Mississauga 2.0 Sustanability Initiatives
Energy And Water in Mississauaga: Ryan Ahdab
Energy: Ryan Ahdab
What are the issues or problems that exist in Mississauga?
Currently Mississauga lacks energy sustainability. Mississauga does not produce its own energy and instead relies on Metropolitans such as Toronto, in order to attain the energy to power the city. Evidently, this unviable method is not very efficient in terms of the city’s capability to sustain itself for the future generations to come. Mississauga would likely have an economic downfall, in persistence to its unsustainable energy sources, this is because it will become very difficult to switch to an energy source that will sustain its population while meeting the energy demand. I believe that Mississauga still has a chance to change its current practices in order to increase its initial sustainability and viability in the future or generations to come.
How is the situation unsustainable in Mississauga?
Which signifies that in the case where a major disruption occurs, Mississauga will not be able to sustain itself since it does not produce its own energy and mostly attains the energy from energy production plants scattered across Toronto or other regions such as the Niagara region. This practice is also unsustainable, as lengthy power lines are present around every direction, which causes visual pollution and may decrease the initial popularity of the Suburb. The cost of transporting the energy will also have a toll on the city, as it overcomes the equivalent cost of energy usage. If Mississauga is capable of producing its own energy, not only will it become more sustainable, but also decrease the cost of energy usage in concurrence to proximity. To conclude, Mississauga will have to act fast or an economic crisis is impending in the near future (some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value) which will subsequently formulate a recession or a mass number of banking panics.
How do you propose to make Mississauga more sustainable?
In order to make Mississauga more energy sustainable, we will firstly have to come up with an environment friendly and efficient energy producer. Through research I had found that the most efficient energy production method in Mississauga in accordance to the growing energy demand, would be Nuclear Power. Through history it had shown that it had been the most efficient since it is seemingly endless and extra fees are inapplicable. On the other hand, coal is not very efficient as some grades of coal are much more efficient than other, and to attain the viable grades transportation costs subdue the cost of the energy production. Unlike coal, Nuclear Energy does not require specific grades, nor’ transportation fees. Ergo, the most sustainable form of energy production would be Nuclear Energy since efficiency is high and the room for error is very minimal. In order to make the production more environmentally friendly, we had decided to induce patches of algae in the proximity of the nuclear power plant, in order for the plants to use their Chloroplasts, to intake Co2 and minerals to release oxygen into the air. I believe that this idea will reduce the emissions with a very simple method that will benefit the ecosystem and the efficiency of energy production. This method is easily applicable in Mississauga as there exists many open areas that can remain sustainable, whilst producing clean energy. To conclude, Mississauga will have to use Nuclear Energy in order to make itself sustainable, to implicate its growing energy demand. This initiative is a very important one since it will mirror the future of Mississauga and who it will be capable of producing mass amounts of energy that will help sustain itself and maybe even other growing metropolitans.
The pros of Nuclear Energy, exceedingly indefinite.
What is Nuclear Energy?
In the environment around us there are very small particles that make up everything, called atoms which consist of protons and neutrons making up the nucleus, and electrons orbiting the nucleus, all making up one atom, each with selective properties according to the element they make up. The selective properties of an atom can be found of the Periodic Table of Elements, which has every element know to man, their properties, and their capabilities. Furthermore, each element’s atom has a specific number of neutrons, protons, and electrons, when neutrons are added to an atom they are then called isotopes, generally isotopes of elements will have more mass and far more potential energy. Moreover, we can relate nuclear energy to the famous formula of E=mc^2 (Energy equals mass multiplied by speed of light squared), pertaining that if we were able to gyrate a pound of any material into pure energy we can make enough energy that will power one million homes, currently that does not exist but the closest thing we have to it is unclear energy. Nuclear energy works by shooting neutrons at uranium 235 to produce the isotope uranium 238, hence “splitting the atom”, when the atom is split it is referred to as nuclear fission which releases a reaction that completely produces the energy equivalent of the atom’s mass, this reaction is so vigorously hot it can heat water in an instant, to revolve a turbine which creates base load energy that does not emit pollutants, however it creates nuclear waste which if not disposed of correctly can cause many issues.
