I am told it started in Sweden – in a grocery store, no less! Noticing that customers sometimes stopped to chat over their shopping baskets, management decided to offer a greater incentive for such meetings (and became a destination for more than the produce and milk).

Shoppers were offered Red Bands to place on their carts IF THEY WERE OPEN to meeting someone new.  It took off and the place is regularly packed with singles looking for a low-pressure and relaxed place to identify and meet someone new.  The question is “are you?”

It’s a question you will get to answer soon, as Canadian coffee retailer Blenz unfolds a new Valentines' event for the month of February.  Starting February 1st, when you order your coffee at any Blenz, you will be offered the option of a RED BAND sleeve for you cup.  Direct, easy to identify, it simply means that you are open to meeting someone new….that you are happy to have them come over to say ‘Hi’ and certainly empowered to do the same thing yourself.  So tell me, Vancouver, how DOES this make you feel?  Are you curious? Laughing? Willing to give it a try?

No one I know has more fun hosting a party than Blenz CEO George Moen, so this party is off to a good start.  George tells me he was approached on Twitter by Yuliya (@yulst) who pitched the idea with this question opener “Do you know how hard it is to meet single people in Vancouver?!” Research with his single staff supported that position, and the concept was born.

I work in the field of Communications, and can see this is a great ‘social lab experiment’…..one I am intrigued to watch.  I can’t wait to interview some ‘Red Banders’ about this concept and their experiences for this space– it is sure to create conversations, and possibly debate.  One thing I love is that Social Media (in this case, Twitter) was instrumental in this process, designed to bring real people together face-to-face.  Who says online conversations won’t convert?

Birds do it, (apparently) Swedes do it……will coffee-drinking Canucks do it? Come get your own Red Band, and see for yourself.

Have you dabbeled into personal development before? There are different types of development such as: meeting with life or business coaches, reading development books, watching videos, listening to seminars and much much more. My favourite type of development is the hands on work that happens during a seminar or workshop.

There are many types of seminars and workshops and I am completely open to trying anything. I experienced my first group workshop about 3 years ago and was given the tools to develop a relationship with my father. I was hooked! I was also looking to continue to grow and learn and see what else was out there. I then discovered The MASTERY.

The MASTERY of Self Expression has a very unique concept that drew me in. It was an intimate weekend that focused on ME! That may sound a bit selfish, but I was used to going to workshops with a few hundred people and I knew that there would be no more than 24 of us. So, for two and a half full days I committed to attending The MASTERY.

Friday, December 10, 2010 my life changed. I embarked on a journey with 20 other participants. I didn’t want to go in the beginning because I knew I was going to unlock a flood of emotions; which I did. What I didn’t know was that my confidence was going to grow. I was seen and heard and I was about to become a better me!

As described on their website, The MASTERY of Self Expression will help you, “Discover your passion and your unique voice with our weekend MASTERY of Self Expression workshop. Get back in touch with your creativity, your nobility, and your dreams. Rediscover your curiosity. The MASTERY of Self Expression is an intimate and supportive workshop, with a small group of people, which honours the individual in each of us. It changes lives.”

I went into the weekend with no expectation and was hoping to find inspiration that would allow me to continue to infuse my companies with new and innovative ideas. The weekend did that but only because I was able to let my guard down, be heard and experience the weekend at 100%.  My whole life I have always put everyone else before me and for once in my life I decided that IT IS ALL ABOUT ME!

Now, I feel seen. I feel heard. I am seen. I am heard. This is great for me personally, professionally and began a series of life changing events.

What that means in my business life is that I decide what happens in my companies and feel like I have complete control of my growth. I call the shots and choose the path I want to go down. I have created a world where all of the right things are happening for me. My eyes are open to see ideas before they are formulated and this will help me stay fresh and innovative.

What about my personal life? The weekend helped me realize that I do need to put myself first and helped me re-evaluate some of the relationships that I am in. I am a person who is full of compassion and what I learnt was that I was “getting missed.” I was worried about what people thought of me and about having a strong and tough exterior. I make jokes (I am funny, I promise) and love to talk. I want to make sure everyone is happy and that everyone likes me! I walked away from that weekend feeling loved, heard and seen. I am now able to put myself first while still making other people laugh and happy.

Everyone walks away from the weekend with a different experience. They start off on Friday with thoughts and feelings that are transformed by Sunday night. There is no one type of person who should attend this weekend and I suggest that everyone takes the time to learn more about it.

