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Light House Sustainable Building Centre – From Greening the Olympics to Practical Workshops

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Re posted from www.metroblenznewssquad.com

By Cybele Negris

I recently had the pleasure of getting a tour of Light House Sustainable Building Centre. The new 5,400-square-foot facility at 2060 Pine Street in Vancouver is designed to inspire and provide advice and practical skills for sustainable building projects large and small. The facility showcases the newest innovations in green building technologies and serves as an education and resource centre.

Light House was instrumental in the greening of the Olympic Games, coordinating the integrated design process for the Vancouver athletes’ village and providing technical assistance to Whistler’s athletes’ village as it worked towards meeting the Whistler Green standard. Light House staff continue to undertake research and consulting projects helping to shape policies throughout BC, including projects for the City of Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver.

Whether you are a home owner looking to renovate your home or a builder/contractor, Light House has something for you. The Light House website includes comprehensive information about everything related to sustainable building including:

  • a directory of architects and contractors that specialize in sustainable building
  • a directory of green building products from appliances to lighting and flooring and more
  • information about grants and incentives for homeowners or developers
  • green jobs if you are looking for work in the industry
  • upcoming events, workshops and seminars
  • and so much more

Of special note is the 2010 Green Building Challenge, an initiative that began in 2008. Light House proposed a challenge to homeowners, small business owners, and strata councils to green their homes and workplaces in time for the Vancouver Winter Olympics following a stringent set of energy, water, and waste reduction targets and strategies. A draw took place and 10 British Columbians were chosen to receive free technical assistance for their renovations.

Light House has now put together case studies and reporting on the reductions achieved by each project. In addition, they are hosting a series of workshops summarizing findings from the projects as well as tours of some of the completed projects.

Click on a date below for more information or to register:

March 6: Green Retrofits for Small Businesses workshop (10am-noon) followed by a tour of the Wood Co-op

March 13: Home Heating workshop (10am-noon) followed by a tour of the Moore-Babicki Residence

March 18: Green Building for Stratas workshop (6-8pm)

March 20: Green Building Rating Systems for Homes workshop (10am-noon) followed by a tour of a LEED for Homes pilot project

March 27: Prefab and Laneway Homes workshop (10am-noon) followed by a tour of a laneway home project

greenhouse

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Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s Original Domain Registrar. 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

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Paralympic Torch Relay – Impressions from Robson Square

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Re posted from www.metroblenznewssquad.com

By @MoniKanada

The Torch Arrives

Last night I stopped by Robson Square to see whether I could watch part of the 24-hour non-stop Paralympic Torch Relay. I got lucky and my timing was perfect! I barely waited for a minute until the torchbearer arrived with the torch safely travelling in a special mount attached to his wheelchair.

The Two Torchbearers

Despite the cold temperatures and that wet stuff falling out of the sky (I had almost forgotten that we sometimes get this here!) there were may be 100-150 people at Robson Square. Together with the crowd I witnessed how the Paralympic flame got passed on to the next torchbearer before it resumed its journey around downtown Vancouver. Today at 2pm the 24-hour torch relay will come to an end and the flame will be taken to BC Place for the Opening Ceremony to the Paralympic Winter Games.

Torchbearers and Their Flames

For me this brief episode last night was a touching one, for two reasons: First of all, there is something about this flame and what it stands for that gets to me every single time. I was similarly moved by the Olympic Torch Relay, which I watched close to the PNE one month ago, in the morning of February 12th, the day of the opening of the Olympic Games.

Guy and his Inukshuk

And then, besides the flame there was something else that brought back emotions and memories of ‘good old Olympic times’: an Inukshuk made of cardboard boxes, painted in the proper Olympic colours travelling on his owner’s back or ‘posing’ for photo opportunities with Paralympic torchbearers.

Torchbearer and Inukshuk

According to his owner, Guy, this Inukshuk has travelled around town throughout the Olympics and has seen almost all of the official sites. Guy has assembled a proud collection of over 1,000 pictures of the Inukshuk and himself, which he’ll take back to his work place, the BC Cancer Agency. He hopes that he will be allowed to share these Olympic moments and impressions with the patients on a screen where they continuously rotate through. What a great way to bring the Olympic/Paralympic spirit to some of those many, many people that were/are unable to participate in and enjoy the Olympics/Paralympics in our city. Thank you, Guy, for your meaningful initiative! Our world is a better place because of people like you that make a difference in other people’s lives!

