Nuit Blanche Recap

It was another fun year at Scotiabank's Nuit Blanche. This was our second year at the event for the City of Toronto along with sponsorship partner organizations such as Tourism Toronto and Subaru and our valued partner, Spinnaker Recycling. We appreciate their support.

The event was projected to see over 1,000,000 people visiting over 120 projects. According to the city, last year's event had an economic impact of $39.5M.

We spent 24 hours moving about cleaning up, sweeping the streets, emptying the trash cans, and disposing of waste, all in an effort to ensure a positive experience.

There were so many interesting sites and exhibits but the coolest display we saw was a video-based art installation projected on a large wall that made it look like a wrecking ball was coming right through the wall. (Source)

The event has been gaining momentum over the years and people seemed to be fired up this year as well. Just by looking at the amount of people in the streets at crazy times of the night and enjoying the unique art installations, there was definitely a fair amount of partying going on.

One unique things this year was the use of Fort York as a venue. It really gave the event a different feel. To see one of the the oldest founding areas of the city transformed into an art gallery full of some of the most modern and fresh ideas was a great back drop for sure. One of they key exhibits was Between Doors.

Another intriguing thing about Nuit Blanche is that every year it has a different feel and vibe to it. You can never assume the next year will be anything like previous years so you always have to come with an open mind and the expectation that you will be wowed. That was certainly the case this year. 

Here is a great recap video from Ryerson Student Life

Checkout the photo finalists from blogTO's photo contest for the event. Awesome! (Source)

If you attended this year, we would love to hear about what you saw, what caught your interest, and what left you scratching your head. Was this year better than past years? Any tips to get more out of the event in future years? Suggestions welcome!

Humber River 2014 Cleanup Recap

It was another great year for us, our partners, and volunteers. We want to send out a big THANK YOU to our the forty volunteers who joined us to help cleanup the Humber River. A big shoutout of thanks for our partners, Contiki Holidays, the Complete Paddler, TreadRight Foundation, and Tiered Response.

The efforts of everyone resulted in the collection and removal of 2.4 tonnes of junk. How Awesome is that? Some of the junk may have come from flooding but other junk, sadly, was  simply disposed of in the river and surrounding area. We cleaned up for the better part of a day but it shouldn’t stop there. We all should be proud of the amount of junk we removed but there is still more work to be done and more help and support required to protect the Humber River year round. 

We helped raise awareness regarding the Humber River’s junk situation and we are grateful for the efforts everyone put forth to get the word out and for the additional coverage we received from CTV News and Anwar Knight over the course of the day.

Some of the things that we collected ranged from the interesting to the strange/weird such as an old freezer, what appeared to be a severed head but was, in fact, just a wig, and a toboggan.

It was great to see so many people doing well by doing good. Lots of smiles.

You can count on us to be back next year and we hope we can count on you to join us. In the meantime, we will continue to raise awareness about the Humber River’s junk problem and ask that you continue to help spread the word.

Thanks!

Rick and the 1800 Rid-of-It Team

Join the Cleanup and Maybe Uncover History

On September 15th, 2014 we will be leading our fourth Humber River clean-up event to remove debris. Pollution has accumulated along and in the Humber River over the years and we feel it is critically important to do something about it. In past years, volunteers have removed as much as two tonnes of debris.

Can you join us? Do you know other people or businesses interested in seeing the Humber River cleaned up? Organizations such such as the Complete Paddler, Contiki Holidays, and TieredResponse are lending their support to the cause in a variety of ways. We welcome your support too.

This is just an example of the kind of debris to be found along the Humber River.

 If we band together we can clean it up and restore it to its original glory when people like those pictured below used it for travel and commerce.

 Uncovering a Bit of History

Our clean-up efforts last year led to the discovery of a historical plaque amidst the debris. The recovered plaque related to a trading post founded by Jean Baptiste Rousseaux (1758-1812) who, according to a provincial history website, was the first European to settle in the Toronto area. Rousseaux and his father served as interpreters for the Indian department and he served in Simcoe’s government until his death in 1812. (More information can be found at Ontarioplaques.com)

You can read about we were able to accomplish last year here. So please join us if you can and see how much clean-up can be accomplished in just a few hours. Here are the details regarding time and place. If you have questions then feel free to get in touch. You can reach us at info@ridofittoronto.com or 416-RID-OF-IT (743-6348).

