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Work - Play Ethic

admin — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:30:30 -0600

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Shelley Penner, Director of Practice, Penner and Associates - pafurniture.ca

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by Jennifer Croll

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Shelley Penner believes sustainable interior design should be kept behind closed doors—in a sense. “People spend the majority of their time indoors, [so] I think it’s really important to have a healthy environment,” she explains. “It extends to the natural environment, and how we’re protecting that.”

Shelley’s been pushing the green envelope for years. In 1992 she formed the EcoDesign Resource Society, a non-profit organization that provided sustainable design resources to professionals and the general public. The society lasted until 1997. “I think to some degree it was before its time,” she says, laughing.

After EcoDesign, Shelley launched her own design firm. Today, Penner and Associates leads the way in sustainable interior design for primarily commercial and institutional projects, most of which seek LEED certification. Current projects of note include the Tides Renewal Centre in the Flack Block at the corner of Cambie and Hastings, a duplex on Kits Point, and a Westside organic food store. “We’re very fortunate because I think you attract the clients that you are [similar to],” Shelley comments. “And so we’re just able to work with some really amazing people.”

A fitting extension to Shelley’s interior design is the firm’s new furniture line, p+a furniture. Manufactured in Calgary and composed of non-toxic and sustainable materials, the furnishings are available online and will soon be sold in a new storefront-slash-design studio in the Flack Block.

Sure she works hard, but for Shelley, success is pure fun. “The environment that we’re creating in our storefront and our design studio is really a place to just create and play and experiment,” she says. “For me, work is play and play is work.”

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Conscious by Design

admin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:34:19 -0600

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Valerie Thai - Founder, Cabin + Cub Design - cabinandcub.com

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by Isabelle Groc

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Valerie Thai walks to work every day. It’s just one way that the graphic designer demonstrates her commitment to stepping more lightly on the Earth, both in her personal life and in her business.

Cabin + Cub Design, the company she founded in 2006, specializes in art direction, design, and illustration for non-profit, socially conscious, and environmentally sustainable companies. One of her recent projects was a poster to promote TransLink’s Ride-Share Week campaign.

Valerie sees herself as a socially responsible designer—quite a departure from the more traditional commercial work she was initially exposed to at design school.
“I want to do work for companies that I like, companies that are responsible and are trying to make a difference,” the 32-year-old explains. Her clients include British Columbia Film, Boca del Lupo Theatre Company, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, and givemeaning.com .

Valerie saw the opportunity to create social change when she was hired by Adbusters magazine while still a student at Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design.
“Adbusters did really open my eyes,” Valerie says. “It pushed me to play a more active social role as a designer.” As associate art director, Valerie worked on designs for a number of campaigns, including the now-famous Buy Nothing Day.

Now that she works independently, she makes sure she adheres to the principles of being an eco- and socially savvy designer. “For me, it means being more aware; knowing your clients’ backgrounds so that you are not in conflict with what they do.”

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Best Foot Forward

admin — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:21:59 -0600

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John Fluevog Founder & Owner, John Fluevog Shoes fluevog.com

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by Lindsey Lewis

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Conscious living is key for shoe mastermind John Fluevog. Despite being a raging success in an industry generally against putting the future ahead of current trends, this born-and-bred Vancouverite does just that.

“I think my overall theme would be buy better, buy less,” says John. Quality materials and repairable, re-soleable shoes go a long way to ensuring longevity; they also help customers save money in the long run and keep barely worn footwear out of landfills.

John’s Veggie Vogs shoe line is crafted without leather, and the company is using increasingly more vegetable-tanned leathers in other lines. Meanwhile, his Angel soles are made of natural, biodegradable tree latex.

John makes sure his company is as environmentally sustainable as possible, too; he and his staff are always searching for fresh approaches to old ways of doing things. John firmly believes that as people begin to learn about the toll common business practices take on the environment, they need to begin changing their ways.

“When I was growing up, I just didn’t know,” he explains. “But as we all start to know, we have a moral obligation to do the best we can individually.”
For John Fluevog shoes, this includes a Gastown headquarters with desks made from scaffolding, tables from fallen old-growth oak trees, and recycled carpets. All this, and style still reigns supreme. Fluevog headquarters looks chic and arty, not hippie.

And, according to John, customers can pull out their Fluevogs “a year from now, put them on, and feel cool in them.”

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Sticking It to AIDS

admin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:31:15 -0500

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trikinetic.ca

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Angela Foran - Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine Trikinetic Massage Therapy and Acupuncture

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by Marlane Press

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The pairing of her two, often competing, passions—travel and acupuncture—are what initially drew Angela Foran to rural Africa. There, in Uganda, she’s trained local health care workers to treat people infected with HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis using acupuncture.

