One Of The Most Beautiful Videos Of Peterborough You'll Ever Watch
/Jaw-dropping beauty
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There Will Be A Blood Moon Over Peterborough Around 6:55 AM October 8th
/There will be a total lunar eclipse—aka "blood moon", as the moon turns red—early Wednesday morning (October 8th), and the best viewing time (let's hope for clear skies!) will be around 6:55 a.m., according to timeanddate.com. Below is an approximate representation.
And hey, why not belt this out while you look at it...
[timeanddate.com via Mr. Steve Kearns]
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PTBOCanada Featured Post: Experience Toronto Transformed by Artists At Scotiabank Nuit Blanche
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Promoted post by City of Toronto
Read MoreThe Colours Of Fall
/Welcome to Fall. Here are great pictures sent to us by Laurie Downey that she photographed in the Kawarthas...
Recycle This Post: This Is A Reusable Exchange Weekend
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Peterborough, this is your last chance this year to participate in a Reusable Exchange Weekend this weekend.
These events are the perfect opportunity to pass along items you no longer want, and give them to someone who can use them—all for free.
From today (September 5th) to Sunday, September 7th, place reusable items at the curb on Friday evening of the event weekend. If items have not been taken by Sunday at 7:00 p.m., bring them back in.
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PTBOCanada Featured Post: The Amazing SaveOnEnergy Home Assistance Program
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When it comes to energy bills, absolutely no one likes to pay more than they have to. Unplugging appliances, lowering or raising the temperature depending on the season, and even turning off the lights are all small tricks that can definitely help in both the short and longterm.
But when it comes to really making a change, sometimes the initial investment of buying Energy Efficient products like fridges and stoves can be quite costly. To provide MAJOR assistance with this, Peterborough Distribution Inc. (with assistance from GreenUP) is running a program funded by the Ontario Power Authority to help make a change in the way we consume energy, by helping us use less!
The SaveOnEnergy Home Assistance Program is designed to help “Income Qualified Participants” such as students, seniors and lower income families to reduce their electricity bill so that their expenses are more manageable. As much as some of these potentially eligible people would love to save money on utilities, the upgrade costs can sometimes be too much to take on. This program is here to help out bigtime with those upgrade costs.
Getting started is quite simple. Peter Goering from GreenUP is a Certified Energy Advisor and can be reached at 705.745.3238, ext. 200. He will determine whether or not you qualify and then arrange to do an initial assessment of your home providing low wattage light bulbs where possible and determine if any of four eligible appliances (refrigerator, window A/C, chest freezer and dehumidifier) exceed established thresholds and criteria. Then he will let you know if you are eligible to receive any appliance upgrades.
Peter also lets you know approximately how much electricity is being wasted with your current devices—which can be quite an education in itself. The entire audit/assessment, including eligible appliance upgrades, is completely free of charge!
Funding for the program is set to finish at the end of 2014 so time is of the essence! Ontario, as a whole, needs to reduce its electricity consumption. This is due to both aging infrastructure and increasing awareness around global warming and other environmental issues. This program is part of the Ministry of Energy's goal to create a “culture of conservation”. The Ministry estimates that with every $1 invested in energy efficiency, the province avoids paying $2 in costs to the electricity system in the end.
The benefits to taking part in the program seem quite obvious: updated, ENERGY Star appliances and reduced energy bills for starters. Another huge benefit is that energy conservation helps eliminate greenhouse gases and have a healthier environment. Best of all, the program is completely FREE to participate in!
Your only investment is time (you have to actually be there when they assess and install!). As mentioned, the program is open to “Income Qualified Participants” students, seniors, and low income families. The income cutoffs are listed on GreenUP's website, and it does depend on the number of adults living in the household. For specific details and to find out if you are eligible, click here!
For eligibility details and more info, go to Greenup.on.ca or call Peter Goering from GreenUP at 705.745.3238, ext. 200
**If your business/organization is interested in a PTBOCanada Featured Post Advertorial, email our Sales Director Aaron Elliott at aaron@ptbocanada.com for info!
