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Did You Know?

Make money:  Reduce.  Reuse.  Recycle.

1. Just one 100-watt bulb burning constantly 24/7 for a whole year will add more than $100 per year to the typical power bill. Solution: use florescent lights (can reduce power bills by 80%).

2. Weather strip doors, windows and light sockets to keep out drafts

3. Use space heaters instead of whole office/home heating systems

4. Keep doors closed in rooms not heated

5. Buy only recyclable packages that return the deposit

6. Save newsprint and used paper for packaging material

7. Use database presentations instead of printing reports

8. Use email instead of snail mail

9. Print reports on two sides

10. Use conference calls rather than travel

11. Car pool

12. Use recyclable print cartridges wherever possible

13. Use re-chargeable batteries

14. Wash with cold water, whenever possible

• If you do not know how to read your water meter, MRA studies show you are probably not alone. The Canadian water meter generally reads in graduations of cubic meters of water, equal to 1000 litres, or 220 gallons. If you have a decimal digit on your meter, you can read tenths of cubic meters (100 litres or 22 gallons).  If you have a sweep hand on your meter, you can read cubic meters in hundredths (every 10 litres or 2.2 gallons).  Ask your Water Utility for a free up-to-date meter with a sweep hand that can identify small leaks.

• Americans think our gas is expensive. It seems they are right. An MRA survey in the winter of 2003 revealed that the average price of gas nationwide in the US was $Cdn 0.48 per litre, taking into account a smaller US gallon and the going exchange rate. This made Canadian gas about 75% more expensive than American gas at that time.

• The price of gas is not the only thing keeping US tourists away from Nova Scotia. An MRA study of New England residents found that Maine was more attractive than Nova Scotia on all 20 ratings of popular destination appeals, including price. \

• Atlantic Canada lands about 20% of the world's lobster and about 40% of the world's clawed lobster. Excluding China and Japan (where scallop are farmed), Nova Scotia lands about 25% of the world's scallop.

•  There are approximately 37,000 movie screens in the US and approximately 2,600 in Canada. The number of movie screens has doubled in the last 20 years, although the number of theatres is decreasing due to multiplexing.

• Nova Scotia bedrock (blue slate) sells, on average, at 3 times the price of limestone and is even more expensive than granite and some marbles, on a weight basis.

• The US gallon, at 83.3% of the size of the Imperial gallon, is smaller than the Canadian (Imperial) gallon - so obviously, the US fluid ounce is 83.3 % of the Imperial measure, right? - Wrong!  The answer lies in the fact the US gallon has 128 ounces, but the Imperial gallon has 160 ounces. Four quarts to a gallon, remember? - and the US quart is 32 ounces (and pint is 16 ounces), while the Imperial quart is 40 ounces (and pint is 20 ounces). The US fluid ounce is larger than the Imperial fluid ounce because there are only 32 ounces in an American quart, but 40 to an Imperial quart. As a result, a litre of liquid contains a little less than 34 US fluid ounces (33.81), but a little more than 35 Imperial fluid ounces (35.20). That means the Imperial fluid ounce is about 4% smaller than the American fluid ounce. (Worse, the British standard tablespoon holds 17.7 ml, the American 14.2 ml, the Canadian 15 ml, and the Australian 20 ml.  You could try using this as an excuse for why your last recipe didn't work, or why you have a hang-over this morning.)

• Nova Scotia is the world's largest producer of blueberries.  Blueberries are now prized for their healthy anti-oxidant benefits. This is the result of polyphenols in the fruit that also cause the characteristic dark color. Other fruits high in polyphenols include grapes, plums, apples, black currants, blackberries and cherries.

2008 © Market Research Associates Ltd.