B.C.’s BEST AutoObesity program receives its first “car donation” – while the donor hopes to lose his “afternoon-coffee-hour gut”

by Steve Beck

Since BEST – B.C.’s Better Environment, Sustainability and Transportation centre – launched its AutoObesity program in December 2009, it has had hundreds of inquiries, such as “How does the program work?” and “Who can participate?” And Drew Lemen’s recent AutoObesity experience not only answers most of these questions, it’s a great case study of a family that has taken the plunge and gone from being a two-car to a one-car household. We interviewed Lemen (pictured below), a retired public servant, at his home in south Richmond, B.C. – after he realized that with two cars for just two people, his household had one more vehicle than necessary. The result: Lemen has donated one of them to BEST.

MyWW: How do you donate a car?

DL: I just called up BEST and they met me at my condo and explained how AutoObesity works. As I was already committed to making a change, I didn’t need convincing as much as some help making the change, which is what the AutoObesity program is about.

MyWW: Did you get anything in return?

DL: A charitable tax receipt, based on my car’s fair market value (less the value of any benefits); plus a “BEST Mode Shift Membership” for transportation planning. I also get other assistance for making the switch, such as a Car Co-op and/or Zipcar membership, bicycle rain gear or safety gear if I need it, safe-cycling courses, a discount on an ecycle and transit passes. I haven’t decided yet exactly what help I need, but I have 30 days from the time of my donation to figure it out, given that the AutoObesity program is tailored specifically to the family or household making the car donation.

MyWW: It’s not easy giving up the extra wheels, eh?

"The average car costs between $8000 and $10,000 per year to own and operate, taking into account insurance, licensing, financing, maintenance, fuel and depreciation of value. So anything that saves me that much money is worth looking into." –Drew Lemen

DL: Actually, the decision was fairly simple. Having my own car is convenient, but it also has its downside. I’d really like to lose this afternoon-coffee-hour gut, for example, and cycling and walking regularly will help me do that.

MyWW:Any other payoffs?

DL: Even eliminating just one car helps reduce traffic and noise outside our apartment. I’d like the neighbourhood to be more livable, and this is a step toward that, something I can do myself. It’s hard to see so much of the public space around here dedicated solely to cars – without the same consideration for  walkers, cyclists, skateboarders and rollerbladers. Giving up my car will help make the streets a little friendlier. It also helps make the air cleaner. I want to do my bit to fight climate change and reduce my GHG footprint.

MyWW: And the cost savings aren’t too shabby, either, right?

That was one of my prime motivations. In fact, it was the cost-breakdown analysis of car ownership on the AutoObesity website (based on data from the CAA 2009 Driving Costs pamphlet) that eventually convinced me to give up my car altogether and start biking and taking transit. The average car costs between $8,000 and $10,000 per year to own and operate, taking into account insurance, licensing, financing, maintenance, fuel and depreciation. Anything that saves me that much money is worth looking into, and I’m definitely looking forward to saving that money every year. Plus, it’s a lot easier to donate my vehicle and do some good, rather than deal with the hassle and uncertainty of trying to sell it on my own.

MyWW: So how’s the “gut-reduction” program going?

Ha! Well, I’m still commuting twice a week to Kitsilano and once a week to Burnaby to tutor English to ESL high-school students, which is about  100 km per week. But now I’m using transit or cycling and walking. So it’s different, definitely. Still, I’m enjoying getting more fresh air and exercise, without having to drive to the beach or the gym. I also like how my travel options have actually increased. When people become car dependent, they tend to see their vehicle as the only viable option for doing chores, going to appointments, commuting, going out to dinner, for everything. Now I’ve got more flexibility. So yeah, “it’s hard to let go.” But after taking a couple of weeks to “say goodbye” to the old wheels, I’ve let ‘em go.

Photos courtesy Martin Gunst, BEST AutoObesity program coordinator

• the cover shot for BCAA’s 2010 Calendar
• featured in Westworld magazine (Winter 2009 edition)

You can make the thumbnails below larger by clicking, plus you can move through each shot using the arrows in the bottom corners of the photograph. Once you have decided Click here to cast your vote! and leave a comment below explaining why you liked it.