A Highly Invasive Plant Called The Water Soldier Is Invading The Trent-Severn Waterway
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Water Soldier
Communities along the beautiful and historic Trent-Severn Waterway may not know there is an invasive threat that has crept into the waterbody. The OFAH through its Invading Species Awareness Program wants to raise awareness about a portion of the Trent-Severn near the Hamlet of Trent River, which is home to the only known wild population of the invasive species known as water soldier in all of North America.
Water soldier is used as an ornamental plant in water gardens—the likely source of its introduction to the Trent Severn Waterway. Water soldier forms dense mats of floating vegetation, crowding out native species and decreasing plant biodiversity. It has the potential to alter surrounding water chemistry, which may harm phytoplankton and other aquatic organisms. It can also hinder boating and angling and its sharp, serrated leaf edges can cut swimmers.
It is the OFAH's goal to stop the spread of this plant to other locations. Throughout this summer, OFAH and MNRF staff are on the water monitoring and mapping the water soldier colonies, thanks to a $35,000-grant from the Invasive Species Centre, and supported by a Water Soldier Management Plan. OFAH is putting out a call to volunteers to join them August 7th for Water Soldier Watch Day and help them track and monitor this highly invasive plant. More deets in the poster below...
PTBOCanada Featured Post: Peterborough Utilities Peaksaver Plus Program
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As we enter the warmer months of the year in Central Ontario, the desire to crank up the Air Conditioning becomes almost impossible to ignore. For those who are fortunate enough to have Central Air, the thought of wasting energy and an increased utility bill can be a major stumbling block. If only there was a way around this issue! Luckily for us, Peterborough Utilities is thinking green and is running saveONenergy programs to help alleviate the stress. The programs are designed to help conserve electricity and there are a whole host of free gadgets that you can get for participating.
One of the main programs is peaksaver PLUS®. People who decide to participate in the program receive a FREE programmable thermostat. This incredible device allows you to control and monitor your home’s temperature through your smart phone or computer. You can turn up your thermostat on your way home from work, or check on your house while you are away travelling. Take a minute to imagine the freedom! The times are certainly changing!
Now it might seem a bit strange that an electricity company is asking you to conserve electricity (and giving you free items for doing so). Well, when too much electricity is used at once, it can be a double-whammy to the electricity grid. Not only do non-renewable sources of energy (i.e. gas plants) need to be fired-up to meet the demand, but it can also result in brown outs which are times when electricity in your home or business does not work optimally. This in turn also costs a whole bunch of money to utility companies to keep up with the demand.
Happy family using the peaksaver PLUS program
Those who decide to participate in the peaksaver PLUS program have the option of participating in peaksaver events. These events happen when everyone is using electricity at the same time. During this time, if you decide to take part in the program your central air will be cycled down by a few degrees to take pressure off the grid. (However, you have the option to “opt-out” or choose not to participate two times during the year.) These peaksaver events can happen between May 1st and September 30th between 12:00 pm and 7:00 pm. They never last more than 4 hours and there is a maximum of 10 events per year. Events only happen during the week, not on weekends or holidays so you likely won’t notice them at all!
Not only are you helping to conserve electricity and getting an awesome programmable thermostat, but you also receive 100 AIR MILES reward miles for participating in the program. For more information on Peterborough Utilities programs, click on this informative website.
For more information on PDI's Peaksaver PLUS program, go to:
Website: Pdipeaksaverplus.ca/
Twitter: @ptbo_utilities
Facebook: Peterborough Utilities Group
Phone: 705.748.6900
**If your business/organization is interested in a PTBOCanada Featured Post Advertorial, email our Sales Director Aaron Elliott at aaron@ptbocanada.com for info!
Everything's Gone Green With 2nd Annual 7 Days of Green In Peterborough
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Roll up your sleeves Peterborough! We’re about to get our green on. Our friends at the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough are coordinating the second annual 7 Days of Green, a Peterborough City and County wide celebration of our environment. It’s a chance to focus on the innovative work being done by charities, facilitate new partnerships and share how easy it can be to make a difference by adding a little green to your routine.
7 Days of Green is a time for us to encourage green giving, and tell our green stories as a community. This year’s festivities kick off on June 1st. PTBOCanada.com is a proud media partner. Here's the full schedule...
This is just the tip of the iceberg! For more information and a full schedule of 7 Days of Green activities, visit 7daysofgreen.ca. All events are open to the public!
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