Monika Becker is the owner of Clear Directions – Consulting & Life Coaching in Vancouver BC, where she assists her clients in articulating and achieving important life goals with caring clarity, passion for possibility and soul-infused service. One of her specialties is the work with female entrepreneurs that are open to a holistic approach to business and life. For more information please visit www.ClearDirections.tel

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Dinner with Sergey — Moscow on the Fraser thanks to 2010 Olympics

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Re posted from www.metroblenznewssquad.com

- by Rich Patterson

Tonight the power of the Olympics really hit home. And it hit me in a way that two weeks of non-stop athletic events, parties and happy streets could not have (although those ways hit me hard too, trust me). Tonight I met Sergey, a Moscovite working for a major international consulting firm. He’s been here in Vancouver since early February helping the Sochi group at Science World prepare to host the world at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Sergey Sirotenko board member Big Brothers/Big Sisters Moscow and Rich Patterson board chair Big Brothers Greater Vancouver

Sergey is also part of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization in Moscow – his little brother is in an orphanage and statistics for orphans in Russia are scary. Sergey says after they are released from state care most orphans aren’t ready for the “real world” and don’t know how to socialize – so they end up in gangs, in trouble, on drugs and often dead. The Big Brothers/Big Sisters mentorship programme makes a big difference because it boosts self esteem, socialization, education and well-being.

As well as volunteering as a Big Brother, Sergey sits on the board of the Moscow Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. In his role as board member he decided to look up a counterpart in Vancouver and that’s how I met him.

We just had dinner tonight. It was amazing to compare stories on mentoring youth in our two very different cultures. They tend to focus on at-risk youth (in state care) while Vancouver’s Big Brothers programme is aimed at youth in one-parent homes (most likely without significant male role model). I won’t bore you with all the talk at dinner but we did delve into budgets, fundraising, staff, leadership and board strategy. It was really great to meet another board member from a brother organization halfway round the world. We agreed that using technology tools like Skype we would introduce our boards to each other and continue discussions in the months ahead.

I want to thank VANOC and the people of Vancouver for not only staging an excellent Olympic games (helluva party!) but also for making an opportunity for businesses and organizations from around the world to meet. We are all the better for it.

Rich Patterson, has a twenty years experience in Public Relations, Marketing & Sales. Rich owns a successful Licensing, Apparel & Promotional Product company and is partner in a social media consultancy based in Vancouver. Contact Rich at rich[at]pattersonbrands.com or follow twitter @pattersonbrands

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Thousands of Kilometers Later…

Thursday, February 11th, 2010
The Olympic Torch in My Backyard

The Olympic Torch in my backyard

By Guacira Naves re posted from MetroBlenz News

I witnessed a historic occasion today, which I’ll likely never see again: the Olympic torch itself, being escorted and carried practically in my backyard.

There was something emotional about seeing a flame that has not faded since its birth in Olympia, Greece, on October 22, 2009. The same flame that, 
tomorrow, will be watched by eager eyes across the world, as it reaches the cauldron.

I couldn’t help reminiscing about the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, which I watched as a kid in Brazil. I recall crying when crowds on the stands formed an image of Misha (the 1980 Games mascot) shedding a tear during the closing ceremonies, as though it was wishing farewell. It represented the end of the Games.

Now, 30 years later, I got to see the Olympic flame, in person.

This experience also brought home a sense of the blood, sweat and tears invested by athletes for whom the Olympic Games are a lifetime goal. I have an Olympic hopeful in my extended circle, and have been privy to the sacrifices that he makes to even stand a chance to qualify for the competition. The strict diet, the gruelling exercise routine, the training, the toll that it takes in his social life. All for a mere chance.

I can only imagine how Olympians will feel during the opening ceremonies tomorrow. As for me, the flame has already accomplished something unexpected – it moved this slightly jaded heart.

Guacira Naves is the founder of The Online Strategy House. She’s an online marketing pioneer with 19 years of professional history with the Internet and 13 years of experience as an online marketing strategist. She serves on the board of the Social Media Club Vancouver. Follow her on Twitter (@OnlineStrategy) or find her at OnlineStrategy.ca

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