan Lake."

So they decided they'd make their own. Simple, right?

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who> Tim Bieber, Danielle MacDonald, Jennifer Fry, and Mark Fry of Templar Marine

"We incorporated in 2017," she said. "And we've been designing and redesigning, and we finally had our first prototype a month ago."

The boat, called the Cruiser C26, is built from scratch in Kelowna. The batteries and propulsion system are courtesy of electric marine engine specialist Torqueedo. The woodwork is local, the upholstery is local, and the canvas top is local.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>

Under the deck are eight lithium ion batteries that Fry says "will go for eight hours at a five-knot cruising speed. Its top speed is 12 knots, but it'll need charging sooner."

It'll fit 15 passengers and in a pinch more, and it has a toilet and a sink and most of the goodies you'd typically find in a boat of this size. And it uses no gas or oil, it makes no noise, it doesn't smell, and it won't leave a rainbow wake.

As we were about to leave the Frys and their electric boat, a fellow from Kelowna named Matt Ward decided to buy one. Within minutes, he was signing the paperwork.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who> Matt Ward of Kelowna signs the paperwork on his new electric boat

It was the second ever boat ever sold by Templar Marine.

According to Matt's wife Tanya, they had no intention of buying a boat when they woke up that morning. "We were interested in some of the energy efficient things here today. And we love Burrowing Owl wines and the restaurant. So we thought we'd make a day of it."

The guy who signed the deal said it wasn't quite as impulsive as it seemed. "I've thought a lot about electric boats," said Matt Ward. "I saw these guys online and I knew they were made in Kelowna. But seeing it in person, it ticks a lot of boxes. It's a beautiful boat. It'll be pretty chill. No noise, no oil and gas dripping everywhere."

Next door to all the boat-buying activity was Kim Eastlick with the Summerland Community Climate Action Advisory Committee. The retired energy regulator was there to show off a four-wheel electric utility vehicle from Honda Power Centre in Penticton.

The emission-free vehicle, made by Polaris, would best suit a vineyard or farm and is capable of running four hours or 50 kilometers on a single charge.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who> Kim Eastlick aboard an electric utility vehicle

But we wanted to talk to Eastlick about his organization, and he was good with that.

"We work with the District of Summerland, providing advice to council on climate change and environmental policies. We work on ideas on how to improve energy efficient in home in the community. Better insulation, better sealing, that sort of thing."

And, he said, as part of the Summerland Earth Week Celebration, the town will host an e-bike event on April 25th at Memorial Park on Wharton Street. "We've invited electric vehicle dealers, e-bike dealers, and we'll even have electric construction equipment." You'll find more info here.

Saturday's event also featured several solar panel dealers and installers, including John Kosinski of Oliver's Argon Electrical & Solar. And he made the move to solar seem relatively pain-free.

"Basically our initial step is to find individuals who want to go green or who are looking at greener technology. We look at their consumption on their utility bill, and we help design a system that will help offset that. It's then up to the client how far they want to take it."

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who> John Kosinski with a high-efficiency solar panel

"$12,500 gets you a good starter package," said Kosinksi. "That sort of amount could permanently eliminate 25 percent or more of your electric bill."

Kosinksi explained that solar panel efficiency is far superior now than it was even a few years ago. And, he said, one of today's emerging trends is to tie in electric vehicle charging capabilities.

"So you're already thinking about solar and now you're incorporating an electric vehicle. So let's tie that into your solar panels, and we can actually feed your direct current from the panels and charge your vehicle.

Speaking of EVs, Saturday's event was packed with owners ready to enlighten.

One was Mark Vranckaert of Osoyoos with his white Tesla Model S.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who> Mark Vranckaert in his 2012 Tesla Model S

"This car was built in 2012, so it has nearly 200,000 kilometers so far. And it's been awesome. More than awesome. I always think about it when I pass the filling station. It costs me $50 a month to fill this car versus $300 for my other car.

"Electron fuel versus petrol fuel," he laughed.

He credits his wife with introducing the joys of greener living into their household. "She was promoting green living with the parents teacher council at the elementary schools back in the late 80s."

Vranckaert says his own interest in electric vehicles can be traced back to an EV meet at the BC Institute of Technology in the 90s. "They were all home built at the time. That was big for me."

Vranckaert laughingly admits that his Telsa S, with its incredible acceleration, hasn't solely been about greenification. "When I first got the car," he says, "I had a burning desire to blow the doors of a Mercedes AMG. So I did. He didn't know what the heck was going on."

Penticton's Harvey Quamme also brought his car along with him - a 2018 Toyota Prius that "combines traditional Prius hybrid technology with plug-in electric technology."

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who> Harvey Quamme chats about the advantages of his electric/hybrid Prius

"So I plug it in," he says, "and I get a 50-kilomter range. The average distance a person travels is 35 kilometers, so for most of my travels around town and so on, I go pure electric. On long trips I use the gas version."

And Quamme had this incredible tidbit. "I was up at my daughter's place in Edmonton at Thanksgiving. And I didn't fill up my tank again until two weeks ago."

Now retired, Quamme says he once was a "research scientist at the Summerland Research Station," where he examined the impact of weather and climate change on local crops. And he's seriously concerned.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who> Former research scientist Harvey Quamme is concerned about our future

"We have eight billion going on to nine billion people on this earth. And we're going to put a lot of them into jeopardy if we don't act."

But the day was all about solutions. Later, Gord Lovegrove from UBC pitched his idea for an electric train system in the Okanagan Valley. And Burrowing Owl founder Jim Wyse discussed his experience powering the winery using solar power. Both audiences were enraptured.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who> Gord Lovegrove discussing his Okanagan electric train system concept

All in all, the day was as enlightening as it was downright fun. It broached a tough subject the right way. We need more events just like it.



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