So what would YOU choose to go see at Sustainable Brands 08? The issues are broad and diverse: Sustainable design, the social footprint, retaining talent, green building, de-commoditizing, re-branding, sustainable packaging, green wine, greenwash… how to decide? What the heck, unlike most North American Governments, I’m willing to try democracy. I elect YOU, my fearless [...]

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I began my pre-trip journey on the Carbon Footprint calculator, adding up the emissions for my various travel options from Vancouver BC to Monterey CA. Distance: 2,810 km CO2 emissions if traveling by air: .67 tonnes CO2 emissions if traveling by car (@ 9L/100km): .586 tonnes CO2 emissions if traveling by rail: .169 tonnes (about the weight of my carry-on) This made [...]

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“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 [...]

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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 [...]

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When I presented at an OpenDialogue conference in Toronto last year, I did a fair bit of research into green consumers. Turns out they are just like everybody else: completely different. From the deep green RAW NUTZ (Righteous And Willing Nature Unspoiling Total Zealots) to the fuzzy MOSS (Masses Of Sustainable Starters) and even the [...]

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Billed as Vancouver’s largest green consumer show, the EPIC Sustainable Living Expo was a must-see from a green branding and marketing perspective. As I wandered the halls, (trying not to collect to much tradeshow trash in my Toyota-branded #5 reusable and recyclable shopping bag) I sought out companies that looked ready to break out with [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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