On Saturday, September 26, 2009,  RiverSides and Lost Rivers launched a brand new guide titled  "Water and Energy: Exploring the connection in Toronto's landscape".

The guide is available online as a virtual tour or a downloadable self-guided tour. Please check it out here: http://www.thirstycitywalks.ca/walks/water-energy

The intricate connections between water and energy are often referred to as "water - energy nexus". Large amounts of  water  are used and, in many cases, polluted to create energy and at the same time large amounts of energy are used to purify and distribute drinking water as well as to treat the resulting wastewater. Learn more about this issue by taking the walk!

Our launch event was an exciting opportunity to take a guided walk and attend a workshop that explored the walk theme in more detail. We were pleased to feature two guest speakers and hear two equally fascinating presentations.

Martin Liefhebber from Breathe Architects discussed how architecture and urban design can impede or contribute to a more sustainable society where our water, energy and materials are used in a minimal and sustainable way. Specifically, his presentation showed us how we can change the unsustainable suburbs into more environmentally and socially viable living and working spaces. For more information on Martin's work visit his website www.breathebyassociation.com 

Emily Alfred from RiverSides talked about energy and greenhouse gas benefits of rainwater harvesting for the City of Toronto. Emily revealed that as much as 30 percent of electricity used by the City of Toronto is for water supply and water treatment much of which is wasted because most of the water we use daily is of drinking quality but is not used for drinking. Emily showed us how much electricity can be saved and how much greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced when rain water is used instead of drinking water for some of the daily  water uses such as toilet flushing. For more information about this study download the attached article titled "Bringing in the rain: Is rainwater harvesting a solution to Toronto's Water and Energy Needs?" from the "HTO: Toronto's Water from Lake Iroquois to Lost Rivers to Low-flow Toilets" book.