Today's cars are inefficient. Of the energy in fuel they consume, at least 80% is lost - we have to think of different ways to travel (stats from http://www.best.bc.ca/ - visit this site for more information). Old cars are the worst. The “Scrap-It Program” is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality by getting older vehicles off the road.
The Program offers qualifying vehicle owners incentives to scrap their older vehicle, basically any working car or light-duty truck from 1995 or older that’s been insured in BC for the last 12 months. The incentive values are based on the greenhouse gas reduction that occurs when an old vehicle is scrapped and an incentive is used as a replacement. Incentives valued at $2,000 or more are offered for the incentives with the highest greenhouse benefit.
These incentives include very low emission vehicles, transit passes, or the transit pass / bicycle combination. 
If you are buying a new vehicle, the incentive value depends on the vehicle being scrapped and the replacement vehicle. It is expected the program will “scrap” between 10,000-20,000 older vehicles over the next three years. If an average of three tonnes a year of CO2 is secured from 15,000 “scrapped” vehicles for a three-year remaining life, it would reduce CO2 emissions in B.C. by an estimated 135,000 tonnes.
On another note, the average car makes 2000 trips of 3 kilometres or less a year. Over 1/3 of work trips in the GVRD are less than 5 kilometres. Many of these trips could easily be replaces by walking or cycling. Let me share with you my preferred transportation vehicle: the e-bike.
Check out scrapit.ca to find out which incentive value you qualify for. And a simple Internet search for electric bikes in BC will help you find out more on e-bike.
If it’s too hot outside – go to the movies
Have you ever wished you could direct your own movie? Well, the LATE FRAGMENT DVD, the first interactive film in North America, gets you pretty darn close – it also so happens to be a Canadian film.
The film’s multi-plot, non-linear and interactive narrative lets audiences discover the stories themselves. The DVD leaves the audience to piece together the narrative, allowing for a unique cinematic experience that lets the viewer “play” a creative and interactive role by weaving in and out of the film’s story lines with just the click of a remote, offering a new perspective on the story each time.
The DVD of “Late Fragment” was officially released on July 8th, and to celebrate Mongrel Media is throwing a party in Vancouver to bring some real-life interaction into the mix. I found out about this through a great group called FirstWeekendClub – basically, it’s a group that goes out on the first weekend to support Canadian films.
Check out FirstWeekendClub.ca for more information. They’ve got a great website with lots of information on Canadian Film coming up this summer, premier launch parties, and interviews with Canadian stars. It doesn’t cost anything to join – you just go to the movies.
Currently, less than 3% of films shown in theatres throughout Canada are Canadian. FirstWeekendClub wants to change that. There is a party to celebrate the interactive DVD release in Vancouver on July 17 – For more information about any of this just go to our blog and you can get all the times, dates, and websites. http://media2o.com/blogs
