The Canadian Red Cross has recently released a mobile application that serves as a First Aid guide, emergency preparedness tool, and more.

As a member of the Red Cross’ Social Media Team, I downloaded the app when it was released and I talked about it on Dotto Tech’s radio show on AM650. Once a month Steve Dotto gathers a handful of mobile technology geeks (myself included) and we all vie for the title as “App Wednesday” champion by introducing 4 apps. By the end of the hour, a winner is chosen and this month it was me — with the Red Cross Canada First Aid App.

Available for iPhone and Android, this free app is a “must have”. Here are just some of its features:

• Simple, step-by-step instructions guide you through everyday first aid scenarios.
• Fully integrated with 911, so you can call EMS from the app at any time.
• Videos and animations to help you sharpen your first aid skills.
• Safety tips for everything from severe winter weather to hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes, to help you prepare for emergencies.
• Preloaded content means you have instant access to all safety information at any time, even without reception or an Internet connection.
• Interactive quizzes allow you to earn badges that you can share with your friends and show off your lifesaving knowledge.

While there is an emergency mode, this is the kind of app that you should study in advance so that you are more prepared in an emergency situation. There is so much information to go through that is provided with instructions and in video format.

Follow @RedCrossCanada on Twitter for more information about local, national, and global campaigns along with helpful updates and be sure to download the app for your device.

It’s only fitting that Canada’s first sustainable and green eyewear company is based in Vancouver, our beloved city that has a goal of becoming the Greenest City by 2020. Green Glasses, in Yaletown, makes Canadian-designed, handcrafted glasses using all natural organic, sustainable materials. Even the machinery used to make their lenses uses 50% less water than typical operations.

Green Glasses are are non-toxic, phthalate-free, renewable and 100 percent biodegradable. Better yet when you purchase a pair, partial proceeds are donated to the David Suzuki Foundation.

Green Glasses Giveaway

To promote their fashionable frames, Green Glasses has offered up two pairs of the “Robson” style for me to give away to my readers.

ROBSON (value $159)
Canadian Designed, handcrafted with all natural organic sustainable material. Medium/Large Fit Sizing: Width 53mm, HT 35.6mm, Bridge 17mm, Arm 140mm.
Pop into your local eyecare professional to confirm correct sizing.

Here’s how you can enter to win “Robson” from Green Glasses:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

I will draw two winners at random from all entries on Tuesday, September 24, 2013. Each winner will receive the Robson frames. Follow Green Glasses on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their products and sustainability.

Update The winners are Jeff and Jess!

A park so nice they named it twice! Fun Fun Park in Surrey is hosting a recycling fair this Saturday to help raise funds for a new playground. In partnership with ElectroRecycle, you can drop off your electrical products for recycling (toasters, microwaves, coffee-makers, power tools, etc.) throughout the day to support this community green space.

What: Fun Fun Park Recycling Fair
Where: Fun Fun Park (1472 128 Street in Surrey)
When: Saturday, September 21, 2013 from 1:00pm to 5:00pm

The event on Saturday will include activities for kids, food, a raffle, and more. You will also be able to learn about ElectroRecycle and its drop-off locations throughout BC.

ElectroRecycle accepts more than 300 electrical products ranging in size from electric toothbrushes, countertop microwave ovens, hand-held drills to treadmills. Products are divided into categories including: kitchen countertop (motorized and heating), time measurement, weight measurement, garment care, air treatment, desk and tabletop fans, designated very small items, floor care, personal care, test and measurement tools, hand-held power tools; bench-top, demolition, and free-standing power tools, sewing/textile machines, exercise machines, sports, leisure, arts, crafts, and hobby devices, as well as additional designated very small items.

The program recycles small appliances designed for residential use only and powered by batteries or plugged in to 12 Volt or 120 Volt power.

The goal is to raise $5,000 for the new playground at the park, which is in need of enhancements to better serve kids of all ages. For every kilogram of electrical products recycled, $1 will be donated to Fun Fun Park, up to 5,000kgs.

The Georgia Straight has released their 18th annual Best of Vancouver survey results and I am very honoured to be included among the list again this year.

