NEW! This past winter and spring, Carl joined Vanessa Vander Valk on CBC Radio’s Shift NB every second Monday to help everyone learn how they can save energy, money and our environment. The conversations covered some big issues, but always drilled down to impacts on each of us, and what we can do.
January 19, 2026: a discussion of peak power: what it is, why it matters to each of us and what each of us can do to reduce the strain on our grid and minimize the risk of blackouts.
February 2, 2026: a discussion of how the best measure of power consumption is not dollars, but kilowatt-hours per day (which you can find on your bill or calculate); and what you can do once you know that number
February 17, 2026: how you can use the detailed power consumption information on your utility’s new smart meter-fed dashboard to make some changes and save! Plus setting up alerts, and using power meters to learn more about what consumes how much power.
March 2, 2026: what are Time of Day (or Time of Use) power rates; how they work and why adopting them can be a win for both utilities and anyone who uses power
March 16, 2026: comparing the energy used for heat, hot water, appliances and lighting; and a closer look at ways to save on heating, the biggest slice of the home energy pie chart
March 30, 2026: tips for how to save on hot water, appliances and lighting; and a fun exercise using a power meter to measure the power consumption of common household items
April 13, 2026: an overview of the fast-moving world of energy storage, and all the exciting ways it will save us money and improve our lives
April 27, 2026: a look at some coming cool innovations: balcony solar; panels that make entire buildings one giant solar collector; new heat pumps and more!
May 11, 2026: Vanessa comes along for a drive to experience the savings, efficiency and power of an EV; we also check out regenerative braking, charging and how EVs will eventually help feed the power grid
May 25, 2026: the essentials of energy literacy summarized: daily peaks, time of day rates, storage, EVs and energy saving secrets
In the summer of 2025, Carl and his family set out on the great Canadian EV road trip: they travelled from Fredericton to Victoria and back, a total distance of 16,000 KM. Carl shared highlights of the trip – the successes, the challenges and the savings – in an interview on CBC Radio’s What On Earth in July.
Comedy can be a great way to build awareness and change behaviours! Here’s what happened when comedian Jimmy MacKinley dropped by to learn about climate change and sustainability for Episode One of his new series, Jimmy Saves the World!
October 2022: What better way to learn about the benefits of solar energy than to see an actual operating system? Here’s some coverage when Carl hosted his first solar open house!
Carl shares his journey to sustainability in this video prepared when he was recognized by Rotary International in 2023 with a Paul Harris Fellowship, the organization’s highest honour for community service.