There are free information evenings and the next one is on January 20. For people in Vancouver, you can join the Facebook Page: MASTERY of Self Expression Vancouver to learn more, ask questions and be connected. The weekend happens 4 times a year in Vancouver and the next one is in March 2011.

Larry Gilman, the Facilitator for the weekend, helped me through this weekend and was the guide on this wild journey. He has been leading the MASTERY Workshops in Vancouver since 1982 and is one of the most compassionate leaders I have come across. He has helped many people approach their vulnerability, overcome blocks to creativity, and own their power, allowing participants to create what is most important for them in their lives.

Over 20,000 people have experienced this workshop and discovered their personal "New World". Are you ready to discover yours?

Breathe. Blow. I’m here, are you?

Blair Kaplan is the owner and CEO of Living Free Canada, who is Canada's unbeatable, online health and wellness community, partnered with companies that reflect a fun and healthy lifestyle and provides you with elite coupons.

You can follow Living Free Canada on Twitter: @LivingFreeCND, Facebook: Living Free Canada and You Tube: Living Free Canada. Have an active mind, happy heart and loving soul.

On December 3, 2010 CBC Vancouver held an open house for all Vancouverites which raised over $400,000 for the Food Bank. The CBC made several key personalities available to Metro Blenz News Squad and here’s the first of our interviews

- by Rich Patterson

You only need here the smooth voice of CBC Radio’s Jian Ghomeshi once to have it indelibly marked in your brain. Listen beyond the smooth voice and there is an uncanny ability to find the nuggets in any interview and personality. Whether he is interviewing Winnebego Man or Leanord Cohen (the world’s other angriest man?) you can rest assured that the talk will be interesting, provocative and deep.

“We live in world where soundbite ADD culture is what we’re all about and there aren’t many venues for a 25 or 30 minute interview about your work” said Ghomeshi. “I think what we promise [at Q] is a long form, serious interview. That has helped us land interviews like Leanord Cohen, which is literally the only long format interview he’s done in over three years.”

Jian Ghomeshi, CBC Radio Q Host

And, according to Ghomeshi, when he and his team at Q earned a reputation for these serious interviews, it opened the doors for other major (and sometimes reclusive) stars to come on the show too: Tom Waits, Van Morrison, and Neil Young.  They either heard about or listened to their peers being interviewed and knew that Q was a forum for them.

The key for Ghomeshi's long format interviews: preparation and listening. He acknowledges that he is surrounded by a great Q team who furnish him with piles of top quality research. He undertakes to read everything they prepare but he takes it to another level such as in the case of the Cohen interview where he “literally watched everything available on the man.  But, beyond doing the research and having a sense where you want to go in the interview, the most important thing is to listen.”

He always opens with a prepared question but he wants to explore the interview in a way that hasn’t been done before. He claims the long form interview begs to be taken in a different direction and he constantly listens for what the interviewee is saying and assesses whether their direction is more interesting than the prepared questions he has.  If so, he’s happy to veer off course and follow any line of interesting discussion.

“When you interview someone like a Paul McCartney its incredibly hard to figure out what you can ask this person that hasn’t been asked before – he’s probably been interviewed twenty thousand times.”

The Q website promotional pages promise a cultural intervention.  Currently Ghomeshi wishes the Black Eyed Peas had a cultural intervention. “I find what they’re doing to be very cynical. It’s the same old bottom of the barrel pop grooves that crowd out the airwaves. I’d like to sit down with them and say, c’mon guys lets step it up a notch.  They're individually and collectively so much more talented than this latest album demonstrates.”

Behind the scenes, Ghomeshi likes the immediacy and ability to communicate that Twitter (@jianghomeshi) affords. He’s more a Twitter fan than Facebook although Q has a presence on both platforms. “I just had author William Gibson on the show and he said: ‘Facebook is like the mall and Twitter is like the street.’  I thought that was a great concept.  I’d much rather hang out on the street than in a mall.”  Ghomeshi rightly considered Gibson’s quote very tweetable– it appeared immediately in his twitter stream.

With one of the most successful programs on CBC Radio and a BoldTV version of the show,  Canadians seem to want to hang out with Ghomeshi too.

