New and Notable
February 2010

A new kind of recycling in schools 
You know the importance of recycling cans and papers, but what should you do with hard-to-recycle items like shiny juice pouches? The answer is called “upcycling,” which takes items often rejected by traditional recycling companies and turns them in to merchandise. Kraft Canada has recently partnered with a Toronto company called TerraCycle to create an upcycling program that also earns money for schools, non-profit organizations and community groups.

For example, a school can sign up with TerraCycle and then start collecting used Kraft drink and snack packaging. TerraCycle will pick up the items and turn them into eco-friendly products, such as backpacks, tote bags and pencil cases. Each piece that is collected is worth two cents and TerraCycle will send a cheque to the charity chosen by the school administrators. It is free to join and all shipping costs are covered by TerraCycle. Some of the packaging that can be collected includes Kool-Aid Jammers Del Monte beverages, Mr. Christie’s Snak Paks, Kraft Dinner Crackers Snack Packs and Back-to-Nature nut snacks. For more information, visit www.terracycle.ca.

Website offers eco-friendly clothes
A new online company based in Montreal is offering chic, eco-friendly, fair trade clothing and other items for the whole family. Ecocentrik Apparel sells items such as onesies made from organic materials, wooden toys, and necklaces made from Scrabble pieces, nifty T-shirts as well as reusable bags and stainless steel water bottles. Many of the products are made in Canada. For more information, call (514) 236-2017 or go to www.ecocentrikapparel.com.

Specialist tackles parenting issues 
Chantal Lasry, an early childhood specialist, is offering a series of free lectures in February dealing with parenting issues. The topics will be: Feb. 3 — fatherhood; Feb. 10 — staying at home or working outside the home; Feb. 17 — travelling with kids; Feb. 24 — the postpartum period and March 3 — managing our expectations of children. The talks take place at 10:30 a.m at the Cote St. Luc Public Library, 5851 Cavendish Blvd. For more information, call (514) 485-6900.

A festival for movie fans
The 13th annual Festival International du Film pour Enfants de Montréal begins February 27 and runs through March 7 at the Cinema Beaubien. The festival will be screening films from more than 30 countries. Films will either have French subtitles or an actor will provide live translation into French. This year, there will be animated films from Poland and an outdoor screening of a film at the Molson Park on March 4. Cinema Beaubien is located at 2396 Beaubien St. E. For more information, call (514) 967-8893 or go to www.fifem.com.

Ski fundraiser
Montreal parents Tammy and Adam Saskin have spent many days at the Montreal Children’s Hospital since their daughter Zoe was born with a rare tumour, requiring surgery and then regular ultrasounds and MRIs. 

To thank the hospital for the care their daughter has received, the Saskins are organizing their second annual Ski for the Children’s event on March 20 at Mount Mansfield in Stowe, Vermont, where the Saskins have a vacation home. Their goal is to exceed the $80,000 raised at last year’s event, which enabled the purchase, among other items, of a specialized Giraffe Incubator for the neo-natal intensive care unit at the hospital. This high-tech incubator allows doctors to work on the sickest babies without the stress of moving them for each procedure. 
To participate, skiers and snowboarders must find sponsors. As well, people can make a donation to the event through the group’s website. Registered participants will receive complimentary ski tickets. Prizes will be given to the top one or two fundraisers. The ski day will be followed by an after-ski party and silent auction. For more information, call (514) 915-3979 or visit www.skiforthechildrens.com. 

Support after a baby’s death
Miscarriage, stillbirth or an infant death leave families devastated and grieving. To help, the West Island Women’s Centre is offering a monthly support group for women called Healing Together, in which participants can share their experiences while working through the grieving process. The group meets every third Tuesday of the month, at the Church of the Resurrection, 99 Mount Pleasant Ave. in Pointe Claire from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Lois Stenberg, a family life educator, will facilitate the meetings. For information, call (514) 695-8529.

New company rents baby gear & furniture
Your best friend is coming to town for a visit. She has a toddler but your kids are now school-age. Suddenly you remember all the equipment a wee one needs — a stroller, high chair, car seat. Before racing out to buy these items or scrambling to borrow them from friends, you may want to check out a new company called Bebegogo/Travelling Tots that rents all kinds of baby equipment, from jogging strollers and booster seats to high chairs and eco-friendly toys. 

Co-founders Darcy Moncada and Caroline Seguin, both mothers of young children, said that soon after they launched the company they realized there wasn’t only a demand from tourists but also from grandparents and extended family in Montreal who wanted to better accommodate children who would be visiting over the holidays. 

The site also has gear and supplies that make travelling with tots easier. They carry Trunki brand suitcases, which have a built-in seat for little ones to perch on during wait times and line-ups. Or check out the Cares Airplane Seatbelt, designed to keep children up to 24 lbs safe in an airplane seat. Apart from the rental aspect of the business, the website also sells various items such as all-natural soaps, animal shaped luggage and travel accessories not usually found in major stores. For more information, call (888) 338-8316 or go to www.bebegogo.com.