Water: Ryan Ahdab
What are the issues or problems that exist in Mississauga?
In Mississauga, mercury, lead, copper, iron, and other naturally occurring heavy metals find their way into our water sources by both natural and man-made means such as agricultural and industrial waste and runoff. This is a very disruptive issue as it can effect many, in both the short term and long term. This problem can affect both us Humans as well as the various animals that reside in the ecosystems. Bioaccumulation occurs in this tense, which generally means that a specific element will build up in an organism, to the point where biomagnification increases the concentration of that element through the food chain, which will not only affect the biodiversity of an ecosystem but will also affect us humans and the organisms we ingest as we tend to be on the top of the food chain, evidently why we consume the highest concentration of the contaminant element. Seemingly, if the biodiversity becomes fable the tolerance of that area will grow more compact, which may stunt the ability for an area to sustain or regulate its self, which can also affect our resources as a population.
How is the situation unsustainable in Mississauga?
This makes Mississauga unsustainable, since it can heavily disrupt activities and the general population. The contaminated water becomes much more difficult as it requires a much more potent filtration system that becomes more costly, less efficient and time-costly. This can also make Mississauga less sustainable, as we would have to import fresh water that is prone to disruptions, and is also very costly to transport the amount of water needed to sustain an individual in today’s modern era, especially with the growing energy and water consumption. An average person can use up to 300 litres of water daily, this very large volume can make anyone prone to retracting diseases from the ingested water, ergo that is why it is very important to address the issue in a very subtle manner, as to regulate the problem which persistency and a high level of effectiveness.
How do you propose to make Mississauga more sustainable?
In order to make the water filtration system more sustainable, it is important for us to clean the decontaminants more efficiently. Firstly, we will have to counter the initial problem by adding more rules that implement the quantity of waste released. Initially, factories are not restrained on the amount of waste they are allowed to dispose of very strictly, but this rule will impend the quantity they are allowed to dispose of to around 3 metric tonnes, annually. This will decrease the waste disposed of by almost 45% which is a grand percentage in correlation to the waste disposed of previously that had contaminated the environment and our water systems exceedingly fast. Furthermore, the filtration system will become impended with sensorial systems that scan and create a composition of the water being treated. This will help the filtration system to add or remove filtration components for the different elements that are contaminating the water (e.g a much higher concentration of lead requires much more filters induced to filter out the lead).
Conclusion
To conclude, Mississauga has bellowed in these issues as a cause of poor planning and a fairly vague understanding of the future sustainability and viability of the suburb. As energy and water grow to be the two most important aspects of living, their needs must also be met which means that proper fundamentals should be placed in order to applicate correct systematic to sustain and regulate the city of Mississauga, so it can flourish as one of many, exceptionally successful and well-planned cities in the entirety of Canada and maybe even the world, Mississauga 2.0 will truly be the definite example of a sustainable, viable, and very intuitive city of the future.
Bibliography Ryan (MLA):
"What Is Nuclear? / Nuclear Energy." What Is Nuclear? / Nuclear Energy. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June 2016. <https://whatisnuclear.com/articles/nucenergy.html>.
"How Nuclear Power Works." Union of Concerned Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 June 2016. <http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-power/nuclear-power-technology/how-nuclear-power-works#.V1rd_bsrK70>.
"Drinking Water Contaminants – Standards and Regulations." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 7 June 2016. <https://www.epa.gov/dwstandardsregulations>.
"Human Health and Contaminated Water." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 7 June 2016. <https://www.epa.gov/privatewells/human-health-and-contaminated-water>.
Kurzgesagt. "Nuclear Energy Explained: How Does It Work? 1/3."YouTube. YouTube, 26 Mar. 2015. Web. 8 June 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcOFV4y5z8c>.