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• ambience (whether my room is a bure on a Fijian beach or rustic backcountry escape)
• the uniqueness factor: what sets the hotel apart from its peers, and surprises and delights?
• a sense of ease, comfort and lack of pretension
• staff or owners skilled in the art of making everyone feel immediately at home, without fuss, and who go well beyond the expected in terms of hospitality
• a certain flair and attention to detail in design, decor and presentation
• value for money
• great location

Victoria’s Magnolia Hotel & Spa won me over immediately – on all counts.

Built in 1998 by developers Rourke Group Design as a labour of love, and classed as a four-diamond city boutique hotel that Conde Nast Traveler readers consistently rank as one of the top hotels in Canada, the seven-floor, 64-room Magnolia on Courtney Street is conveniently tucked amidst downtown Victoria hot spots. Floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Inner Harbour, classic-but-relaxed decor by Vancouver-based award-winning BBA Design, Aveda toiletries (including fabulous, daily “bath bombs”), a newly reopened onsite spa, a new, independently owned restaurant off the lobby, gas fireplaces in many rooms and feather pillows so plump I’m currently scheming how to beg, borrow or steal six for at home . . . and it only gets better. Because, ultimately, what makes everything in a hotel mesh, no matter how polished its separate components, is something rather intangible….that feeling….of being at home, of feeling welcomed without the perception that it’s business as usual or a bit of a front. In other words, staff who are interesting, interested individuals and not PR clones or, worse, indifferent.

Anne and Jana at Magnolia's grand spa opening and restaurant launch

As with any business, I believe good staff are honed by the leadership at the top, and in this case that’s general manager Jana Cornelius. Jana has that rare ability to imbue any encounter

with a naturalness and quiet charm, making those she is speaking with feel like they’re the most important person in the room. And she’s the reason, I believe, that before Christmas when my teen missed the last ferry home to Vancouver from Victoria, and I phoned another hotel we’ve stayed at over the years and was told “No,” they couldn’t give my daughter a room because they didn’t have my credit card imprint (nor, apparently, any suggested alternatives), I phoned the night desk at the Magnolia.

Markus came on the line immediately: discreet, calm, the epitome of class. Yes, perhaps I was the editor of a travel magazine and website who had stayed at the hotel recently. Perhaps not. More important, I was a mother with a young teen stranded in the city at midnight. There was no “I’m sorry, ma’am, that’s the hotel’s policy.” No “I’m sorry, the manager has gone home for the day.” Just a good human being on the end of the line who took my credit card number on faith . And I’ll be forever grateful he did, as will a certain tough-but-still-sometimes-scared teenager.

The Other Victoria

I confess, I used to consider Victoria a tad staid. What a mistake! The capital’s hoppin’ these days, with one of the best microbrewery scenes in the Pacific Northwest; funky, artsy shopping, including the Lower Jo, for starters, where even the teens at our house can find something cool (a small miracle in itself); the island’s Cowichan and Comox valley foodie enclaves barely a half-hour drive away; winery tours; Travel with Taste foodie tours with Kathy McAree; the only tea-tasting bar in North America, Silk Road and Spa (book ahead for a green-tea facial); the Royal B.C. Museum, a world-class museum doing nifty things year-round, including this summer’s Treasures: the World’s Cultures from the British Museum (a global journey charting the development of civilization through art and artifacts); and the list goes on (www.tourismvictoria.com/gettinghere; www.tourismvictoria.com/vacationguide;
www.tourismvictoria.com/events; www.tourismvictoria.com/videos)

Not Your Average Steakhouse

Chef Bruce Batty: Where were you when I needed you most?

