  At the former Evergreen Brickworks site. Click image to enlarge |
Day 2
We began our second day back at Centennial College. After a brief press conference we headed southwest to the Evergreen Brickworks in Toronto. For anyone in the Toronto area who hasn’t visited this establishment on Bayview Avenue, I highly recommend it. The Evergreen Brickworks is about urban sustainability for everything from food to transportation. This facility was developed from the relics of 100-year-old brickwork manufacturing buildings. The brick-making company that used to occupy the land shut its doors in 1983 as the clay integral to making bricks was located too deep in the nearby pit to be excavated. The location was abandoned for 25 years (minus the odd rave party) and was reopened a few years ago with the goal of making an environmental community centre. The 130-foot clay pit that was excavated to produce the bricks was filled with water and is now a pond/ravine surrounded by nature trails. Additionally, the Evergreen Brickworks is home to a nursery, outdoor skating arena, bicycle training course, outdoor children’s play-shop, boutique stores, a restaurant, trails, and much more with further additions on the horizon.
From the Evergreen Brickworks we embarked on the most grueling stretch of the entire AJAC Eco-Run. We drove from East Toronto clear across the heart of the GTA to Oakville, Ontario, travelling exclusively on Dundas Street. This took us through Downtown Toronto, Etobicoke, Mississauga, and eventually Oakville. To get an idea of how this rain-soaked drive went, over the 42.6 km trek I averaged 20 km/h and took over 2 hours to arrive at the CAA office in Oakville, Ontario. Needless to say, no one was eager to jump back into the vehicles and try that leg of the journey again. Luckily, our last jaunt of the day was a fairly quick one to McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, where our vehicles would rest and recharge for the night.
Day 3
  McMaster University. Click image to enlarge |
The final day of our journey began back at McMaster University. McMaster has an in-depth automotive program called MacAUTO. They are tackling the issue of “what’s next?” for both the electric energy industry and the automotive industry. MacAUTO is focused on transportation electrification and solutions like the smart grid. They claim to have the highest amount of interest amongst all colleges and universities in North America on the topic of transportation electrification.
From McMaster we headed west on what seemed to be an endless uphill, albeit scenic, route to Woodstock, Ontario. Aside from the marathon drive across Dundas Street, this was the most challenging drive from an efficiency standpoint. Once in Woodstock, we were greeted by a surprisingly large turnout despite the high winds. After our press conference and lunch, we were back on the road to Fanshawe College in London.
It was on this final stretch that many vehicles achieved their best fuel economy numbers of the week. The 2012 Lexus CT200h achieved an amazing 3.7 L/100 km, the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze clocked in at 4.4 L/100 km, the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG was driven to 9.7 L/100 km and yours truly achieved 5.6 L/100 km in the FWD 2013 Mazda CX-5 GS.
 Fanshawe College. Click image to enlarge |
After the Eco-Run closing ceremonies we were given a tour of the new transportation facilities at Fanshawe College. Like Centennial College, Fanshawe is involved in every aspect of the transportation industry minus railway trains. Everything from auto body repair to aviation structural technician to farm equipment mechanicals is taught at the college. In keeping with the environmental theme of the Eco-Run, many “Going Green” initiatives have been implemented at Fanshawe, such as a green roof, storm water reclamation, solar-powered GPS-tracking skylights, and solar hot water preheating.
By the time we left Fanshawe College, many of us were exhausted, but in a good way; like after an exhilarating hike through a mountain trail on a warm spring day. The knowledge I gained and facilities we visited really opened my eyes on how much focus and attention there really is on achieving sustainable living in not just the distant future but also the near future. The future looks bright, and I’d also wager it’s going to be a lot cleaner and healthier.
