1. The hydrogen
fuel cell sled read more
2. The shipping container construction read
more
3. The switch to 4-strokeread
more
4. Using recycled paperread
more
5. McGill Electric
Snowmobile Team read more
1. The
hydrogen fuel cell sled
Fuel cell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaA fuel cell
is an electrochemical conversion device. It produces
electricity from various external quantities of
fuel (on the anode side) and an oxidant (on the
cathode side). These react in the presence of an
electrolyte. Generally, the reactants flow in and
reaction products flow out while the electrolyte
remains in the cell. Fuel cells can operate virtually
continuously as long as the necessary flows are
maintained.
Fuel cells are different from batteries in that
they consume reactant, which must be replenished,
whereas batteries store electrical energy chemically
in a closed system. Additionally, while the electrodes
within a battery react and change as a battery
is charged or discharged, a fuel cell's electrodes
are catalytic and relatively stable.
Are these designs compatable with snowmobiles??
What are the realistic alternative energy source possibilities
for the snowmobile of the future?
When building we commit to re-using building materials.
This past winter 07/08 season we built a new base for
our dogsledding tours. We researched into shipping
containers and decided to try it out!
Building with used shipping containers (cartecturez)
is the new eco-friendly thing to do. few ideas can compete
with the weird, pragmatic beauty of the used shipping
container. Cheap, strong and easily transportable by
truck, train or boat these big steel structures now litter
the ports of America as mementos of our Asian-trade imbalance.
(Many more full containers arrive on our shores than
depart, so ports either ship them back empty -- to the
tune of about $900 per -- or sell them.)
Hurricane proof, flood proof, fire proof, these metal
Lego blocks are tough enough to be stacked 12-high empty
-- and thus can be used in smaller multistory buildings.
Used containers (which can be picked up for $1,500 to
$2,000) often have teak floors and sometimes are insulated.
The bright orange, blue and rust corrugated boxes may
not appeal to everyone. But contemporary hipsters find
them not just the ultimate in postmodern appropriation
but aesthetically pleasing as well.
And even though containers have little of the crunchy
nostalgia of the hay-bale house or the yurt, they trump
most other forms of green building because, in the current
economy, they are virtually a waste product. Making a
building (which can last and last) out of what is essentially
a huge piece of industrial detritus takes recycling to
a new level.
The concept of using shipping containers as buildings
is hardly new -- institutions like the military have
been using the structures as temporary offices, bunk
houses and showers for some time. Examples of designers
incorporating shipping containers into residential designs
date back to 1982.
Our new 4-Stroke Snowmobiles are quieter and cleaner
without compromising speed.
Old-fashioned 2-stroke machines generate a considerable
amount of both noise and polllution and spew out blue
clouds of unburned hydrocarbons. The industry's argument
against 4-strokes has always been that the equivalent
2-stroke engine weighs less and produces more power.
Yamaha engineers neatly torpedoed that theory.
Our new RX-1 snowmobile is powered by a 4-stroke, 998cc,
4-cylinder, DOHC, 5-valves-per-cylinder, liquid-cooled
Genesis Extreme engine, and it uses four Mikuni BSR37
carburetors for a peak of 145 hp at 8300 rpm.
4. using
recycled paper
In 2005 Canadian Snowmobile committed to using recycled
paper for all it's content, business cards, stationery
and advertising materials. We made this commitment because
paper and paper products make up the largest percentage
by volume of global solid waste streams. However, 2003/04
paper and card accounted for almost a third of all household
waste collected for recycling, this means, however, that
there is still a considerable amount that isn't recycled
and is largely going to landfill or incineration. Being
a company that operates in a beautiful costal rain-forest
we feel our responsibility is mandatory to preserve the
incredible environment we are surrounded by. This is
our commitment to help reduce our footprint.
Our printing is done on 100% post-consumer recycled
paper
Canadian Snowmobile Adventures is committed to improving
the options for more sustainable fuel sources in our
snowmobiles.
The McGill University Electric Snowmobile Team is leading
this initiative by designing a cleaner snowmobile. Instead
of modifying the gas engine and exhaust systems of pre-existing
machines to be more efficient, they have taken an innovative
approach and designed an electric powered snowmobile.
This electric snowmobile is much quieter than traditional
combustion engines , and has no gas emissions.
We at Canadian have supported McGill monetarily and joined
their initiative for an environmentally sustainable machine
by creating a fund for the development of environmentally
friendly vehicles.
To read more about the quest for a more sustainable world
of power... click
here
