The Sunday drive has been a long cherished tradition in many families. I remember when my grandparents would squeeze us kids into the back seat for a scenic drive out into the country. We had a favourite spot where we always stopped for homemade ice cream. It was the journey, not the destination. It was telling jokes, playing “I spy”, and racing to eat our double-fudge scoop before it melted on a hot summer’s day.
When I was young, our family had an annual tradition, at the beginning of each spring we would load up the station wagon and drive up to my Uncle’s cottage in Grand Bend. It was sort of our way to say good-bye to winter and hello to more sunshine and fairer weather. The cottage was built in the early 1900’s and it retained a lot of its character and charm throughout the years.
Although we never officially called it “Earth Hour”, our family has a tradition of turning out the house lights, sitting on our front porch. We often looked up to the stars and would compete with each other to see which constellations we could find, the Big Dipper was always the easiest to spot, but my favourite was Draco, the Dragon.
“I’ll meet you by the fountain” was a common statement when I was growing up. When my friends and I went to a movie or out to grab a burger we always met at the “fountain”. Yes, it was a water fountain, but to us it became so much more.
Lights controlled by a smartphone, electric cars that charge overnight and a rooftop garden that supplies food to the grocery store below — these are all features of a new energy-efficient and environmentally responsible community that Ryerson students are helping to build in London, Ont.
Feel the energy. West 5. The most visionary, experiential lifestyle destination. Ever. It will change everything. How you work, shop, live, play and get inspired. West 5 is innovative and sustainable, connected, interconnected and in tune with your lifestyle.
This is the future of housing and it’s called Net Zero. By producing as much energy – or more – than it uses, a Net Zero energy home is the pinnacle of energy efficiency; high performance, high quality homes and renewable energy coming together in a building trend that will be the future of how communities are created.
Solar power will be a key component of Sifton Properties’ groundbreaking new development in west London, that also will include harvesting rainwater and salt-free roads.