The Cadbury Bicycle Factory is now open for 2011. This online, virtual bike factory swaps your Cadbury product codes for bike parts that translate into real bikes being built and sent over to students in Ghana, which I got to be a part of earlier this year.
The Bicycle Factory Steps:
Find the product code (under the bar code) on your Cadbury product, anything from Dentyne and Trident, to Sour Patch Kids, Halls, and Caramilk chocolate bars. Fair Trade Dairy Milk codes are worth double.
Fill in as much information as you like. You can also enter to win a trip to Africa for the next bicycle delivery (there were contest winners on the trip when I went as well, they were also treated to a safari adventure after the bicycle deliveries).
Each code = a bike part. 100 bike parts = a brand new bike sent to Ghana.
The goal this year is to once again deliver 5,000 bikes to school children in rural Ghana. Why bikes? Being mobile allows children to get to school daily (some that I met walked several kilometers each way) and venture outside their villages for other needs.
I saw first-hand what the fair trade cocoa industry means to these communities. I heard mothers say their top priority is to ensure their children get an education. I watched as co-op members danced and smiled, wearing their Kuapa Kokoo union uniforms. If you’re going to chew gum or snack on a chocolate bar, why not do something to give back to its source before you toss the wrapper away.
Pertaining to Vancouver specifically, I am organizing an event in support of The Bicycle Factory as a part of Velopalooza, happening around town June 2-9, 2011. Details will follow in the coming weeks. This month you can also watch episodes of a Much Music mini-series with the band San Sebastian that was filmed on the trip in February.
For the Vancouver Icons series I have been profiling buildings, statues, and landmarks that we see every day in Vancouver but are perhaps unaware of their history. The posts are photo-heavy, peppered with tidbits of information about the selected icon. When looking for ideas for this week’s subject I put the call out on Twitter and @leighe suggested the Sun Tower.
1927: Pender, East of Cambie. Archives Item# Str N164. Photographer: W.J. Moore
1974: Archives# CVA 1135-11.
Completed in 1912, the 17-storey Sun Tower on the East side of downtown Vancouver has dotted the skyline with its iconic green dome. Louis Denison Taylor (who became Mayor LD Taylor in 1909) owned The World newspaper for which the building was built to house.
Upon completion, the World Building took over the title of “Tallest Building in the British Empire” from the Dominion Trust Building, also in Vancouver and just up the street. [Read more: VancouverHistory].
1913: Looking west. Archives #CVA 371-726.
The Vancouver Sun bought the building in 1937, which then changed its name, and occupied it for the next 30 years. It’s still called the Sun Tower to this day even though the paper has been headquartered at Granville Square since the 1970s.
It lay vacant for several years and has since been restored, even making a few appearances in a few Hollywood North productions.
The historicRosewood Hotel Georgia is slated to re-open with the next few weeks with renovated rooms, restored opulence in the ballrooms, and a high-tech flare.
Rosewood Hotel Georgia with residential tower in the background.
The hotel had been a focal point of downtown Vancouver since 1927, hosting world-famous guests, until it closed to undergo a major restructuring a few years ago. I was fortunate enough to get a sneak-peek a little while ago and was able to snap a few teaser photos while wearing my pink hard hat.
The rooms have doubled in size compared to the old Hotel Georgia, allowing for spacious bathrooms with deep tubs, multiple vanities, and showers.
Flat screen TVs, WIFI, digital doorbell and privacy button, all up to date comfort features.
Fitness centre, 54′ indoor saltwater lap pool, 24-hour room service.
Fine dining options from the hotel (and Chef Ned Bell), the new Hawksworth Restaurant and Bel Cafe (by Chef David Hawksworth) as well as the new underground bar, Prohibition and the 1927 lounge.
While I only caught glimpses of the art deco detailing, ornate woodwork, and grand chandeliers among wookboots and sawdust, I can tell that a legend has been re-born. The hotel is currently taking reservations for stays after July 1, 2011 but the highly-anticipated Hawskworth Restaurant will be opening this month.
Renderings: Prohibition & the Spanish Ballroom Source: Rosewood Hotel Georgia.
In the meantime, they are looking for your memories from the first incarnation of the Hotel Georgia. Head over to their Facebook or this contest site to enter to win a hotel & dining prize package worth $3,000 by sharing your story.
Tonight the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Nashville Predators in a hot and humid Tennessee. With doubts about the performance of our first line, goalies, and even the Green Men, the Canucks (and fans) pulled through this second round battle. It may not have had the hits and grudges that we faced against Chicago, but it was still a fight the finish in game six.
The last time the Canucks went on to the third round of the playoffs I was 14 years old. After walking home from high school I’d pull my daily Canucks poster out of The Province and pin it to my bedroom wall before heading out to rollerblade with my friend Anne. We’d head up to the corner store, grab some slurpees, and pass dozens of cars waving flags and honking horns before the evening’s game. It was late May – pushing June – and the black, orange and red jerseys were everywhere you looked.
17 years later, the city is cautiously optimistic. Everyone wants to believe once again even after having their hearts broken in the past. But let’s face it, the Canucks this year are different. Sure they take us on a rollercoaster ride, making us shout at the screen or chew off fingernails, but this time… this time they’re coming through. We’re not getting blowout matches and watching last-minute goals force unnecessary overtime periods, however in the end the team is getting the job done. Heroes are emerging.
If there’s any time to truly believe in the Canucks, it’s now. 40 years, a President’s Trophy, and now on to round three of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Let’s hear you loud and proud, tweeting until your fingers can no longer complete complex hashtags. Go Canucks Go!
In case you’re wondering, I will be engaging in another blogger battle with either a San Jose or Detroit blog for round three. I will continue to grow my Vancouver prize package and let you all know what Nashville Scene ends up sending my way.
Organized by the Burnaby Heights Merchants Association, it starts off with a parade and is followed by hours of activities, food, games, shopping, a show & shine, and entertainment. While closed to traffic, public can explore this free festival on East Hastings (between Boundary and Gamma) from 9:00am until 3:00pm, Saturday, June 4th.
Surrounding the iconic “Heights” – formerly “Helens” – landmark neon sign, Burnaby Heights is a close-knit community filled with a rich history of urban and residential development.
Explore the Heights any time and be sure to mark Hats Off Day into your summer calendar. Volunteer opportunities are still available as well. Follow the Burnaby Heights Merchants Association on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube.
Miss604.com is a proud sponsor of Hats Off Day 2011.
![[099/365] Our Team.](http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/5611846979_c1d2af568b.jpg)
