OK, so if I qualify for federal grants for my home energy efficiency improvements, I can borrow all the money I need and pay it back with the money I save on my energy bills. Can it be that easy? Well, that was the pitch from Blair Wilson at the ecoEquity booth.  Sounds like a [...]

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This is one product for which I am a prime target market. Energy Alternatives provides power systems for homes and cottages, and I am in the research phase for just such a system for our cabin at the lake. So I spent a bit of time at their booth. What Energy Alternatives has done well [...]

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This booth was a smart sharing of resources, between a responsible recycler and an artisan who uses their raw materials. The Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) works to refurbish systems that are feasible to restore, and recycle the rest for worthy charities and organizations. When I took a closer look at their website I found a [...]

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Here’s one great brand idea. Take the 100-Mile Diet concept, and become the online source for finding lifestyle products in that category. That’s the premise behind ShantiGreen. Their booth showed off some genuinely interesting products (who knew there was a local Lower Mainland source for stainless water bottles?) Green Briefs Marketing Thoughts: Great idea, wrong [...]

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This booth was staffed by people so friendly the even offered me a piece of their pizza. And overall their show presence was very consistent with their logo, colours and branding. As I was looking for some cleaner, I almost bought a bottle of their concentrated stuff, as the rep gave me a whiff of [...]

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This is one of my favourite all-time brands. (At least from a functionality perspective) I have searched for and discovered many treasures there, as well as dropping off numerous items of my own that I hope have found their own second lives with other bargain-hunters. It made perfect sense to me that they should have [...]

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This was one booth that almost stumped me. It had something to do with EM (effective microorganisms) and involved some sort of kitchen composter for meat, bones and other food waste. (!) As I spoke with their enthusiastic and friendly rep, Lynda, I gradually came to understand that EM represents a proprietary combination of some [...]

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This shot has been circulating around the blogosphere for a while, but it’s too good not to share. This is obviously a home-made contraption, and it’s doubtful it would be that effective in its current incarnation, but the sheer popularity of the idea and its catchy name lead me to believe its a product just [...]

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