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p 10 the tribune thursday june 10 1997 su new cool cans can have environmental risks suzanne elston special to the tribune the idea is as seductive as it is potentially dangerous a californiabased soft drink company has invested eight years and 11 million to devel op a product that would elimi nate lukewarm beer on a hot summer afternoon the joseph company has successfully developed a selfcooling can that is scheduled to be in wide spread distribution by the fall of this vear the microcool can is actual ly two cans in one a small aerosol can filled with hfc 134a is mounted upsidedown in a 500ml beverage can leaving 330 ml space for bev erage the button on the bot tom of the can is the value head of the aerosol can that has been crimped into place touching the button releases the gas which then chills the cans contents 30 degrees fahrenheit in just two minutes unfortunately the technolo- environment gy used to cool the can has some serious environmental risks attached to it hfc 134a is 3400 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas with sales of 800 million cans expected within three years microcool cans have the potential to cre ate a very large problem iron ically hfc 134a was devel oped to replace cfcs which damage the ozone layer this is a classic case of the solution as bad as the original cause the other issue that needs to be addressed is what to do with the cans once theyre empty recycling them isnt going to be easy the heat exchange unit used to cool the cans is wrapped in a ribbed plastic liner the more layers you add the more difficult it is to recover the raw materials for recycling john hanson executive r v 48 mo fencing beiien iah a picbm wh hm i thk noh k w wmq dock 1997 sable gs 1997 taurus gl iwtaurwgl features pjp 16ia 1997 lumina 1997 camry ce 1mmgs wpackage isa as advertised mmloa engine otve 31 lv6 2214 cyl dual air bags i air conditioning v optional automatic transmission optional flipfold centre console not available not available amf m stereo cassette power windows f- optional optional power door locks optional remote tronic release speed control optional optional speed sensitive steering v not available power heated mirrors not available nonheated tachometer not available micron air filter not available not available for 24 days only get 19 no limit 48 month financing on all 1997 taurus and sable sedans and wagons the countdown begins june 7th and ends june 30th starting at site ford 20995 or 259 month lease see your ontario ford mercury dealers compare 19 vs 865 bank financing 48 months amount financed cost of borrowing at 19 over 48 months cost of borrowing at 865 over 48 months your savings 15000 58896 279792 220896 20000 78544 373024 294480 25000 98192 466304 368112 m mercury wise buyers read the legal copy m9 financing available on approved credit or up lo and including the purchase price of any 97 taurussable sedan or wagon some conditions apply tl9 financing on new instock 1997 taurus glsable gs with rep 16w410a for a maximum of 48 months on approved credit eg 15000 financed at 19 annual percentage rate for 48 months monthly payment is 32477 cost of borrowing is 58896 and total to be repaid is 1558896 with 0 downpayment financing not available with any other offer limited lime offer purchase new 1997 taurus glsable gs with rep 161 a410a for 20995 after 2000 cashback deducted taxes payable on full amount of purchase price before cashback deducted some conditions apply inew 1997 taurus glsable gs with pep 161 a410a monthly lease payment of 259 based on 24 month lease from ford credit to qualified retail lessees on approved credit some conditions and a mileage restriction of 36000 km over two years apply downpayment taurus glsable gs 29953185 or equivalent trade required first months payment and security deposit required limited time otter ttford credit all offers exclude freight 830 license insurance and all applicable taxes dealer may lease and sell for less seo dealer for details ontario fmoa po box 2000 oakville ontario l6j 5e4 director of the recycling council of ontario believes that the cans may pose some risk to the recy cling system the aluminum industry has very little tolerance for contaminates in their recycling process said han son these cooling devices may represent significant contamina tion in which case they would be unacceptable to the recycling industry what is incredible about this entire story is our failure as a soci ety to discourage the development of such mindless unnecessary products at best they represent a frivolous use of our resources at worst as in the case with the microcool can they have the potential to cause serious environ mental damage enough is enough canada has failed miserably to reach the c02 reductionlimits agreed to at the earth summit five years ago at that time we were the first of 154 countries to sign the united nations framework convention on climate change our commitment was to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000 its already predicted that well miss that target by at least 10 per cent in december of this year the united nations will meet in kyoto japan to make new commitments to curb global warming allowing this product to get a foothold in the canadian market place at this critical juncture would be disastrous given our governments poor track record in meeting interna tional agreements its up to the consumer to reject this product in the marketplace the bottom line is that if no one buys these cans then the manufac turer will just have to stop making them its kind of refreshing actually when you think of all the major environmental issues that we often feel powerless to do anything about its nice to know that by making a simple consumer choice we can prevent something pro foundly stupid from becoming a major problem environment question do you have a question about the environment youd like our environmental specialist suzanne elston to answer drop us a line at the tribune and well see if suzanne cant get to the bottom of it she has her finger on the pulse of the environment and has con tacts within government the envi ronmental movement and other sources if she cant find out well find someone who can drop us a card letter or email today t