Rich Patterson, has a twenty years experience in Public Relations, Marketing & Sales. Rich owns a successful Licensing, Apparel & Promotional Product company. Contact Rich at rich[at]bigcoast.ca or follow twitter @bigcoastbrands

Are you one of those people who think that you can do things on your own like build furniture, bake without a recipe or maybe create a gym routine? Sure, anyone can do these “things” but there are professionals out there who can train you to accomplish more, the correct way. I am always open to learn something new and now, after over a decade, I decided to surrender and try working out with a personal trainer.

Sasha Tymkiw from Custom Athletic Training Strategies  was who I decided to surrender to.  She has 6 years of experience in the industry and is full of positive energy. I have never wanted to work out with a trainer because I thought I was doing everything right at the gym.  I never knew why I was doing certain exercises, but everyone else was, so I thought that I should too!

Motivation was something that is hard for me, and I know that this is something that other people struggle with.  When I asked Sasha about motivation she said, “Motivation can be tough for anyone, even me. I'm just like anyone else who exercises: I hit lows, mentally and physically, I can start to notice I'm not looking or feeling as fit as two weeks before. What I do, however, when I hit a low, is I take action, and action always = change. A change in location, routine, or something new always keeps me inspired. Hit the web! Look out for new classes and just go! Also, a session with my personal trainer always gets me out of a rut.”

She made some amazing points. Action does equal change and that is something that people often strive for. So, I booked an hour session with Sasha and changed the way that I work out. I met her at a private gym that is used as a personal training facility. It was a beautiful space and everyone in there was working out with a trainer. There were no lines for machines, the music was great and everyone there shared a common goal, they were taking their health to a new level.

We went over my fitness levels and I told her what I usually do to exercise (yoga and running for the bus and sometimes the elliptical).  I went on the treadmill and bike to get my heart rate up and, oh boy, did it ever. We then worked on the bosu ball with some weights and the medicine ball and I even did a little boxing!

All of a sudden it was 1 hour later and it felt like I just got there. Working out with myself the time would drag on, but with Sasha the time flew by. She taught me how to perform certain exercises properly, chatted with me, and encouraged and supported me.

I recommend that everyone try working out with a trainer, at least once. Sasha is amazing and really listens to what your health goals are. Sasha agrees, “Trainers (good ones) make you feel like a million bucks both physically and emotionally. Your relationship with your trainer is a very close, vulnerable one-- you are standing within a foot of them dripping with sweat! Because of this closeness, many advantages to your program can be added as this fitness professional, will know your body better than anyone. Your trainer should get you results, and get them started when they meet you.”

When you are ready to get personal with Sasha, you can find her elite coupon at www.livingfreecanada.com, under the Fitness section.

Blair Kaplan is the owner and CEO of Living Free Canada, who is Canada's unbeatable, online health and wellness community, partnered with companies that reflect a fun and healthy lifestyle and provides you with elite coupons.

You can follow Living Free Canada on Twitter: @LivingFreeCND, Facebook: Living Free Canada and You Tube: Living Free Canada. Have an active mind, happy heart and loving soul.

Search for Aviva Strathcona Gardens and please vote every day until the 15th of December

Green jobs. Safer streets and local food. A healthier, more beautiful community for everyone to enjoy. Can one initiative move us toward all of these goals?

The Strathcona Neighbourhood, Vancouver’s oldest residential community, is characterized by beautiful heritage buildings and a rich artistic community, but also by homelessness, open drug use and dealing, prostitution, and graffiti. The neighbourhood is known physically for its abundance of barbed wire fences, cracked concrete, and unkempt strips of land. As an organization, our goal is to revitalize Strathcona by making it a safe and vibrant destination to live, work, do business and have fun, while promoting and respecting the unique characteristics of the area.

Our Idea We propose to create 20 to 30 community micro-gardens in high-traffic locations throughout Strathcona. These gardens would create green jobs for disadvantaged people in the area, help youth learn valuable work and life skills, strengthen community engagement and pride, create opportunities for local food production, beautify the area, and increase safety levels in the neighbourhood.