Two trips later, the Vancouver-based traditional Chinese medicine practitioner says what will keep her returning to Africa is her Ugandan trainees’ and patients’ embracement of foreign medicine and techniques.

“I was amazed at the openness toward trying such a foreign treatment as acupuncture. There exists a certain amount of hesitation in Africa with respect to Western medicine, but Chinese medicine is proving to be a good bridge between traditional [African] medicine and Western medicine,” says the dimpled Eastside vegetarian.

Parenthetically, Angela fundraises for the PanAfrican Acupuncture Project, a Boston-based organization that brings acupuncture to Africans who are struggling with HIV/AIDS.

If that weren’t enough, in addition to her private practice at Trikinetic Massage Therapy and her part-time acupuncture practice at the B.C. Compassion Club Society, a Commercial Drive operation that dispenses medicinal marijuana, Angela also finds time to volunteer at the Dr. Peter Centre, an AIDS care facility affiliated with St. Paul’s Hospital.

Driven by a desire to continue assisting people afflicted with HIV, Angela envisions herself venturing to South Africa in the next two years to fulfill her goal of establishing her own clinic.

“I enjoy treating HIV and more emotional-based conditions because they tend to be more complicated. When someone comes back to me and says they haven’t had pain since my last treatment, it’s that much more rewarding.”

—Marlane Press

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Atypical MD

admin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:28:41 -0500

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drgabormate.comdrgabormate.com

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Dr. Gabor Maté - Physician, bestselling author, public speaker

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by Heather White

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As a man in his mid-60s, Dr. Gabor Maté could be forgiven for wanting to turn back the clock. But for Gabor, who has attention deficit disorder (ADD), it isn’t about being younger, but about ridding himself of emotional baggage. “People tend to accumulate a lot of baggage, and they become attached to it,” he explains. “That’s the essence of old age.”

Gabor’s bestselling book Scattered Minds explains his unique perspective on ADD. He is adamant that ADD is not a disease, but a by-product of human development. When social, cultural, and familial circumstances are less than optimal, ADD is one of the negative results. Dropping baggage means shedding the responses (such as anxiety and nervousness) programmed into people as a result of their environment.

“As we drop old programming, we move closer and closer to the essence, the core, of who we really are. And we therefore stop seeing ourselves as an accumulation of all our programming.”

Gabor also treats drug addicts and people with HIV at the Downtown Eastside’s Portland Hotel. With all of his patients, he searches for the cause of their illness, rather than just treating the symptoms. His second book, When the Body Says No, addresses emotional suppression and its negative effects on the body. Both books provide insight into why letting go of emotional baggage is key to enjoying life.

Gabor says he gets out of bed every morning for two reasons. On a professional level, it’s for the possibilities that come with helping people understand themselves and their lives.

And on a personal level?

“What gets me out of bed is life itself. The more baggage I drop, the more joyful life gets.”

—Heather White

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Good as Gold

admin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:25:02 -0500

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agoraforlife.net

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Maggie Gold - Founder, Agora Regeneration Clinics

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by Jennifer Croll

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Maggie Gold has a dilemma. “I’m trying to figure out the best way to organize this,” she says, flipping through a large notepad full of talking points.
Maggie’s right: trying to cram her many health initiatives into a one-page profile is no easy feat.

The founder of Agora Regeneration Clinics, Maggie is a cancer survivor who healed herself with natural medicine, and a mother who lost a son to drugs. She opened Europe’s first natural medicine clinic in Madeira, Portugal, and founded the Integrated Medical Association of B.C., an organization that brings medical doctors and complementary practitioners together.

But what she’s best known for—a direct product of the loss of her son and her background in natural health—is launching Agora, Canada’s first (and only) naturopathic drug and alcohol detoxification centre.

“They absolutely love it. They feel brand-new,” Maggie says of the clinic’s clients, who boast a 70 per cent success rate. Agora combines methods such as acupuncture with intravenous amino acid therapy designed to repair the brain’s disrupted biochemical balance. The clinic operates on an outpatient basis, making treatment accessible. “Entrepreneurs and employees of companies don’t want to take 30 or 60 or 90 days out of their lives,” Maggie points out.

But she isn’t stopping there. She’s set up the Jason Dodd Wellness Foundation, which offers financial assistance to cash-strapped youth who want to enroll in Agora’s detox program. She also plans to expand Agora across Canada, as well as open the Agora Care Centre, a holistic clinic that will offer physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual treatments.

“It’s very exciting,” Maggie enthuses. And to think, she’s barely covered the first page of that jam-packed notebook.

—Jennifer Croll

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Fertility by the Numbers

admin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:26:08 -0500

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acubalance.ca

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Lorne Brown - Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Founder of Acubalance Wellness Centre

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by Kathy Sinclair

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Quick: what does number-crunching have to do with helping couples conceive?

