Shawnigan Lake - It has been said that taking simple steps in our daily lives is the best way to reduce exposure of our children and families to toxic pollutants that cause cancer, asthma and other diseases. Wood smoke has already been identified as the chief source of air pollution in the Valley.
To put it in terms relating to Wolfgang Lehwalds's letter, burning two cords of seasoned wood in an appliance is the equivalent of driving 13,000 cars 20 kilometres each (source: Washington State Dept of Ecology). Burning piles outdoors is 100 times worse than that. One person's annual habit could roughly be offset by blocking the Trans Canada Highway for that day.Donald GillmoreShawnigan Lake