Two weeks ago, the McGinty government’s much anticipated Green Energy Act was signed into law. The Act contains many provisions which will allow Ontarians to more easily buy and sell renewable energy, upgrades our power grid, and speeds up the permit and planning process for renewable energy developments.

This is exciting news because there are people out there who are anxious to try generating power on their own, and are just waiting for the right moment to jump on board.

Not only will the Green Energy Act soon be providing some encouragement, but other current government programs are also great reasons to start making your home greener.

The Home Renovation Tax Credit will allow you to install such things as new windows and doors, and receive a tax credit of up to $1,350. The widely popular ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program lets homeowners to install insulation, new heating and cooling systems, water-saving appliance and a variety of other improvements in exchange for government grant money.

The dollar amount of grants in the ecoENERGY program is currently increased by 25% for a limited time, so there’s no better time to take part.

If you have questions about all the buzz around green energy, and are looking for suggestions of what you can do at your own home there is an excellent event coming up on June 6^th. The Green Home and Garden tour will allow you not only see installations of renewable energy in operation but also talk to some of the people that installed and purchased them. There are nine different homes and gardens on this year’s tour.

“The Green Home and Garden Tour is an excellent opportunity for people to come out, meet their neighbours and learn about alterative ways power their homes using methods such as solar power,” says Thalia Bock, who is a member of the Green Home and Garden committee.

In addition to alternative methods of powering a home, a couple of home owners on the tour have installed new heating and cooling systems that use less energy and obtain the heat from the ground below their homes. Called Geothermal, this form of heating and cooling is gaining in popularity, especially since there are now government grants available to help make the cost of purchase and installation more affordable.

The Green Home and Garden Tour wouldn’t be complete without Gardens, and there are plenty of those.

“With the introduction of the pesticide ban in April, many people are still scrambling to find new gardening methods and keep pests and weeds away without the use of harmful garden chemicals,” Bock says.

The gardens on the tour feature both food and flower gardens and those with a combination of both.

“Homeowners who have naturalized gardens will be happy any questions you might have about their successes and might even be willing to share a few gardening secrets with you,” she said.

The Ministry of Environment will have an informational available at one of the gardens that will answer common questions about the pesticide ban, and point people to the right sources of information and their new website.

The Ministry won’t be the only informational representative in attendance at the various tour stops. People from a variety of companies that offer green products or services will have displays set up where you can gather information and have questions about their product or service.

There are more then just homes on this year’s tour. Two not-for-profit organizations, Peterborough Green-Up and the John Howard Society of Peterborough will also be participating.

Green-Up celebrated one year in the organization’s new energy efficient and environmentally friendly office yesterday, and to continue the celebration as we’re adding our own office to the tour. Tour participants can drop in and see what we’ve done, the products we’ve used and get information on popular energy programs.

The John Howard Society has also been busy making their office space greener. They’ve installed solar panels on the roof and have gone through the Power Savings Blitz program to switch to more energy efficient lighting—for free, up to $1000. The Society also developed a “green training” program for other non-profits to allow them to learn the ins and outs of having a more sustainable and environmentally conscious.

To participate in the tour, purchase your tour passport at the following locations:
Peterborough Green-Up, 378 Aylmer St. N.

Avant Garden Shop, 165 Sherbrooke St.

Gardens Plus, 136 County Rd. 4, Donwood

Happenstance Books, Lakefield

Tour passports are only $10 and give you access to all 9 stops from 10 am to 4 pm on June 6^th. All money raised goes to Peterborough Green-Up’s environmental programs. For more information call myself, Thalia Bock or Cathy Mitchell at Green-Up. 745-3238.