recycle2shop.com

Fluorescent light bulbs can be recycled at various stores in Victoria - London Drugs on Yates and Home Hardware on Oak Bay avenue and others
BCHydro has promised that all other light bulbs will soon be added to the recyclables list in 2012 - that’s this year already.
ECO TIP - Furniture Polish:

• 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup lemon juice
• store in a squirt or glass bottle and use liberally on a cloth
• smells lovely without poisoning you

Markets are starting up in a month or two. Recycle2shop will be at Moss Street and Bastion Square in the summer.

Good news - for 2012, 10% of  sales will go to Our Place in Victoria.  This includes all sales at local markets as well as in our estore. ‘ Think global, act local’ has been my ethos since going online in 2003 and this further grounds my connection with Victoria.  The Our Place Society helps those of us who are vulnerable and without a home. Our Place was guided by Reverend Al  evolving into a multi-use building/home in downtown Victoria.  Reverend Al has returned to the streets as The Dandelion Society to do what he loves - helping those who are the most vulnerable.

Moss Street Market starts again in May.  Government Street Market may be moving to Bastion Square - I will keep you posted on any location changes.

Inside Harry's Bag

Nan's version

Harry's Bag

Nan loves ‘bling’.

Harry looks set for a day in town.

Moss Street Christmas Market takes place December 10 & 11 in Sir James Douglas School-Moss & Fairfield.

Another gorgeous sunny day in Victoria’s Centennial Square. Everybody’s spirits lift in the warmth and the Square has an atmosphere of community.
I love talking recycling and eco stuff with our visitors. This Sunday I met two delightful ladies from Victoria; Linda gave me a great eco tip via her great grandmother from the Philippines: How to eco-clean copper with, of all things, Tamarind paste (soak dried Tamarind in boiling water and mush into a paste, spread on the copper, leave for a few minutes and wipe off). I can hardly wait to try it. Thank you Linda. I have a big old coal scuttle that is a nightmare to clean so I avoid at all costs.
My last day in the Square. Please come visit Recycle2shop at Moss Street Market on Saturdays (10-2) until October Thanksgiving, unless it’s raining!

I am listening to Mark Radcliffe at the Cambridge Folk Festival on BBC Radio 2 thanks to the internet. He is broadcasting from the wild flower meadow while interviewing the likes of Fisherman’s Friends, Kate Rusby and Mary Chapin Carpenter all at Cherry Hinton Hall.

Main Stage View

Lovely summer days at Moss Street and Downtown Sunday Markets. Government Street Market is at Centennial Square this weekend, having been chased off the street by a few of the Government Street stores who blame us for the downturn in their business instead of blaming the economy. Government Street Market has been in that block for over 15 years, before many of those businesses arrived. Victoria Council is listening to the minority and not realizing that this is the only downtown ‘Street’ market, which attracts tourists to that area of town - our tents are visible from Fort street. Centennial square is a lovely venue but location and visibility is so important.

Leona on the Street

We turned up at Moss Street Market at 8am yesterday in the pouring rain with no let up in sight.  Sure enough, it just got wetter.  I felt sorry for the artists as this is a once in a year happening.  Market vendors come prepared for any weather.  How on earth would any painter  keep water colours intact when the streets were small rivers.  The rain petered out around noon and stopped at 2pm when fog descended instead.  At least this encouraged spectators to arrive and at 4pm closing time the sun finally appeared.

Thank you to all our customers that came anyway and even some tourists braved our sea side weather.

Today at our downtown market in Centennial Square we met a couple from Austin Texas who love our cold, rainy days as they had left a sweltering 100 degrees and were glad to breathe cool air…so there you go Victoria, we can become a haven for people escaping hotter global warming areas.

I have been hoarding my plastic & Styrofoam recycle for months. Thank heavens for reFUSE in Victoria - it’s on Government Street between Chinatown and Bay Street. They take everything plastic, including waxed cartons, chip bags (with the aluminium lining) and styrofoam - as long as you take it already sorted.

Fabric Paths

My garden paths are looking quite sartorial with their latest covering of fabric remnants - saved from Recycle2shop’s bag and apron making.
Victoria Downtown Market was busy this weekend with some tourists from as far away as Texas and England.

Aprons on the Line

The Gay Pride Parade started as usual from our corner on Pandora and Government Street - loved the energy as Lady Gaga’s music pounded out of the speakers. The costumes this year looked fantastic - loads of feathers of course.

Gay Pride

Latest eco cleaning tip - olive oil with a few drops of lemon juice or essence make for a friendly furniture polish.

I read a clear explanation of our climate change denial by a geneticist, human rights worker, Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard: “Imagine a ship that is sinking and needs all the available power to run the pumps to drain out the rising waters. The first class passengers refuse to cooperate because they feel hot and want to use the air-conditioner and other electrical appliances. The second-class passengers spend all their time trying to be upgraded to first-class status. The boat sinks and the passengers all drown. That is where the present approach to climate change is leading. ” as quoted in The New York Times, Opinion Pages of June 23, 2011.

Victoria Cliffs

Olympic Mountain Rain Clouds

Summer has finally arrived in Victoria bringing people out to local markets. One local seagull welcomed us back to Centennial & Government street by divebombing and leaving a ’splot’ on Recycle2shop’s tent - leaving tourists alone for once. We will be back in Centennial Square in 2 weeks after 4 weeks on ‘the street’ by Chinatown.

Backdrop to stall

The Victoria Downtown Market is moving from Centennial Square for the next 3 weeks to Government Street (close to Chinatown Gates). T’will be lovely to be back on the street even though Centennial Square has its own appeal.

Recycle2shop in the market

Recycle2shop will not be at Moss Street Market this Saturday. We will be at Centennial Square on Sunday for the Victoria Downtown Market.

The Ancient Forest Alliance has released another vid to try to save BC’s ancient trees.