Benefits of this project

• Edible plants would provide new opportunities for local food production. Using native plants would reduce the resources required for their maintenance thus minimizing the ecological footprint of each garden.
• Community gardens bring people outside, get them talking and working together, and involve them in the community. This helps strengthen relationships and engagement within the neighbourhood, giving participants a sense of belonging and ownership.
• This project would also reduce spaces available for criminal activity through the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). A public place that lacks significant ownership interest is often perceived as an area where criminal activity is supported. By converting underutilized spaces into gardens, the BIA would help reduce areas that encourage crime.
• The most profound benefit of this project would be the generation of green jobs for individuals with job readiness barriers and inner city youth. Mission Possible, our partner in this program, hires and trains individuals who are overcoming poverty, addiction and homelessness, and helps them secure and maintain meaningful work. They would also be hiring and training youth to give them tangible work and life experience and skills.
• There will also be opportunities for intergenerational interactions with Mission Possible’s employees and youth in a safe environment. Many of the landscapers will be able to teach the youth some of their consequences of their decisions in their lives in the hopes that the youth would not follow the same path.

How it would work Depending on the nature and size of each location, the gardeners and the property owners would decide whether the plot should be a community garden, single-owner garden, or a living wall. Vegetation would consist of native perennials and edible plants.

The gardens would be installed by qualified landscapers of Mission Possible Enterprises, a local non-profit which provides employment opportunities for individuals with job readiness barriers and assists in breaking the cycles of poverty, homelessness, and addiction. Local youth would also be employed as partners with the landscapers to learn valuable food production and community development skills.

An Inclusive Approach The Strathcona Community Micro-Gardens would provide an inclusive approach to addressing many of the problems affecting this community. We are counting on your support!

For more information on the Strathcona Green Zone, visit us at www.strathconagreenzone.com Twitter: @SBIA_GreenZone

About the Strathcona Business Improvement Association The Strathcona BIA (SBIA) is a member driven non-profit organization in Strathcona, a sub-community of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The SBIA represents over 850 commercial property owners, business tenants, and 7,000+ employees. The area is a broad mix of industrial, commercial, retail, and residential zoning – many who have been in the area for over 40 years.

The SBIA is working to reinvent Strathcona as Vancouver’s Green Zone - a model of mixed use and diversity that supports sustainable business, collaboration, and the arts. Programs include educational workshops, a community wide energy challenge, waste audits and a resource exchange whereby businesses can connect with other businesses to repurpose unneeded materials and divert them from the landfill.

In addition to retaining and attracting businesses, the SBIA also supports a variety of community events, sponsoring the Powell Street Festival, the largest Japanese Canadian festival in Canada; the Eastside Culture Crawl, a three day event drawing over 10,000 people to artists’ studios in east Vancouver; and children’s programming at the Strathcona Community Centre.

On November 26, 2010 Metro Vancouver voted to extend Air Care to 2020. I don't remember voting on that, because if I had it wouldn't have been unanimous. This cash cow has done it's time and we aren't getting anything for it other than the annual  or semi annual "pay the cow time."

Apparently, a consultant's report said the $47 million annual cost delivers a $77 million benefit to health care.  How do they arrive at that figure, all summer the air is brown. I know, I have to climb to the top of Mt. Seymour to get above it.

I wonder what synchronizing the lights and getting traffic flow might do for the air quality. Road construction in off hours, not paving 8th and McBride in New Westminster from 3 to 6PM on Wednesday, the highest concentration of traffic going over the Patullo Bridge in any 24 hour period. You know, not doing stupid stuff.

It doesn't matter how clean your engine runs when its parked; idling on street after street, it becomes as meaningless as the consultants' report. And who the hell is this consultant? We never hear who issued the report, what government department or what lobbyist.

According to a 2006 - 2007 report, 115,000 cars fail, ka-ching. And these guys are working on failure in an effort to get you back to pay that fee again to fatten the cow, again!

Maybe if we were really serious about the air quality we wouldn't have coal fired furnaces or even better, oil fired furnaces. There is so much of that kind of crap going on, air care is redundant.

However, they are going to go after heavy-duty vehicles such as diesel-puffing semi-trailer trucks with the aim of reducing diesel particulate matter. Sounds more like growing the market or building a fatter cow. I'll bet they'll hear from the teamsters, that will be interesting.

We did however find out that this recommendation came from Metro's energy and environment committee. Their own committee, no, that isn't a white elephant, it's that fatter cow their planning. I know there are those of you out there thinking, oh he's on a rant, but really, who do you believe, them or your own instincts. Maybe we should get "old Bill on this one.

And who are these Metro guys voting on extention anyway?

