Man pulls solar-powered car to Ottawa

A Toronto man has pulled a 250-kg solar-powered car from his hometown to Parliament Hill in Ottawa in an attempt to inspire people to think more about the environment.

Marcelo da Luz, 44,walked more than 500 km dragging his vehicle using a body harness during a 28-day trek. He parked the car on Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill.

He said he is trying to start a conversation about caring for the environment.

"I think we're a bunch of hypocrites. We're all waiting for the governmentsomeone or somethingto save the planet for us," he told the CBC's Kristy Nease from an Ottawa hotel.

"It's not going to happen. We have to take responsibility and do whatever we can."

Eastern Ontario hills the biggest challenge

Da Luz is not pulling his handmade car to show off his strength. Solar-powered cars cant be driven on Ontario roads.

The weather was nice, he said, but hills around Kingston, Ont., and the nearbyGananoque area were difficult to climb.

"I had to take one full day break just to rest and recover from that and then after that it was okay," he said.

The vehicle will also be on display at the Canadian Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa Monday night.

Da Luz also made aname for himselfin2008 when he drove his solar-powered car to Inuvik, N.W.T. and set a distance record for driving his vehicleacross Canada.