At first glance, maybe not so much. But for Dr. Lorne Brown, the founder of Acubalance Wellness Centre, a career in accounting paved the way for discovering his real passion: bringing new life into the world.

Lorne was working in Montreal as a chartered accountant and suffering from digestive problems when he first tried Chinese medicine. “It made a huge difference on my physical level,” he says.

That led to a life-changing discovery. “When I’d look at my library at home, I had two books on accounting… my other books were all about diet, lifestyle, spirituality, [and] Chinese medicine,” he says, laughing.

Lorne resigned from his tax job, went back to school, and opened Vancouver’s Acubalance in 2000. “And I’m so happy I did.”

Acubalance is a traditional Chinese medicine clinic dedicated to treating infertility and reproductive health. It emphasizes diet, lifestyle, and deep relaxation to help couples achieve their dream of having a child. And, if clients feel they need more, Acubalance provides support for treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Lorne has ambitious goals for the clinic; its vision, he says, is to foster not only the health of the person, but of the community and the planet. Its central philosophy is yang sheng, a Taoist principle meaning “nourish life.”

Acubalance has just opened a second location in Langley. This fall, it will have a presence on site at Genesis Fertility Centre, which offers IVF. Acubalance also plans to make its unique fertility diet, which is based on locally grown foods and includes recipes and a shopping guide, available online.
From following his personal passion to greening the office, Lorne is clearly striving to make a difference.

“If you don’t think you’ll achieve your dreams, then you won’t,” he says. “So you might as well dream big.”

—Kathy Sinclair

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admin — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:38:37 -0500

For Arts’ Sake

admin — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:53:26 -0500

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Christianne Hayward - Founder and Instructor, The Lyceum of Literature and Art

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by Tara Thorne

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christiannehayward.com

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A couple-odd millennia ago, the Lyceum was the school in Athens where Aristotle taught philosophy. Nowadays, Vancouver has its very own lyceum. But while students at the original were likely to hear Aristotle’s views on metaphysics, children at Vancouver’s Lyceum of Literature and Art celebrate the power of the arts.

The school’s founder, Christianne Hayward, is a children’s literature specialist and educator of all ages. Christianne’s vision was to create a place where kids could explore the potential of literature and art to “catalyze individual imagination, familial growth, and community change.”

The lyceum celebrates the oral, written, and visual arts, and encourages growth via a “generative” curriculum. That means both teacher and student come together to construct a syllabus.

“This involves having a different image of the children,” says Christianne. “In past times we looked at children as empty vessels, as if there was some kind of magical learning that was going to make them successful in life. We then moved to looking at the child as competent and coming with influences from their background and experiences that they bring to the learning environment.”

Christianne owes some of the impetus behind her creation of the lyceum to one of her former university professors and to her grandfather. Both told her she had the talent and ability to inspire people to do what they don’t think they can. Christianne’s methods include creating a more interactive education via thought-provoking discussions, providing a gateway to instigate change.

“In other educational institutions it’s very difficult to bring about change and to do it quickly,” she says. “But change is the one thing you can always count on.”

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Being the Change

admin — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:51:07 -0500

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Karen Elkins - President, Silbury Education and Resource Centre

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by Gayle Mavor

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silbury.ca

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Intense. Sensitive. Creative. Intelligent. Visual/spatial learners. May have learning difficulties. In short: gifted kids. How to spot them? “Exhausted, freaked-out parents,” jokes Karen Elkins, president of Silbury Education and Resource Centre.

Karen should know. The entrepreneur describes her son as “twice exceptional” or “gifted but with learning challenges.”

“On a visit to the Smithsonian Institute when he was three, he could name all the airplanes,” she recalls. “So when anyone tried to group airplanes by colour—not by the actual specifications—he’d get really upset.”

Karen wanted to find an environment where kids like her son would find kinship with each other. In 2004, she stopped searching and launched Silbury. Unity of Vancouver, at 5840 Oak St., is home base. Silbury students learn from a curriculum that meets provincial learning outcomes, but the route they take is as atypical as they are.

“Integration of curriculum, mind, body, and spirit is key,” says Karen.

Silbury’s certified teachers and array of specialists are just as likely to explore art therapy, ecology, and even reiki as they are science and history. Small class sizes (eight to 10) mean the curriculum adapts to the learners.

Karen believes our survival as a species depends on the freedom to activate the potential within each individual. “Silbury is the change that is all around right now in the world,” she says. And like-minded students, parents, and educators are the pioneers.

Her vision? To integrate educational disciplines, industry, health professionals, and related retail establishments in a hub that will transcend traditional lines of education and remediation strategies.

“We are interdependent and interconnected individuals,” Karen stresses, “and our learning environments need to be that way as well.”