Be kind today,

David Hutchison 

Leasing Manager of The Poppy Residences

david@thepoppyresidences.com

david@transitionsadvertising.com

When was the last time that you took the time to explore your own city and the tourist spots that hundreds of thousands visit?  No matter where I have lived, I have always been curious about why people from other amazing places would flock to my home. British Columbia has many obvious reasons as to why it is a desired place to come. The lush landscape, amazing natural resources and diverse activities draws much attention. It is easy for a local to forget about how lucky they are.

I took my sister, who was in from Winnipeg, to the Capilano Suspension Bridge for a morning of taking in a Vancouver staple. I took her there to see this simple and famous bridge which hangs over the Capilano River. We were there first thing in the morning (before it was busy), the sign was shining down between the trees and we were eager to explore. The main attraction is the bridge but there are also trails and mini adventures that you can have once you are in the gates.

My sister and friend having fun at the entrance!

This is a great place to explore with friends, with loved ones or even alone. This is a great place to take amazing pictures and be amazed by nature. I suggest that everyone go there at least a few times a year and try to bring someone who has never been!

I had the bridge all to myself.

If you are resident of BC you can receive an annual membership for only $25!  Membership includes:

• Free, unlimited admission to Capilano Suspension Bridge for one full year
• 10% off at the attraction's Trading Post Gift Shop
• 10% off food and beverage at Canyon Cafe, Loggers' Grill and Bridge House Restaurant
• 15% off admission for all accompanying guests when you return for your second visit
• Access to special attraction events throughout the year, including Harvest Festival, Canyon Lights, Vancouver International Jazz Festival and Canada Day (Click here for dates and times)
• Special rates at Cathedral Mountain Lodge and Moraine Lake Lodge*

* Subject to availability. Membership information required at time of booking.

Watch out for slugs.

The best way to fully embrace the experience is to go there yourself. So, it is time to be a tourist in your own town and take a moment to realize how lucky YOU are! The Capliano Suspension Bridge is waiting for you.

Having a Treetop Adventure

Blair Kaplan is the owner and CEO of Living Free Canada, who is Canada's unbeatable, online health and wellness community, partnered with companies that reflect a fun and healthy lifestyle and provides you with elite coupons.

You can follow Living Free Canada on Twitter: @LivingFreeCND, Facebook: Living Free Canada and You Tube: Living Free Canada. Have an active mind, happy heart and loving soul.

Thank you to Alana Kaplan for her photographs for this post.

Sandra Thomas of the Vancouver Sun recently wrote an article about seniors living in fear at Steeves Manor. Steeves Manor was originally built as subsidized housing to provide safe and affordable independent living for seniors and adults with physical disabilities.

   A few years ago the provincial Housing Ministry began moving the homeless, drug addicts and alcoholics into the manor. Now the frail and elderly live in fear. This is a circumstance that should have never of happened. Those that manage the property warned of this but apparently no one was listening.

As we age we live the old adage "early to bed and early to rise" however at Steeves Manor those are dangerous times. The more frail we are, the more likely we are to fear. Fear is not part of the "aging with dignity" concept. And it is aging that takes that myth of dignity away. Unlike the timid deer, they have no capacity to escape.

The ministry should have known this and it should have never of happened, but these are the weakest and meekest amongst us, so they are just shoved away. This is a circumstance was caused by a government always claiming the higher moral ground of the Christian right. Christ said "What so ever you do for the least amongst you, you do for me." I don't think this is what he had in mind.

This situation is a simple example of government not seeing a bigger picture. A bigger picture would show the requirement of separation between these two communities. Unfortunately for us and those within Steeves Manor we now have a government in disarray. I don't see this problem being rectified in the short term.

So as we prepare for the next election we should be asking "What kind of government do we want?" And I think "kind' should be the principle consideration, for "kind" can breed "civility" which can bring forth good government. Good government... what a concept.

Be kind today,

David Hutchison

David is the Leasing Manager at  The Poppy Residences david@thepoppyresidences.com

I always wondered at what point would I discover the real me. Find my real place in the world. Throughout my 64 years the answer seemed so far away, but when I turned 60 I determined the next 20 years were going to be the best.

While it is common for all of us to make such claims and promises as we go through life, I question how serious we are about those commitments. Do we hold them dear or are they forgotten at the first confrontation?

So far my commitment has stayed true and the times have been good, even through the challenges and there have been many. A lot of it has been because of my research into aging and the seniors sector. The single truth is that we are born, we live and we die, no one gets out alive.

As I have seen many a friend and loved ones pass on, my commitment has grown stronger and the strength of it has brought self discovery. It has reinforced the importance of the memories and the love they contain. And of all things I have discovered, nothing is more important than love.

