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I’ve been waiting on pins and needles for this weekend’s Green Living Show at BC Place Stadium. Educating myself, particularly with respect to subjects that fit in with my values, has always been something I’ve held in high importance. I’m always excited to go on adventures with Becky, and this was no exception. My plan was to review the show, share some pictures and point you, my readers, in some interesting directions (if you planned on visiting the show). However, it turned out that there was so much to learn, see, do, take in and read about that to re-cap it all in one post will be impossible.

That being said, I plan on creating a series of posts which will appear here and on the frogblog over on the happyfrog website, breaking down some of the ideas shared, products presented and anything else that I think will be beneficial and of interest to you all.

The truth is, sustainable living is something that can be applied to a part of nearly every facet of everyday life, from food and clothing to transportation and construction. Each and every one of us are responsible for doing our part, and to do so is much easier than most may realize. Even just changing one aspect of your life is a change for the better, whether it be eating locally-produced vegetables or incorporating more eco-friendly fabrics into your wardrobe (bamboo is terrific and irresistibly soft). Organic beer is even an option if you just need to take baby steps!

That being said, here’s a look at some of the shenanigans us ladies got up to:

Here’s a quick list of particular booths, products, ideas and services I recommend checking out:

Also, make sure you stop by the Clear FM booth and enter for a chance to win a $2,000 “Eco-Dream Deluxe Bedroom Makeover” from Dream Designs, including 1 queen size organic cotton supreme futon mattress, 1 queen size organic cotton sateen sheet set & duvet cover, 2 standard size organic buckwheat comfort cloud pillows, 2 standard size kapok filled pillows, 1 bamboo filled duvet, 1 hemp shower curtain and delivery anywhere in Vancouver.

Two final pieces of very important advice I leave you with:

1. Though you will be tempted to try samples of all the foods and beverages you see, once your tummy is full of no less than organic chocolate, organic beer, coconut oil, hemp butter, organic wine and hemp milk, that same tummy will be very, very angry with you.

2. The guy running the Zipcar booth is very cute.

The more I attempt to use happyfrog, the more useful I’m realizing it really is. When I had first heard about the project, I was very excited about it but not sure how much I’d actually make use of it. As it turns out, I really am using it - as I did so again today.

Years ago, I began practicing yoga on a somewhat random basis. Once arriving in Vancouver, I attempted to keep up with my practice through a studio located near my office. However, it wasn’t long before I passed up on it because it seemed to be a place for the trendies to parade around in their oh-so-chic yoga gear, rather than a group of people dedicated to practicing yoga as a means of making one’s self well from within. Stay with me here, Wang Chi.

I was excited to see that the Kingfisher Resort and Spa, located in the Comox Valley, was listed on happyfrog’s website. Not long ago, the Kingfisher Spa built a gorgeous yoga space, known as the Starfish Studio, only steps from the ocean. With ambient lights and a suspended cork floor, the Starfish Studio at the Kingfisher provides a “zensational” place to practice.

Tonight I took part in two classes, one being a Gentle Flow class and the other a Restorative practice. Each hour-long session will set you back $12 (though you can purchase a 10-visit pass for $100), and includes use of the mats, yoga props and provides lemon water and organic herbal tea to rejuvenate at the end of your practice. The instructors are gentle, kind-hearted and truly strive to see you honour yourself in your practice.

Needless to say, involving yourself with yoga at the Kingfisher is a truly unique experience, one that restores you in ways that perhaps you were unaware needed any sort of attention. At the end of my second class tonight, as is no surprise, I fell asleep only to be woken up in time for Shavasana. It never fails. At least I didn’t start to snore this time.

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I must apologize for the lack of activity on my Flickr site as of late, but I managed to zap a bunch up this evening with iPhoto, so check them out if you have the chance. There are a few Christmas pics, a few shots I snapped of Charley frolicking in the snow and some of my friend Kourtney and I. We have known each other since the day she was born (being that our mothers were good friends in Port Hardy back in the 70s). Before Christmas Day, we hadn’t seen each other in at least four years and have come to quickly realize that we were both missing out on so much. She’s a beautiful soul.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step right up to the second post in my happyfrog purchase series. What particularly excites me about this happyfrog purchase is that it was entirely unplanned and has a story behind it.

A little over a year ago, I made my first visit to Salt Tasting Room with Jack. Instantly we were both hooked on the unique concept and fantastic finger fare offered. What struck us both about our dining experience was the glass of pinot noir we each had. It came from Winchester Cellars, a small winery based on Vancouver Island, and was a wine that was both full-bodied and very rich in flavour. It was this very glass of wine that began a love affair with pinot noir that we both embarked on after that night. What I love most about pinot noirs, as opposed to other varieties of red wines, is that in any good bottle, you’ll be treated to three or four different flavour notes in a single sip.

Photo courtesy of Wines Of Canada

After that evening, the journey began to find a bottle of Winchester Cellars’ Sharp Rock 2005 pinot noir that could be uncorked at home. Unfortunately, it was a journey that would soon fall flat. Between the two of us, we canvassed wine shops downtown, and on a trip I made to Victoria not long after the experience, a search of every liquor store in the Greater Victoria area turned up empty. I even went so far as to visit the actual vineyard - it was a lost cause. I had long forgotten about this wine, and was only briefly reminded of it when I saw that happyfrog had listed the vineyard on their site.