When: Monday, September 15, 2014

Time: 8:30 AM

Volunteers meet at the rally point in the parking lot of the Petro Canada gas station/car wash (north of Queensway - off of South Kingsway. Map below)

CANADA DAY CELEBRATIONS MEL LASTMAN SQUARE 

Canada's 147th birthday was celebrated with a fun-filled evening of live music and dance performances, family activities and a spectacular fireworks show choreographed to music.

Canadian pride was shown  by all with free Canadian flags provided by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage.

1-800-RID-OF-IT provided exclusive event cleanup services. This included onsite cleanup staffing throughout the night and complete cleanup services after the event.  

CANADA DAY CELEBRATIONS MEL LASTMAN SQUARE CLEAN UP SERVICES INCLUDE:

•    Pre event exhibit cleanup

•    Post event cleaning

•    All garbage and recycling removal

•    On site event staffing

•    Tote Rental

                                                                                     

PUSH FOR YOUR TUSH CLEANUP
It started as a run among 100 or so friends on crisp fall day in a North Toronto park in 1996. Today Push for Tush a nationwide event with thousands of runners in cities all across Canada. The 5km walk / 10km run is a great day for everyone, with refreshments, T-Shirts and fun family activities. 1-800-RID-OF-IT will provide all cleanup services for the 2014 event. This includes onsite cleanup staffing throughout the run, and complete cleanup services after the event. 


PUSH FOR YOUR TUSH CLEANUP SERVICES INCLUDE:
•    Post event cleanup
•    Event recycling
•    On site event staffing

Push For Your Tush  2014   was a huge success this year.  The weather was amazing, everyone had lots of fun and best of all over $415 000  was raised.   Good job by all involved.  1-800  RID-OF-IT  was a proud sponsor this year and looking forward to being involved for years to come.

                                                                                   

Go to www.ridofittoronto.com   and book your  pick up, to free yourself of all your unwanted items. Our crews will remove almost anything from anywhere on your property and dispose of it for you.

 1-800 RID-OF-IT Toronto offers prompt and reliable junk removal services for both residential and commercial clients. Your time is important, and it is our job to make rubbish removal easy for you. With our flexible appointment times, you can plan your day accordingly. It's that simple.

Call today and GET 1-800 RID-OF-IT (1-800-743-6348) or book online at www.ridofittoronto.com

 

(offer not valid with any other promotion or coupon must be 1/4 load or more not valid on Bin Rentals)

Solar Energy, part two

Politics - Darkening solar energy ambitions

Although approved by the senate, a Florida bill giving tax breaks to businesses who install solar panels is not likely to come before voters. Roof top solar is viewed as a threat to the electrical utilities. If the vote came to the average Floridian, the vote would be 90 per cent for solar initiatives. Rallies are planned to protest. Business men have already voted with their feet and taken solar technology to warmer receptions and out of the sunshine state.

Over three million dollars has already been spent on campaign contributions in this election cycle so far by the utilities. What does this mean to the environmentally conscious home owner? Well, ask Robin Speronis. She has been charged with living off the grid, illegal under the International Property and Maintenance Code. After a year and a half keeping house with a camp stove, rain water and solar energy, she has to hook back up to the big utilities grid.

In contrast, two young students living in London, Ontario became somewhat of a "cause célèbre" when they spent the summer under similar conditions. I am sure they did not make it over the interminable Ontario winter, but they got local TV and newspaper coverage for their experiment.

Let us hope that Florida politicians don't take this issue as seriously as in close by Texas. Swat teams were sent in to intimidate the Garden of Eden Community, holding members at gunpoint and putting them in handcuffs. Apparently there were no laws against off grid life, and no drugs or guns were found. At the end of the day, they enforced a few city code violations and assorted traffic violations. Not exactly good use of manpower or tax payer funds!

Sunshine in the Sunshine State, A Squandered Resource?