I’d have been a better mother if Bill Almeida had opened his pride and joy 10 years ago. As in, my kid would have been begging, yes, begging, for vegetables versus picking off “all those green things.” Instead, I’ve been trapped in the kitchen with the pickiest eater on the planet, pureeing veggies into soups and conniving with my own mom over chocolate cake recipes surreptitiously stuffed with zucchini. Where were you then, chef Bruce Batty? Because Prime, though ironically billed as a steakhouse (and yes, beef-lovers, its lovingly tended servings of High River, Alberta beef are superb, too), performs wonders with those “green things.” I’ll put it this way: since raving over the four side-dishes of vegetables I had at the restaurant’s Grand Opening (after two days of events I was desperate for something light), I’ve been indulging daily at home with my own makeshift version of Batty’s beefsteak tomatoes, even at breakfast. But my versions just haven’t had quite the same panache. So finally I broke down and begged for the recipe posted below. Now if I can just nab the secret behind the chef’s magic touch with asparagus — sea salt, olive oil and ?? (which I’m thinking might do wonders for green beans, too.)

Then there’s the Magnolia’s just-opened redesigned Aveda spa…already hailed as “the best spa in Victoria” by locals in-the-know. Soaring old-world ceilings, seabreeze-aqua walls – now that the weather’s finally turned Mediterranean the plan is to drag he-who-can’t-stand-his- feet-touched over the local pond for a pedicure, along with my online tech partner who apparently has a similar phobia re: anyone laying hands on his hair. (Us wives are dying to have fun with this, but more about that when we have the video in hand). I mean, hey, why should other women have all the fun - and they are having fun, with 33% of leisure travellers flocking to hotel spas in droves,  and boyfriends and husbands accounting for some 29% per cent of those spa visits annually.

Meanwhile, laptop fired up, fire on, a view of the harbour framed in the rainy background and that first succulent forkful of blue-cheese-dotted greens and gourmet “hamburger” (sans bun) giving a whole new meaning to the term “room service,” I’m already feeling spoiled rotten despite the five hours of work ahead.

***
Batty’s Beefsteak Tomatoes
2 large beefsteak tomatoes (one per person)
Sweetest onion you can get your hands on (red or white; tripiline is good), shaved super fine (use mandoline)
Blue cheese (Rosenberg or Salt Spring Island’s Blossom Blue by Moonstruck)

Dressing (makes enough for 6 tomatoes):
1 tbsp dijon
1 oz rice wine vinegar
1 oz lemon juice
pinch salt
pinch pepper
pinch of sugar
1/2 sweet onion
Blend, then slowly blend in 1/2 cup canola oil, 1/2 cup olive oil)

To prepare:
1. Slice tomatoes 1/4″ thick and fan on plate
2. Arrange arulula in middle of tomatoes and top with shaved sweet onion
3. Drizzle with dressing
4. Top with blue cheese

These circle tours are essentially self-guided roadtrips with suggested stops – from gardens, herb farms, open-air markets and farm-gate vendors and eateries to heritage sites, fairs, cheesemakers and hazelnut orchards. The idea is to  visit multiple farms in a single day (or two) and enjoy the best each has to offer. At each destination, samplings, tastings and behind-the-scenes tours may also be offered.

Participating regions include:

• Langley
• Mission
• Maple Ridge / Pitt Meadows
• Chilliwack
• Abbotsford
• Harrison / Agassiz

All of which are 30 to 90 minutes away from downtown Vancouver.

I recently checked out the Harrison/Agassiz Circle Farm Tour, which wends across the mountain-rimmed countryside to the amazing Tulips of the Valley Festival. (Unfortunately, there’s a super-short timeframe for catching this orgy of colour due to the greenhouse/tulip lifecycle.) From there I zipped over to historic Kilby, on to  Farm House Natural Cheeses,  Limbert Mountain Farm, the Back Porch (for pottery & roasted coffee) and, finally, Canadian Hazelnuts. And I came home loaded with local goodies, from chili-pepper-lime dark chocolate to rooibos tea and beer-nut hazelnuts. My only regret was not stopping in to pick up some Farm House cheddar, which is currently enjoying legendary status among restaurant-goers in Vancouver.

You can download brochures for each tour online to plan your day accordingly. Or, contact any of the stops by phone or email ahead of time to arrange tours upon arrival.