Real love is something earned and given. In our current day of days, money and what can be bought with it is the focus of many. So much so, they miss the love that is given so freely. And it is the best bargain of all.

When you see someone in distress, remember what you give without expectation life see's and returns it 10 fold. Be generous and kind and you will be rich beyond your wildest imagination. This is my greatest discovery.

Be kind today,

David Hutchison

david@thepoppyresidences.com

You can also find more at www.transitionsadvertising.com

When was the last time you attended the Bloedel Floral Conservatory?
For me, it was 1975, six years after it opened, and I never went back. Until last Sunday. What a mistake!

I finally went back for a photo field trip. The photography instructor, Ian Cook, brings his classes here regularly and never tires of it. This place is a photographer’s delight as the color is rich with flowers with endless textures of foliage. Over a hundred birds fly free within the dome against the rich, lush backdrop of tropical plants and trees.  Say “hello” to one of them and you’ll likely get “hello” back. There is a pond with a running stream where colorful ‘Koi’ fish swim back and forth.

This tropical paradise is operated by the Vancouver Parks Board and was slated for demolition until a recent public outcry by a group now named The Friends of The Bloedel Conservatory rallied to save it. The Bloedel Conservatory will now be collaboratively managed and operated by the VanDusen Botanical Garden Association and the Vancouver Park Board. While details of the new agreement are being developed, the Bloedel remains open for business with regular operating hours.

Now that I’ve recently visited this lush paradise, I am appreciative of all the efforts made by the many people who worked diligently to save it. And with VanDusen Gardens on board to spearhead renovations, I’m sure this unique Vancouver Landmark will be brought back to its former glory.

Bloedel Conservatory

33rd & Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC

(604) 257-8570

Hours of Operation
Winter (October 1 through April 30) 10am - 5pm | Sat/Sun: 10am - 9pm
Summer (May 1 through September 30) 9am - 8pm | Sat/Sun: 10am-9pm

Bloedel Floral Conservatory Website

Laurie Kingdon

My Blog: Ignite-the-Spark

778.839.3755

Aveda Institute Vancouver Grand Opening

There is no better way to spend a Sunday night than with beautiful and stylish people in the heart of Gastown, sipping campaign, while celebrating a grand opening. That is what I did on Sunday, October 17, 2010!

At 111 Water Street you will find a beautiful heritage building transformed into the Aveda Institute Canada where you can indulge in a beauty service, enrol in Esthiology or Hairstyling courses and purchase their amazing and natural products. This evening was to celebrate the opening of the new Institute and thank the salons who use their products. I was lucky enough to be invited to this marvellous party!

When I walked in I was greeted by their friendly staff and escorted to the table of bottles where I took a mini survey and learnt that I'm an "Air" scent. It was very fun to find out what my "nature" was and I was very wager to create my own Blair-smell.

My scent of choice was a mix between lavender and vanilla and there was a large variety to choose from. This was my favourite part of the night (besides meeting many stylish and funky people) and you can create your own scent, too!

The rest of the night was filled with laughing, mingling and smiling for the cameras. I suggest  that everyone takes a trip there and explores their  product line and services . There is something for everyone!

Blair Kaplan is the owner and CEO of Living Free Canada, who is Canada's unbeatable, online health and wellness community, partnered with companies that reflect a fun and healthy lifestyle and provides you with elite coupons.

You can follow Living Free Canada on Twitter: @LivingFreeCND, Facebook: Living Free Canada and You Tube: Living Free Canada. Have an active mind, happy heart and loving soul.

It is now time for you to re-live the fun through these pictures:

The table of bottles

Bottles for creating your personal scent

Katie creating my lavender and vanilla scent

Hand massages were given

Mingling happened with background music from a DJ

What do you think of when you hear the word “eco-friendly”?  “Eco” is commonly used when shortening the word “environment” or “economical” and last week “Eco” helped changed the Vancouver fashion world.  September 27, 2010 marked the first day if the Inaugural Vancouver Eco Fashion Week (EFW).

I was lucky enough to have the experience of exploring the week because I was guest blogging for www.imtheitgirl.com which is a fashion blog. The week was full of seminars, schmoozing, parties and amazing eco-fashion. There seemed to be a unique infusion of fashion and environmental issues and one of the companies that displayed this best was SIGG.

