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Flying
free as a breeze, Why worry oh why?
Eco
Story: Solar Car Crosses Canada for $ 9.22 It was an amazing trip," said Berg. "The car really held up well. There were only a few minor troubles. And to top it all off, we really killed that old record." The flat-topped, five metre-long, one-metre-high vehicle traps sunlight in the solar cells covering its surface, which then produce enough electricity to power an electric motor. Any excess energy is stored in a battery for use on dull or rainy days. "We definitely got a lot of jaw-dropping and double-takes, " said Berg, recalling the surprised looks of other motorists. " It really doesn't look like anything else out there." The group hopes its cross-country tour will help raise the profile of alternative energy sources and the huge environmental and economical benefits. Photos from top: Lodge at Waterton Lakes National Park, Travel Alberta; Open Road- Jerry Bird; Old car in Coast Mountains, 1940s - Helen Zurkowski. |
Auto
World: From Mr. Wonderfuel and the Scamper, to profiling
Canada's highways and
airways
spent
a large part of two exciting decades getting to know the
world of automobiles, fuel systems and recreational
vehicles, meeting the people who make them go and pull the
strings. Allied with this effort was a massive program on
alternative fuels and fleeet conversion for the Propane Gas
Association of Canada featuring Mr. Wonderfuel (right) in a
dozen or more films. As national public relations agent for
Canada's RV manufacturers and marketing firms, and
originator of several lage scale auto sales and advertising
programs myself and staff crossed the country many times.
That is another story. One of my biggest kicks was in 1992,
producing a video for the Government of Canada, Public Works
working with the agency's Vancouver office. The 45-minute
video saluted the 50th Anniversary of the Alaska Highway and
took me back to my Yukon roots for the very first time since
high school. Here is the opening sequence. Dim the lights
and imagine yourself a time traveler.
“The
year is 1942. The month is February and our whole world is
gripped by total war. For the moment, Axis forces hold the
initiative, and for weeks following the Pearl Harbor
disaster, every ship leaving North America's Pacific ports
is threatened. The president's directive is clear: Furnish a
supply route to the network of northern airfields - an
overland route to supplement our air and sea lanes; one
secure from attack." Approval comes swiftly, and the task
begins, with end points set up by the military at