Take a Tour & Pick your Favourite Category:

How to take part

1. Visit BCAA.com/Savings or choose your favourite category of savings above
2. Come back to this page & leave a comment telling us your favourite savings category and why.
3. Every 30th person to comment will be sent a $50 Husky and Mohawk Gas Coupon up to a total of $500.
4. If we can detect 1 person entering multiple times only the first comment will count – the remainder shall be deleted.

You must leave a comment on this page to be part of the giveaway and  we’re going to post the comments in batches of 30 to ensure it’s fair.

Thanks for taking part & feel free to tell your friends.

– Updates & Congratulations –

1. Colleen Porteous entered our 30th comment.
2. Duane Bates entered our 60th comment.
3. M. McDaniel is our 90th comment.
4. Diane Murray entered our 120th comment.
5. Rose Hoffman entered comment 150.

“The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.”

”Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backward.”

“If a man smiles all the time, he’s probably selling something that doesn’t work.”

“The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, you know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done.”

“I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me–they’re cramming for their final exam.”

Well, I wonder how George fared. As you may have heard, Carlin died on June 22 in Los Angeles of heart failure at age 71. I expect he is keeping everyone in stitches in the Great Beyond.

Carlin began his career in comedy as a jacket-and-tie kind of guy, with a partner, Jack Burns, but in the 1960s, he went solo with his act, donning a beard and a ponytail, and went on to redefine standup comedy, shattering taboos and becoming a counterculture icon. He constantly pushed the envelope with his humour, particularly with his famous routine, “The Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV.” When Carlin uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested for disturbing the peace. And when they were played on a New York City radio station, they resulted in a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1978 upholding the government’s authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language. “So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I’m perversely kind of proud of,” he said earlier this year.

During his long and productive career, Carlin produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, a couple of TV shows and appeared in several movies. He also hosted numerous episodes of Saturday Night Live, including the show’s first, on October 11, 1975, about which he noted on his website that he was “loaded on cocaine all week long.”

The targets of Carlin’s acerbic and cerebral commentary were many: organized religion, political correctness, unscrupulous advertising, baby boomers, politicians, hypocrisy, and the English language, to mention just a few. Two of his funnier diatribes were about the airlines and their silly announcements and the absurdities of airport security. In case you haven’t caught these two routines, I am including the links to the pages on YouTube where you can view them. Take note: They include a few words and phrases that some people may find objectionable.

Click to watch the video on airline announcements

Click to watch George Carlin on airport security

Before abandoning the subject of African wildlife safaris, I want to make mention of a YouTube video entitled “Battle at Kruger,” which some have described as the best nature video ever shot. This rivetting, eight-minute piece of footage depicts a clash between a herd of Cape Buffalo, a pride of lions and a crocodile at a watering hole in Kruger National Park in South Africa. The video has drama, suspense and a twist ending with a lesson for everyone.

First posted on YouTube in May 2007, it quickly became one of the hottest uploads in web history that didn’t feature a naked celebrity or a politician making a career-ending gaffe. As of January 1, 2008, the video had attracted more than 22 million views and 20, 000 comments and had been covered in Time magazine. This fall, the National Geographic Channel plans to air an hour-long special documenting the story.

The clip was filmed during a guided safari in September 2004 by American tourist David Budzinski, who enjoyed spectacular timing and luck, especially considering that he barely knew how to turn his camera on. As the Texan told ABC News, “It’s a camera that I had used maybe once a year. Even today, I have to practise with it to remember which buttons do what. I truly was blessed at the time to hold it steady and catch what I did, because very easily, I could have missed so much.”

Ironically, Budzinski did not post his video on YouTube. In fact, he didn’t even know what YouTube was. Jason Schlosberg, a fellow vacationer on the safari that fateful day in 2004, asked Budzinski for a copy of the video, because he’d “never seen something so amazing.”For more than two years, the Battle at Kruger remained something Budzinski and Schlosberg occasionally shared with family and friends when they stopped by for a visit. Then, in May 2007, Schlosberg finally decided to share the clip with a friend of his from South Africa who’d moved to Ohio and had been pestering Schlosberg to see the video. To avoid long lines at the post office, Schlosberg put the clip on the Internet and a global phenomenon was born. Let me know what you think.