“SIGG stands for premium reusable water bottles. With over 100 years expertise "The Original Swiss Bottle" demonstrates worldwide quality and craftsmanship. The beautiful shape is one of the reasons that SIGG was incorporated into the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New-York. SIGG bottles are 100% recyclable and contribute to improving the world´s carbon footprint.”

SIGG teamed up with Supermodel Gisel Bundchen to create the Vancouver Fashion Week SIGG bottle. These limited edition bottles were handed out during EFW and will  be for sale in various locations across Canada with proceeds going to WaterCan, a Canadian charity dedicated to fighting global poverty by helping the world’s poorest people gain access to clean water, hygiene education and basic sanitation.

I had the pleasure of meeting Naomi and Josephine Roberts, who were representing SIGG, and came in from Toronto for the event. When speaking with Naomi Roberts,  about their choice to be involved with ECF and how SIGG chose to work with Budchen the answer seemed easy.

Josephine and Naomi Roberts with giant SIGG bottle

“You can’t have Eco Fashion Week with plastic water bottles,” Roberts explained. Her decision to work with Bundchen was based on her relationship with the United Nations and that she is an Environmental Ambassador.

There are over 100 designs of SIGG bottles and with this new addition you can stay hydrated from a funky and unique bottle that is both sustainable and high fashion.

Just by Roberts hearing about EFW and getting SIGG involved, this just shows that the eco fashion industry is changing. It’s not just the clothing we wear but how we make the clothing, how we wear the clothing and how we choose to live with sustainable accessories that are also functional and long lasting. SIGG has begun to help the Vancouver eco fashion industry one bottle at a time- what difference will you make?

Blair Kaplan is the owner and CEO of Living Free Canada, who is Canada's unbeatable, online health and wellness community, partnered with companies that reflect a fun and healthy lifestyle and provides you with elite coupons.

You can follow Living Free Canada on Twitter: @LivingFreeCND, Facebook: Living Free Canada and You Tube: Living Free Canada. Have an active mind, happy heart and loving soul.

For me, lasagne brings back fond childhood memories.  It was one of those dishes that we got on special occassions, it definitely wasn't an every day meal. Recently, when my parents were visiting, I made them a delicious vegetarian lasagne that my non-vegetarian friend Chris created.  Being a wise woman, Chris is always looking for healthier alternatives and this is the fantastic dish she came up with.  To give you an idea as to how good this was, my dad didn’t even realize there was tofu in it, he thought he was eating ricotta cheese.  As far as healthy meals go, this isn't the healthiest thing you could make, however it is a healthier alternative to traditional lasagne. I was pleased to find out that since I made lasagne last, which must have been in my teen years, they now have noodles that do not need to be pre-cooked which makes this a lot less messy.

I just had a thought, I wonder what this would taste like with the addition of black olives and goats cheese?  If anyone tries that, please let me know.

Here it is – courtesy of Chris Webb

9 uncooked lasagna noodles – get the kind you don’t need to boil
1 12oz block of extra-firm tofu, thawed from frozen, drained well
3 19oz cans of Italian style Diced Tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. dried basil leaves – I used fresh
1 tsp. ground oregano
1/2-1 tsp. crushed dried chilis
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg or allspice
1 large bottle of your favorite red wine
6oz frozen chopped spinach, drained well – I used fresh
2 egg whites, beaten
1/4 cup grated low fat Parmesan cheese topping
2 cups low fat mozzarella cheese

Squeeze as much water as you can from the tofu & crumble the tofu to a ground beef-like consistency, squeezing as much water out as you can. This will keep the sauce from being runny.

Sauté the onion & garlic in a small amount of olive oil (not too hot!) until almost translucent, then add the crumbled tofu. Sauté a few more minutes, then add the spices, lemon juice, 1/4 cup red wine, tomatoes, and tofu. Simmer for about 10 minutes or longer, letting the flavors combine.

Beat the egg whites into a small bowl, and mix in the drained spinach and Parmesan cheese.

Spray the bottom of a 9×13″ pan with olive oil or cooking spray, then line with 3 noodles. Evenly spread the spinach/egg mixture over them. Add a 2nd layer of noodles.

Spread 1/2 of the tofu/sauce mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle with one cup of mozzarella.

Add another layer of noodles, sauce, and cheese. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the lasagna, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and just starting to brown.

After cooking, let stand for 10 minutes. Get help cutting it into 8 servings and serve with red wine.
Let me know what you think. Please leave your comments.