Kurzgesagt. "3 Reasons Why Nuclear Energy Is Awesome! 3/3." YouTube. YouTube, 01 Apr. 2015. Web. 9 June 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVbLlnmxIbY>.
"Canada Water Act (R.S.C., 1985, C. C-11)." Legislative Services Branch. Canadian Government, n.d. Web. 6 June 2016. <http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-11/page-2.html#h-7>.
Transportation: Adam Shariff
Problems
Mississauga has 29.1% land used as residential space. That is 21,040 acres of 72,185 acres of land mississauga has.
This tells us that we have have population. The population size is not the problem but the traffic and pollution it causes. Surveys were done in 2011 about transportation in some major and minor cities and there census metropolitan area (Note that at the time mississauga was part of toronto's CMA). 64.5% of toronto and it's CMA were just drivers. If 64.5% are driving around in the CMA think of the pollution that is produced. The average commute time around toronto 65.6 minutes. This means there is 65.6 minutes of pollution. These problems are not sustainable because they prolong transportation and and affect climate change
Solutions
To find solutions these problems we must first look at buses. Of the 23.3% people who take public transportation about 10% take the bus. The down side is buses still produce pollution. But there is a solution that is electric buses.
Electric buses are a great way to be sustainable. Not only can they reduce pollution but also can reduce long term cost, engine noise, and reduce the amount of waste energy when stopped. While on the topic of electric vehicles we should also think about promoting electric cars. These will have a lot of the same benefits of electric buses but does not help with the traffic problem.
There is carpooling which reduces cars on the highway and the amount of gasoline produced. The carpool lane is a great idea to make people want to carpool.
Adding more of these lanes will reduce congestion. Now metrolinx is planning to add more rails to lower congestion. Advertising the benefits will increase ridership and help reduce traffic and pollution.
Conclusion
To fix our transportation problems of traffic and pollution in mississauga I propose we, promote electric cars and buses, and rails and promote their benefits, and add more carpool lanes. Thus using these techniques we will have a more sustainable mississauga.
Sources
http://www5.mississauga.ca/research_catalogue/N_1_2016_Existing_Land_Use_Profile.pdfhttp://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-012-x/99-012-x2011003_1-eng.pdf http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/ref/dict/geo009-eng.cfm https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-cma-eng.cfm?LANG=Eng&GK=CMA&GC=535 https://uwaterloo.ca/canadian-index-wellbeing/sites/ca.canadian-index-wellbeing/files/uploads/files/ontarioreport-accessible_3.pdf (page 43-44) https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/transportation/2014/04/28/7_things_to_know_about_the_gardiner_lane_closures.html http://citytransport.info/Electbus.htm http://drivelesssavemore.com/carpooling-benefits http://www.metrolinx.com/en/projectsandprograms/transitexpansionprojects/transit_expansion.aspx http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2016/01/gardiner-hybrid-options-continue-their-costly-evolution http://citytransport.info/Electbus.htm http://drivelesssavemore.com/carpooling-benefits http://www.metrolinx.com/en/projectsandprograms/transitexpansionprojects/transit_expansion.aspx http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2016/01/gardiner-hybrid-options-continue-their-costly-evolution http://citytransport.info/Electbus.htm http://drivelesssavemore.com/carpooling-benefits http://www.metrolinx.com/en/projectsandprograms/transitexpansionprojects/transit_expansion.aspx http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2016/01/gardiner-hybrid-options-continue-their-costly-evolution http://allwallpapersnew.com/wp-content/gallery/electric-car-images/Rechargeable-Car-22.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bc/MiWay_1040.jpg http://www.torontorealtyblog.com/archives/12923
Urban Sprawl: Hermat
Urban Sprawl is when people expand outwards from urban areas into low density areas. Like bogs, which are being drained and paved over, putting valuable wildlife habitat and species at risk.We need to not let this happen to have more space for more green space and use the land for a better use. Urban Sprawl leads to car dependent culture which causes a lot of pollution. Most cities in Canada are faced with a range of urban sprawl issues road expansion, poor transit, new shopping malls and mega-stores, new suburban development say we should start building upward instead of outward. That way we have more green land. Having more green land is better for the environment. Also we would not be dependent on cars to go place like the mall. Building upward will make people walk or bike to places. This would also lower pollution in the city.