Despite a promising start in the thirties when solar water heaters graced many subdivision homes, Florida has a dismal record in their use of solar power. It does sound hopeful to write that they have three solar plants up and running for the last three years and a world's first next generation solar plant that is connected to a conventional plan, but more should be done.

Their  record lags way behind states with grey skies, such as New Jersey and Massachusetts. Fifty billion dollars a year leaves Florida to purchase coal, natural gas, and gasoline. Discouraging elements are changes in solar models, federal tax credits and a state with a record of rejecting renewable energy plans. Utility companies are the only ones that can sell power, solar companies can only sell at wholesale rates to utilities. Add to the picture electricity rates lower than in the North and the huge start up costs associated with solar power, and you have dismal results.

Solar companies are now considering leasing equipment to businesses. We can only hope that this trend will catch on and include residential customers.

Many thousands of Floridians live in RVs or some type of manufactured home. It takes only a short ride anywhere in the state to see the many trailer parks. Go across an overpass and the flat, white roofs seem to stretch right across the horizon. An ideal spot for solar installations. As boomers join the older snowbirds, a solar option will become more and more appealing. The demand peaks in the summer for the necessary air conditioning, but winter needs often include running a heater for a few hours a day.

Florida's Governor, Rick Scott, is fighting for his political life in the upcoming elections. One of his recent campaign statements bragged about a good record in protecting the environment. Would that this were so; journalists quickly punched holes in this assertion by hauling out the record of the many cutbacks taken while he was in office. A well thought out plan for the state with 86 per cent of America's sunshine would go along way to ensure his reelection.

The Magic Behind Decorating a Home for under $1,500!

Reduce! Reuse! Repurpose!

Taking a leap into the Sunshine State after many years of RVing, this couple from Cleveland, Ohio have settled very comfortably in a double wide manufactured home. It is in a quiet, neat park just west of Tampa.
Their new home had great bones but was decorated in dark colours and traditional, stuffy furniture.
So they literally drenched everything in white; walls, cabinets and furniture to display an eclectic collection of finds. This allowed Cheryl a clear canvas to express her personality.
Then came the hunt. Culling collectives from their winter home, they added finds from the roadside, thrift shops, Habitat for Humanity, and a local hotel liquidator.

Creative Art from Recycled Materials

The new buzz word - upcycling!

At the Fine Arts Festival in Tarpon Springs, it was apparent that the selection committee was impressed by artists using recycled materials. Upcycling was the aim of many participants; silver spoons appeared in jewellery, driftwood in carvings, barnboard in framing for stained glass, lake glass shards in pendants, and on it went.

The miniature creatures created Melissa Menzer were intriguing. She uses pieces of jewelry from the 1920's and 1930's, wiring them onto each bird or animal by hand.

For a truly whimsical use of recycled paper, bottles and cans, check out Joyce Curvin's website at www.joycecurvin.com. Her collection of almost life-size dogs, cats and birds are adorable. All in bright colours, they amuse and remind us the cartoons of our childhood. Somehow she makes the paper mâché exteriors look like clay.

A nice way to browse a way a warm Sunday morning in Florida.

A Closer Look at Tarpon Springs
By Jacky Crawford

Tarpon Springs still bills it seek as the "Sponge Capital of the World), although the heyday of the sponge industry was in the thirties and the forties. The Greeks, arriving in the early days of the twentieth century, came in droves to bring their diving skills to their new land. But a red tide, fatal for the sponges, wiped out many of the beds. The industry did not restart until the sixties. By that time there was fierce competition from man made sponges. Today there are still some sponge boats with plucky divers who plunge one hundred and fifty feet to the ocean floor to harvest sponges. Other Greeks now run interesting shops selling these sponges, sea shells and olive oil soaps. Perhaps the first tourist spot selling more sponges than t-shirts!

Of course, there are more bakeries and restaurants with Greek fare. Just walk along Dodecanese Boulevard across from the docks; pick one and dig into some amazing moussaka, gyros, baklava, etc.

If you want to delve into Greek culture, there are many options. Visit the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral fashioned with some sixty tons of marble in the Byzantine style. The Epiphany Celebration is in early January. some 30,000 people come to watch young boys dive into the chilly Spring Bayou in pursuit of the Greek Cross thrown in by the Bishop.