Fast forward 13 months…

Sunday evening, the day before Christmas Eve, my mother and I were scrambling around Courtenay, trying to gather up any last minute grocery items for the feast I was to prepare only 48 hours later. At her suggestion, we stopped into one of Courtenay’s local beer and wine stores to grab some wine so that we could entertain our guests with a little bit of style. I had spotted a pinot noir that looked rather savoury, and upon picking the bottle up off the rack, my eyes darted to the left and instantly locked with the Winchester Cellars logo. Said logo was plastered onto a bottle of their Sharp Rock 2005 pinot noir! And even better, there were two more bottle stacked underneath!

I truly could not believe what I saw. I felt as though I had found the “Holy Grail.” Needless to say, I snapped up two bottles on the spot. And at $35 and change for each bottle, it’s a super price for an even more superb wine. With only 400 cases produced, all I can say is good luck finding it.

You can, however, find Winchester Cellars’ other fine vino selections at a variety of wine shops and restaurants throughout British Columbia (visit their website at the above link for more information). What makes their wine so great is that not only is it local, which means you’re not polluting the environment having your wine imported via jet from France, Italy or even California, but their grapes are grown in a Certified Organic Vineyard, so you know you’re getting a high quality product.

Stay tuned for another happyfrog blog post tomorrow.

I am very, very excited to say that I made my first happyfrog purchase after work tonight as part of the shopping shenanigans that Dave put a couple girls up to.

A few weeks ago I wrote about some really great, locally-made cloth bags that are useful for pretty much anything. In particular, I was rather fond of the “F*@k Plastic” design.

This and all the bags from BYOB collection were designed and manufactured in Vancouver by Jenny Hughes and Elizabeth Clark, whose philosophy behind the bags is simple and straight to the point: “There is an overwhelming use of plastic bags littering the earth and bringing your own bag is the immediate solution.”

Our product mission is to provide people with the best selection of reusable shopping bags that combine fashion, style, quality, and awareness.

On the weekend, Becky mentioned that she’d picked up a reusable bag herself, and at a bargain price. While BYOB bags cost more than a pretty penny (mine rang in at a little over $45 and change with tax), their purpose is to go beyond the practical and bring sustainability into the fashion realm. And the cotton…luxuriously soft!

I picked my bag up at Farfalla in Gastown (located at 57 East Cordova). Check out BYOB’s website to order directly or scope out their list of local retailers near you. Click here to view happyfrog.ca’s listing.

I can’t wait to go grocery shopping!

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And while on the topic of pretty things, I got an early Christmas present today from my darling friend Andrew. We met a few years ago through mutual friends, and it took next to no time to realize that we had oh-so-very-much in common. I’ll never forget the day I met him, if only for the fact that he was wearing two belts and I thought it rather peculiar that anyone would wear two belts with an otherwise seemingly normal outfit. Though looking back, it was rather suiting that he had one little quirk about his appearance because there is something entirely unique and wonderful about his personality too.

He has indeed been a good friend to me over the years, one who always, always, always has my back and supports me in anything I do. So to him I say bon voyage, Merry Christmas and merci beaucoup, mon ami. Je t’aime.

One of my favourite aspects to regularly blogging is all the networking opportunities you find, and better than that, the fantastic people you meet through said networking.

It goes without saying that blogging has certainly brought Rebecca and I into each others’ realms a little deeper, and through her I’ve met others who are passionate about many of the same things.

A couple months ago, I met her and John’s friend Dave at their place, and I was excited to learn that not only does he care about many of the same global issues that I do, but he’s part of a group that is actively doing something about it. Enter happyfrog:

“happyfrog is a fresh and fun interactive web site designed to leverage the collective knowledge of our community to create an indispensable new resource for bringing about change – in our personal lives and across the planet.

…

Our vision for happyfrog is that it will become a home for a community of values-aligned members who happily enrich each other’s lives simply by sharing information about their favorite things.

For many, there is still a gap between our growing knowledge of the challenges that our planet faces and our ability to act on our concerns each day. happyfrog was created to help us close that gap.”

- From www.happyfrog.ca

What makes this initiative so exciting for me is that I have, in recent months, been supporting the ideas of shopping locally and also trying to stick to the 100-mile diet. I find that there are many, many people out there who genuinely desire to make changes in their day-to-day lives to better benefit this beautiful planet we live on, but often have no clue where to start or what they can do. This is what’s so great about happyfrog.

It’s a comprehensive online resource chalked full of B.C. companies and products “that make our corner of the world a little kinder, smarter, healthier, greener and more interesting.”

Since this little tadpole has recently only grown its webbed feet to start hopping, Dave thought it would be a great idea to get two local ladies (that being Rebecca and myself) on board to help show you, our readers, just how fantastic this project is and how easy it can be to use products and services that you’ll truly feel good about employing.

Armed with $100 each, over the coming weeks you’ll see Rebecca and I sharing with you products and services we’ve found through happyfrog as we explore eco-friendly ways to spend the cold hard cash. Since “Miss604″ has a good corner on the Vancouver market, it’s my endeavour to support Island-based businesses over the Christmas holidays. In the meantime, head on over to happyfrog’s website and check it out - you never know what frogilicious business might be right in your neighbourhood.