Waste Management: Abdurahaman Mohamed
What is this issue about?
Waste management is the way household trash, industrial garbage and hazardous waste is removed using the safest way possible. The issue is about the household waste we throw out every day and how it can affect the community we live in and what Mississauga and its residents can do to help solve the problem of its waste management.
Why does this issue concern Mississauga?
In a census in 2011, Mississauga was the 6th largest city in Canada which means that we have to deal with a lot more waste than other cities. I we were to continue to produce immense amounts of garbage every day, Mississauga would fill up its landfills and there isn’t much land left suitable for landfills to produce more. This would lead to having no choice but to dump all our trash in environmentally sensitive areas which can lead to pollution of our drinking water and get people severely sick.
What are some problems regarding this issue?
There are many problems that come from household and factory waste. Some of the possible hazards that can be caused by garbage are: Pests and diseases: The food waste we dump out can attract bugs and rats which can both spread diseases. Poison and pollution: When we illegally dump chemicals and waste, it can contaminate the water or land. This affects our drinking water and the soil we use to grow food on. If we consume the water and food, it can give us a huge negative impact on our health. Injuries and sicknesses: We can get diseases or sickness from all the waste and we can also get cut from sharp objects such as glass. Visual appearance/Wellbeing: Everybody wants to live in places that are clean and healthy. If there's garbage everywhere, no one would want to live, visit, or invest there because it's dirty, smelly, and feels unsafe. Cost: It's really expensive for costs such as labor costs, buying machines and equipment, energy, training, transportation & disposal, site preparation, cleanups, etc. Greenhouse effect: In the process of waste rotting, it can generate methane gas which is explosive and contributes to the greenhouse effect.
What happens to our trash once we throw it out?
In current day Mississauga, most trash from households and factories are taken to landfills. The principal behind modern landfills is to bury garbage in the most contained way possible. Trash is delivered to what is called the "open cell". This is the only part of the landfill that has trash visible at the surface. After being delivered, the trash is driven over by heavy machines called compactors. A lot of materials contain air, and the compactors squeeze out as much air as possible. After the cell is full, it is covered with soil and dirt. At that point there is a new cell opened until it is filled. Modern landfills are lined with material to keep contaminants inside the landfill from leaking out. They also have landfill gas collectors to capture most of the methane and greenhouse gasses that the materials inside of the landfill make
How we are planning to fix this issue
There are many different possible ways that we can fix this issue. First of all it would make everything a lot easier if Mississauga residents used the 3 R’s more often (reduce, reuse, and recycle). An easy way to reduce the garbage we produce is to replace single bins in parks and other public areas to 4 bin stations (recyclables, paper, organics, and garbage). A more advanced way of solving the problem of too much waste is to have more companies be responsible for their products after they are used and take back containers so they can be reused instead of being thrown into landfills.
Mississauga 2.0 Conclusion: Ryan Ahdab
I would like to conclude by stating that currently Mississauga as a city, is facing very decremental effects of poor city planning. As seen in the aforementioned aspects (Energy and Water, Transportation, Urban Sprawl, and Waste Management). We had come together as a team, each assigned to resolute or formulate a plan that will aid Mississauga in becoming a city of the future, with sustainable energy and water sources, efficient modes and routes of transportation, efficiently providing high density housing, and disposing of waste accordingly as to not damage the environment around us. Ultimately, with these action plans all geared towards a common goal, Mississauga will grow to be a much more sustainable city that will provide its residents with various intimate solutions, to meet the ideals and values of our culture and tradition.
