Toronto, Ontario, Canada (AHN) – With a new mayor in office, Toronto is reviewing the city’s green roof law, which mandated new industrial buildings to have vegetation-covered roofs by April 30, 2012.

The law was passed during the term of former Toronto Mayor David Miller. Because of opposition raised by the business sector, the city’s staff is taking a second look at the law, which has a scheduled launch date of Jan. 31.

In 2009, city staff endorsed the exemption of industrial buildings from the bylaw, but the council passed it with no exemptions based on a recommendation of former Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone.

Pantalone pushed for green roof buildings to cut the urban heat island effect in industrial areas for edifices with an area of at least 2,000 square meters. However, the chair of Toronto’s Planning and Growth Management Committee said Friday that there are other ways of alleviating the issue.

The bylaw was approved 36-2. The dissenting votes were cast by then-Councilors Rob Ford and Doug Holyday, who are now Toronto’s mayor and deputy mayor.

Environmental experts said having green roofs will benefit the atmosphere in terms of better air quality, while reducing energy consumption. Buildings account for 40 percent of energy consumption in Canada and use more energy than the transportation sector.

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Cleveland, OH, United States (AHN) – LeBron James anticipates an intense and hostile environment at the Quicken Loans Arena Thursday when he plays against his former ball club, the Cleveland Cavaliers, for the first time since joining the Miami Heat in July.

In an interview with ESPN Friday, James admitted he’s looking forward to his first encounter against the Cavs on his old home court on December 2.

“How can I not [think about it]?” I know. It is going to be pretty intense,” said James who contributed 20 points, 8 boards, and 6 dimes in Friday’s 99-90 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

James, 25, said he’s not worried about his safety, believing the NBA and the Cavs management will do everything to pacify an expected raucous crowd at the Q.

“I’m not concerned [about safety],”James added “It is a good league and they do their best to try to make sure the players and the fans have a good time.”

James broke the heart of thousands of Cavaliers fans last summer when he joined fellow All-Stars Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade on South Beach.

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who previously lambasted the basketball superstar for his ‘decision,’ assured he won’t fire harsh words at James in the match.

Nevertheless, the Michigan-based millionaire insisted boos and jeers will certainly pour out every time James gets the ball.

James, who was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, is hesitant to bring his family and friends to the game because of the hostility of the match.

He said who will attend the game from his inner-circle is still being considered.

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1.  When you replace light bulbs go for the energy efficient variety.  These use a different system to produce the light, using a fraction of the energy used by traditional bulbs and they also last up to twelve times longer.  Lighting is estimated to make up between 10 and 15% of your energy bills so there is a large saving to be made here.

2.  Up to a third of the clean drinking water we use in our households is flushed down the toilet every day.  On average each flush uses eight litres of water.  You can easily fit a save-a-flush bag into your toilet cistern which will reduce water usage by approximately one litre for each flush.  Often your local water company will provide these so it need not cost you a penny to fit.

3.  When replacing appliances look out for their energy efficiency ratings.  Do some research online to see how each appliance compares with each other.  Ask your plumber to use fittings with energy efficiency in mind, these range from baths that retain heat to taps that regulate water flow.

4.  On a larger scale you could invest in a rain water harvesting system.  This uses rainwater to flush toilets and use in the garden, saving your fresh drinking water uses to the minimum.  This helps your pocket and the environment.

5.  There is ongoing debate about how long a solar panel will take to pay for themselves through savings in energy bills but an often quoted number is a decade.  While this sounds like a long time the savings to the environment by using sustainable energy is substantial and with ongoing energy prices rises, the return may well be a lot quicker.

6.  Contact your local authority to see if there are any grants or subsidies available for energy saving home improvements.  These range from help with replacing old windows to insulation and solar panels.

7.  When replacing or upgrading your heating system, research some environmentally friendly alternatives.  For example Eco Heat Pumps work through a deep borehole close to your property and work by converting a small amount of heat in a large area to a greater amount of heat in a smaller area.  Heating your water and under floor heating in this way will save you substantial amounts of money on your energy bills.

8.  Are you looking to build a house or purchase a new one?  Put at the top of your wish list a green eco home.  If you are building one yourself include all our top tips in the initial planning stages and use as many local suppliers as possible.  You may well be lucky and find one already built and utilising all these energy saving systems.

ou would need to have been living on Mars if you had not heard of global warming and the negative effect we are having on our environment.  As a result many people have become leaders in green living and spend much of their day devoted to ensuring they are reducing their carbon footprint.  Whilst not all of us are this devoted there are a number of things that we can do to make our homes more environmentally friendly which can often save us money as well.  Here we have listed some top tips for you to try. 1.  When you replace light bulbs go for the energy efficient variety.  These use a different system to produce the light, using a fraction of the energy used by traditional bulbs and they also last up to twelve times longer.  Lighting is estimated to make up between 10 and 15% of your energy bills so there is a large saving to be made here. 2.  Up to a third of the clean drinking water we use in our households is flushed down the toilet every day.  On average each flush uses eight litres of water.  You can easily fit a save-a-flush bag into your toilet cistern which will reduce water usage by approximately one litre for each flush.  Often your local water company will provide these so it need not cost you a penny to fit. 3.  When replacing appliances look out for their energy efficiency ratings.  Do some research online to see how each appliance compares with each other.  Ask your plumber to use fittings with energy efficiency in mind, these range from baths that retain heat to taps that regulate water flow. 4.  On a larger scale you could invest in a rain water harvesting system.  This uses rainwater to flush toilets and use in the garden, saving your fresh drinking water uses to the minimum.  This helps your pocket and the environment. 5.  There is ongoing debate about how long a solar panel will take to pay for themselves through savings in energy bills but an often quoted number is a decade.  While this sounds like a long time the savings to the environment by using sustainable energy is substantial and with ongoing energy prices rises, the return may well be a lot quicker. 6.  Contact your local authority to see if there are any grants or subsidies available for energy saving home improvements.  These range from help with replacing old windows to insulation and solar panels. 7.  When replacing or upgrading your heating system, research some environmentally friendly alternatives.  For example Eco Heat Pumps work through a deep borehole close to your property and work by converting a small amount of heat in a large area to a greater amount of heat in a smaller area.  Heating your water and under floor heating in this way will save you substantial amounts of money on your energy bills. 8.  Are you looking to build a house or purchase a new one?  Put at the top of your wish list a green eco home.  If you are building one yourself include all our top tips in the initial planning stages and use as many local suppliers as possible.  You may well be lucky and find one already built and utilising all these energy saving systems.

Anna Barrington writes for Percy Williams & Sons, builders of innovative environmentally friendly developers of the latest houses for sale Cornwall. For more information please visit new homes cornwall.

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