Any visitor will easily find the two beaches, Sunset and Fred Howard Park which come complete with - sand! No ring of condos and large hotels, minimal commercial activity at Sunset Beach.

Biking has to be the best way to see the interesting architectural mix around Tarpon Springs. There are many grand Victorian homes around the five sapphire blue bayous to gape out, but if you go into the surrounding residential streets, attractive examples of the twentieth century homes with tropical landscaping around every corner.

Tarpon Springs has many festivals through out the year, as do the surrounding towns. Truly, a spot of Florida not too be missed.

Notes from a Tin Can Tourist

After many years of endless condo building and strip mall proliferation, there is a movement afoot to protect and even display, the real Florida. I know firsthand that it can be enjoyed from the waterways, but previous land bound visits had left me soured on finding places apart from mansions, malls, and multi-lane highways. It seemed that there was no escape from Flager's heritage. Could this one man have doomed the entire state to an entirely coral pink future?

However, a short but luckily victorious bout with cancer left us with an overwhelming desire to relax in the sun. The grey cold of a bitter Canadian winter was too much too bear; we packed our recently acquired motor home in frigid temperatures and fled South.

Arriving in Florida found us with plenty of sunshine although a bitter wind was blowing. But we could shed our coats and mukluks!

Armed with our Camping in Florida pamphlet, we located and checked into the city run Manatee Cove Park, just outside of Titusville. It is an excellent park, and an inexpensive way to visit DisneyLand (note to self - perfect for a grandchild visit) and to view space launches. For this reason, it is often fully booked. Call ahead.

We wanted to stop at the first lock on Lake Okeechobe, but they were full. With a view of the canal and a resident family of alligators, we knew this to be a peaceful natural site. It is state run and inexpensive for boaters and campers. However, they had been booked months ahead, so that left us with Indiantown Marina and Campground.

Knowing what to expect at a somewhat primitive location was a plus. We had spent a month there on board our trawler. Nothing comes close to being other than basic, but the managers and the people there are friendly. There are many old salts willing to share their sailing adventures with you. As Florida's past is definitely linked to boating, and not just the huge pleasure yachts dotting the waters around Miami, this is a glimpse into that world.

Still in search of the real Florida, we left after a weekend and headed across to the Gulf side. We tracked down Canoe Outpost  (www.canoeoutpost.com). Bingo!

A very small campground, but there was a cement pad for our rig, BBQ, and two sets of tables and chairs. Waving grasses gave us great views from the motor home, a short walk took us to a winding stream, and there were kayaks and canoes to rent. The owner should get an award for the most unusual restroom facilities - full of Florida kitsch and you could literally shower under the stars!

Encouraged by our stay at Canoe Outpost, we hit the road again and headed to Frog Creek, (www.frogcreek.com). They have every amenity, landscaped grounds and many organized activities.
Disappointingly, it was hard to forget you were in a campground because there were no opportunities to walk or bike anywhere.

Our following week was spent in the Happy Traveller Park which had cheaper fees and was set among many live oaks. Less rule bound than the previous spot, it was not as pristine, but had an interesting mix of campers and permanents. It is opposite a gigantic flea market, which is a more lively option than shopping at the mall. A visit to nearby Myakka State Park gave us a nice respite I  lovely natural surroundings. Our favourite part of the day was the view from the seventy foot tower - after we had caught our breath!

Feeling that I had more of a grasp on picturing and finding good campsites, I booked a week stay at Bayshore Cove in Tarpon Springs. Again, bingo!

A brief memory of a visit to the sponge docks some twenty years ago inspired me to think that this area might have it all. It does - a town based on fishing, not just tourists, that sits near the Gulf and has some beautiful homes with lovely bayou views.

The campground was full of snowbirds who stay for five of six months at a time. The few spots serving transients seemed to be mostly occupied, so booking ahead would be safer. Unlike any other spot, we were not given a package of rules and information. For awhile, I didn't even know there was a laundry. No pool, no pet leash laws, and not a lot of space between sites. But everything was in biking and walking distance with wonderful views that made you eager to jump on your bile and do mundane errands at the library or the grocery store. Within a week we were much healthier and fit.