We entered the huge, well-appointed ballroom for the plenary speeches. A glowing centre stage fit for a TV talk show, with five overstuffed chairs was flanked by video screens. The lighting was dramatic, the sound and pacing polished. The crowd eager to get to the 7pm cocktails. But there was both inspiration and optimism in […]

[Read more →]

Monday June 2 I cycled up to the Conference Centre at the Hyatt. As usual, no bike rack in sight. Once inside though, more sustainable thinking was definitely in evidence. Hunter Sasser, one of the organizers, introduced me to the various green aspects of the show materials: Shirts – Organic cotton by Edun Live Bags […]

[Read more →]

“Join a staggering faculty of over 70 design, sustainability and brand leaders, along with peers from around the country, with the beautiful Northern California Coastline as a backdrop and explore how you can stay on the cutting edge of sustainable business and translate brand innovation into revenue growth and brand value.” (from the Sustainable Brands […]

[Read more →]

Last month, Environment Minister John Baird announced that the Government of Canada is taking action to reduce emissions from chemicals in consumer and commercial products such as paints, varnishes, adhesives and vehicle repair cleaners. These components are known as Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOC’s.You probably know them as those headache-inducing fumes that greet you whenever […]

[Read more →]

EPIC Sustainable Living Show 2008 Vancouver – What with energy-intensive cotton farming and sweat-shop labour, shopping for clothes with an eco-conscience can be a depressing experience. The Ecoapparel booth at EPIC offered a ray of sunshine in that world, with clean designs, tasty fabrics and an infectious enthusiasm for their business. Ecoapparel is an apparel […]

[Read more →]

EPIC Sustainable Living Show, Vancouver 2008 – I first stopped by the Bag-To-Nature booth to inquire about how ‘compostable’ their plastics technology was. I soon learned that other municipalities in Canada have a whole different need for such bags. “We took it for granted that the curbside collection of organics is something everybody in Canada […]

[Read more →]

As usual, free food samples called to me, leading to the New World Natural Foods booth. Impressed with the flavour, I ended up purchasing a bag of Tropical Fruit Nut blend. Then I asked myself, why aren’t these local products more available? Speaking with Rajinder Bagga, I learned that the company’s roots go much deeper […]

[Read more →]

One of the friendliest booths I came across at Vancouver’s recent EPIC sustainable living show was the unassuming home of Happy Stan’s Recycling. The Happy One himself, Stan Kaminski, started his journey into the world of recycling by collecting newspapers to raise money for the Gibson’s boys club. Stan then turned his focus to the […]

[Read more →]

EPIC Sustainable Living Show, Vancouver 2008 – Ironic that the styrofoam box that protects your restaurant leftovers for two days will be in the landfill until the year 3000. So who’s responsibility is it to deal with? According to Green Century, business should be doing a lot more. “We took it upon ourselves to educate […]

[Read more →]

Rich colours, subtle organic textures overlaid with bold screenprints, intriguing yet subtle in their interpretation. If this sounds like an art review, it should. Artist Wendy Van Riesen of Dahlia Drive produces her one-of-a-kind pieces from discarded slips and shirts, in her words, ‘Resurrecting the fashion wasteland’, a term which applies not only to the […]

[Read more →]