If you dutifully use refillable coffee mugs and water bottles then take heart that you are not alone. Statistics Canada reported last week in Households and the Environment that 68% of Canadian households drink mainly tap water, while bottled water consumption has fallen to 22%, down from 24% in 2009 and 30% in 2007. But […]
TTC : "A TRANSIT SYSTEM THAT MAKES TORONTO PROUD" Toronto Reference Library 789 Yonge St. Wednesday, March 6th, 6:30-8:00 Chris Upfold, the TTC's first Chief Customer Service Officer, will discuss the TTC's plan to make customer care a priority. The TTC is undergoing a five year transformation which will involve modernizing […]
SAMS Technical Publishing contains over 275,000 consumer electronics repair manuals and is available from home with a library card or from a computer in any Toronto Public Library branch. SAMS provides schematics for TVs, VCRs, Radios, etc. from 1946 to today. You can search this database by model/chassis number, by Brand or by the SAMS number. SAMS contains different types […]
Last week I read former mayor John Sewell's article "Fracked gas coming to a T.O. neighbourhood near you" and was very surprised to learn that since early November half of Toronto's natural gas has been coming from Pennsylvania. This gas is extracted through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a controversial process that involves putting a […]
CLIMATE CHANGE: PROTECTING HEALTH IN TORONTO Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street Beeton Auditorium Monday, October 29, 2012 1:30 – 3:00 pm Two speakers from Toronto Public Health will discuss initiatives to protect us from extreme weather conditions. Sudha Sabanadesan, MSc., CPHI (C) works in the Healthy Public Policy Directorate at Toronto Public […]
Unsure about how copyright rules apply to Internet images? Try using the Toronto Public Library's databases instead. Literati by Credo (Credo Reference) provides over 200 000 images without "digital rights management restrictions." Think of this database as a room full of hundreds of encyclopedias and reference books on all different topics. Read full-text articles […]
As the rover Curiosity rambles over Mars looking for signs of life, you might be interested in some background information about the planet and previous exploratory missions. Olivier de Goursac is a science writer and space imaging specialist and his book Visions of Mars is spectacular, not just because of the photos, […]
Toronto is the first city in North America to require that all new buildings incorporate a green roof. This bylaw came into effect in 2009 and there are currently 135 completed green roofs in the city. Benefits of green roofs include reduced storm water runoff, reduced energy consumption, better air quality and increased […]
A key component of urban sustainability is growing food locally, efficiently and in an environmentally sound manner. Vertical farming, championed by Dr. Dickson Despommier, is a fascinating concept that builds on existing hydroponic farming. In The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century, Despommier outlines the advantages of stacking crops in […]
As leaves return to Toronto's trees, the city softens. Rough urban edges are smoothed out, and we, along with thousands of resident and migrating birds, are grateful for this canopy of green. If you are interested in researching trees, in, and beyond your backyard, consider coming into the Business, Science and Technology […]