Cari-Lee Stevens is a corporate wellness speaker and a transformational wellness coach.  She owns CL Stevens Fitness Inc. a company that specializes in on-site corporate and community based fitness such as yoga & Pilates. Learn about how you can get $5000 of FREE training for your company.

Follow her on twitter@cleansegirl
Blog: www.cleansegirl.com
Lectures & Coaching: www.carileestevens.com
Pilates Teacher Training: www.canadianpilatesinstitute.com
On-site corporate fitness:  www.clstevensfitness.com

Do you know a woman entrepreneur of a high-growth business that wants to experience amazing growth? Please let her know about this program:

FWE e-series Program

The Forum for Women Entrepreneurs e-series is a program of entrepreneurial training sessions that runs each year from January until June for women entrepreneurs of high growth, leveragable businesses wanting to take their company to the next level.

Applicants for the e-series program should be:

1. a woman entrepreneur;

2. of a high growth business, in any sector, that can be leveraged;

3. the business must be the sole focus of the entrepreneur, who is not maintaining another job or business on the side;

4. the candidate should be either:

     a. the controlling shareholder;

     b. or an equal partner with up to 4 other partners;

     c. entrepreneurs in other situations (e.g. operating partner but not major shareholder) are encouraged to apply and will be considered on a case by case basis;

5. fully committed to attend all of the sessions subject to the regular day of the week that the group collectively chooses (typically Monday evenings 3:45 pm to 6pm)

6. entrepreneurs in other situations (e.g. operating partner but not major shareholder) are encouraged to apply and will be considered on a case by case basis;

Investment

The cost of the program is approximately $1,800. This includes weekly sessions taught by business leaders and industry experts, access to FWE’s resources and materials and a complimentary ticket to the e-series graduation gala. Full payment can be made up front or via a payment plan (6 payments from January until June ).

Application Process & Deadline

To apply for e-series, fill out this application form
Application deadline is October 18th, 2010. Interviews will take place in November.

Contact FWE

Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s Original Domain Registrar. She was formerly the President of Wired Woman Vancouver. She is on the Boards of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business BC, Government of BC Small Business Roundtable and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission. More information is available at cybele.tel or webnames.tel. Follow on Twitter @cybelenegris and @webnames

Challenge is a word that can cause a variety of reactions most commonly because it means you need to work harder to achieve an end goal. But what if that end goal is easy to achieve with a little motivation and dedication? Cari-Lee Stevens is changing the way that you perceive the word “challenge” with her month long Fitness Challenge. The next thirty days are meant to help you change your lifestyle and improve your health with the support of a community.

There is a minimal $10 entry cost with 100% percent of the proceeds being donated to a non- for-profit called Living Through Loss counselling Society of BC. The goal for the next month is to “create a community among the people who want to get healthy,” says Stevens.  To help you achieve this goal you will be using Isagenix products which act as a cleanse and help support a basic easy meal plan.

These are the details for the event:

How the challenge works!

• Commit for a month - no doubt you will keep your good habits for longer than just this month!
• You will start a specially designed just for you program of wellness & cleansing.  Your daily cost will replace your groceries and you won't be starving!

What you get!

• Unlimited phone & email coaching
• Free weekly yoga at West Coast Hot Yoga
• Free personal training session with Kalev PT at their fantastic new location
• Free access to our on-line support forum
• Free start & finish weigh in & measure

Our Nutritional Cleansing & Fat Burning System – 30 day supply will help you reach your ideal weight & healthy goals. It will reboot your system and help you to stay on track. This program uses superior quality nutrients to cleanse the impurities out and replenish the body. Don’t worry, you will be eating real food too.

If you have questions before registering, please contact Cari-Lee at 604 608 0511

When asked the question of why anyone should join the 5^th challenge Stevens is running, she said the main reason is “committing to a month of wellness.” This commitment will help kick start good habits and also send business to a local personal training studio and yoga studio. Why not challenge yourself to change the way you live your life this month?

Blair Kaplan is the owner and CEO of Living Free Canada, who is Canada's unbeatable, online health and wellness community, partnered with companies that reflect a fun and healthy lifestyle and provides you with elite coupons.

You can follow Living Free Canada on Twitter: @LivingFreeCND, Facebook: Living Free Canada and You Tube: Living Free Canada. Have an active mind, happy heart and loving soul.