Voted #1 Best Local Blog (tie with Vancouver is Awesome)
Voted #1 Best Local Twitterer (4th year in a row)

The Straight’s Best of Vancouver issue is always highly-anticipated, not only because it showcases local businesses, services, and personalities, but it’s also a fantastic resource throughout the year. They have so many listings that you can visit all of the top restaurants (in various categories), the top spas, find a local podcast, or plan a Vancouver Island getaway. Here are a few of the winners:

Media, Arts, Culture
Best local TV news anchor(s): Chris Gailus (Global)
Best local cable show: Breakfast Television
Best afternoon radio host(s): Stephen Quinn (CBC Radio 1)
Best dance company: Ballet B.C.
Best live music venue: Commodore Ballroom, 868 Granville
Food and Drink
Best restaurant (fine dining): Hawksworth Restaurant, 801 W. Georgia
Best patio: Dockside Restaurant, 1253 Johnston Street
Best kid-friendly restaurant: White Spot, Various locations
Best late night takeout: The Naam Restaurant, 2724 W. 4th
Style
Best shoe store (independent): gravitypope, 2205 West 4th Avenue
Best local designer clothing store: Nicole Bridger, 2151 West 4th Avenue
Best spa (independent): Linda’s Urban Spa, 1888 West 1st Avenue
Living
Best scooter dealer: Vespa Metro Vancouver, 590 Clark Drive
Best car-share service: car2go
Best florist: The Flower Factory, 3604 Main
Best kitchenware store: Ming Wo Cookware, Various locations
Mind, Body, Soul
Best yoga studio: YYoga, Various locations
Best dance studio: Harbour Dance Centre, 927 Granville, 3rd floor
Travel
Best weekend getaway: Whistler
Best Interior destination: Kelowna
Best hotel (Metro Vancouver): Fairmont Pacific Rim, 1038 Canada Place
Best out-of-town spa getaway: Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa
Best B.C. wilderness resort: West Coast Wilderness Lodge, 6649 Maple Road, Egmont
City Life
Best community centre: Mount Pleasant Community Centre, 1 Kingsway
Local hero: Trevor Linden
Best neighbourhood: Kitsilano
Best neighbourhood/community bike store: Our Community Bikes, 3283 Main Street

There are hundreds of more listings and you can find them all online and be sure to pick up your paper copy around town this week.

Thank You!

I sincerely appreciate all of the engagement and encouragement from my readers, from social media shares and comments, to feedback and event listings. I have loved writing over 5,600 posts over the last 9 years and I have no plan to stop any time soon. Thank you very much for following my adventures into Vancouver’s past, present, future, and even over to Iowa when I visit John’s family.

As a very proud sponsor of the Vancouver International Film Festival I have the honour of sponsoring an individual film as well. This year I have chosen the world premiere of Leap 4 Your Life. This afternoon I caught up with the film’s writer and producer Taylor Hill who also stars in this mockumentary about a dance competition.

Backstage drama meets reality TV in this juicy mockumentary. April Telek hisses up a storm as Maureen, the leader of a teen dance troupe. She’s a dedicated woman, although she seems to be driven by spite as much as passion. Her team includes Hilary (Allie Bertram), a rich girl who knows how pretty she is and isn’t afraid to flaunt it; Molly (writer Taylor Hill), a flaky eccentric; and Matt (Reece Thompson), the “token guy” on the team. We follow them in the lead-up to a competition, in which Maureen will face rival coach Laine (Jill Morrison), a woman with whom she has more in common than she’d like to admit.

“It’s such a little indie that could. We don’t have a lot of money backing it but we do have a lot of heart and passion so I hope people get that out of it.”

“I used to be a dancer when I was younger and I’ve always been obsessed with Christopher Guest films,” Hill told me. “I’ve always had an obsession with reality TV and I’ve always thought that a dance competition would make a great mockumentary.”

Hill said that it was her mother who initially encouraged her to write. “I was kind of feeling down about not working enough in the acting world, and instead of waiting around for someone else to tell me to be creative, my mom was like ‘just be creative yourself’.” Hill set out to write the original script, inspired by the likes of Christopher Guest, Lena Dunham, and Tina Fey who write, produce, and act – as she has done with Leap 4 Your Life.

Praising her friends and colleagues for helping to make this film a reality, Hill said many volunteered their time and efforts, and they take turns supporting each other’s projects. “You click with people, you want to work with your friends, it just makes it so much more fun.” It’s a reflection of the BC film industry as a whole, with a strong community bond that can shine during events like VIFF. “There’s just so much talent here in BC,” she added. “We just need more avenues to showcase that.”

Tickets are available now through the VIFF box office for screenings on September 30th (world premiere) and October 10th. Check out the official trailer and follow Leap 4 Your Life on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about the film.

Leap 4 Your Life is also a part of the new #MustSeeBC spotlight on British Columbia film at the festival. The campaign invites audiences to preview trailers, promote BC filmmakers across social networks, and vote on the Audience Must See Award.