Live a carbon-free spring! As we know, transportation is the nerve of the war in Quebec when it comes to the fight against the climate. But there are other ways to reduce your carbon footprint than switching cars. Drive less, first. And getting rid of fossil fuels in a different way…
A perfect e-burger
Using a gas barbecue all summer emits as much GHG as about a week of car travel. To avoid disputes with neighbours, many multi-unit buildings prohibit the use of barbecues outside. And it must be said, the management of propane cylinders is tedious.
If all this appeals to you, the electric barbecue is a solution that might interest you. The Weber brand is launching a new electrified range this spring called Lumin, which promises the best of both worlds: grilled meats cooked to perfection with the taste of a “real” ember fire, thanks to an infusion of smoke from drink.
If you take the reduction of your carbon footprint one step further by eliminating meat from your diet, know that the slight smoky taste deftly enhances tofu skewers, vegan barbacoas and combinations of mushrooms and potatoes. Among others.
The electric burner located very close to the grate effectively sears the food. Preheating allows food to be thawed out of the freezer quickly. A stainless steel receptacle allows steam cooking. And a plate sold separately adds the option of cooking certain foods a la plancha.
Top chefs will tell you that grilling is more of an art than a science. This also goes for electric burners: once you find the right setting, meats, fish and vegetables will not know the difference between the 1560 watts of the Lumin and the 30,000 BTUs of a comparable gas barbecue. .
Same great taste, less gas.
We no longer have the Segways that we had
Contrary to what their detractors claim, the small electric scooters that we come across in increasing numbers on the bike paths of major North American cities are not illegal here. There are certain large models whose use is regulated by law. The more compact models sold both at Costco and in specialty stores have more leeway. Provided you use them well, of course.
These Segway, Gotrax, Razor or other brand scooters offer electric assistance whose real autonomy can generally reach between 40 and 50 kilometers, depending on the model. At a maximum speed of 32 km/h, they more than adequately replace the car in the suburbs for daily trips between home and office. Did you know that the average speed of a car in town, with all the stops and obstacles, was also 32 km/h? So.
Helmet on the head and backpack on the shoulder, users crossed on the South Shore in the Montreal region in this young beginning of spring explain having eliminated the use of their car during the week thanks to their scooter. In some cases, it completely replaces the second family car, a more than substantial saving. At $1,000, a scooter like Segway’s Ninebot Max, probably the best-known model, pays for itself in less than a summer with the savings gained in unused fuel.
Vanlife and solar camping
The most amazing novelty in the electronics market in 2023 is not augmented reality glasses or autonomous flying cars. In the major technology fairs at the beginning of the year, the novelty was this slew of manufacturers of electric generators equipped with a lithium battery and capable of replacing the most efficient gas generators.
The market for these generators is divided into three: in addition to vaguely green survivalists, there are camping or hiking enthusiasts. vanlife who don’t want to run out of juice and owners of homes, cabins or RVs with intermittent power connections. These people can swap their gas generator for an electric model capable of charging its battery in different ways, including through solar energy.
The Bluetti brand, created in Las Vegas in 2019, offers generators of all sizes. Its AC300 modular model is the most popular. Batteries, solar collectors or other accessories can be added over time. The basic set, a 3000 watt generator sitting on a 3072 watt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery, is enough to power a not too large residential wall-mounted air conditioner for 5 to 8 hours, depending on its intensity.
It can then be charged from a wall outlet or a vehicle’s 5V socket. And if you have to take things to the extreme, you can then plug in your electric barbecue and scooter, for an all-electric lifestyle…powered by solar energy.
And it will smell like spring like never before. A lot better than the smell of gasoline engine exhaust…