http://www.o-vert.com Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:58:41 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en We hear the words “sustainability”, “green” and “LEED” every day, but have you ever wondered what these words mean to the people who use them? The Great Sustainability Photo Challenge aimed to address what sustainability means to individuals through the use of imagery. Staff members were encouraged to produce a creative photo montage to ... http://www.o-vert.com/overt_initiatives/the-great-sustainability-photo-challenge/   A bathroom is intended to be a space for cleansing, and relaxing; a room important to your overall health and well being. Why is it then that we use this room as a place to douse ourselves daily with over ten different chemical filled products (on average) and then proceed to ... http://www.o-vert.com/green_tips/the-green-bathroom-and-we%e2%80%99re-not-talking-mould/ Take a moment to enjoy these beautiful monster scenes that this artist created using a combination of photography and everyday recycled materials. Click here http://www.o-vert.com/resources/eco-station-the-art-of-recycling/ http://www.o-vert.com/deep_green_thoughts/deep-green-thought-june-5-2009/ Which lights do you prefer? Vote! It seems our building landlord, Bentall, has undertaken a pilot program to use 20 times less energy in the elevators. How might you ask? Very simple, by changing elevator #8 (back right-hand elevator) from standard incandescent filament light bulbs (6 bulbs at 60W each) to ... http://www.o-vert.com/green_practice/saving-energy-by-elevators/ Omicron is excited to announce that its sustainability-focused blog, o-vert.com, was recognized at the recent New Media BC PopVox Awards ceremony. These awards honour the best of BC's Digital Media Industry. Omicron’s web design firm, Switch Interactive, received an award for the design of the o-vert blog, winning in the “Best ... http://www.o-vert.com/overt_initiatives/o-vert-wins-web-design-award/ http://www.o-vert.com/deep_green_thoughts/deep-green-thought-may-22-2009/ I ran across an interesting City initiative to alleviate the automobile's stronghold on transportation, reduce traffic and pollution and raise healthiness and happiness! The name comes from the combination of 'Velo' which means bike and 'Libre' which means freedom - BIKE FREEDOM. The idea behind the program is the City ... http://www.o-vert.com/resources/velibe-the-shared-bike-system-in-paris-it-works/ How are YOU going to vote in the provincial elections coming up on Tuesday, May 12th?  The Market Insights Forum series had a pre-election special in which representatives from each of the major parties had an opportunity to speak about GREEN BUILDING!  Not one of those boring debates on issues ... http://www.o-vert.com/green_practice/green-building-market-insights-forum-pre-election-special/ http://www.o-vert.com/deep_green_thoughts/deep-green-thought-april-3-2009/ It can be daunting as a consumer to go shopping in search of healthy and sustainable clothing when there are so many different options made from so many different materials. Environmental, social and health impacts are all factors in the textile industry and it is important to understand what you are ... http://www.o-vert.com/green_tips/green-garments/ March is monitors off month in our Vancouver office as Bentall launches the Great Monitor Shutdown Challenge. Through this campaign the Forever Green Tenant Team is encouraging all Bentall tenants to turn off their computer monitors every evening and when leaving the office for periods of time. The Great Monitor ... http://www.o-vert.com/overt_initiatives/the-great-monitor-shutdown-challenge/ http://www.o-vert.com/deep_green_thoughts/deep-green-thought-february-20-2009/ With many of Omicron's projects currently targetting LEED® certification over the past few months, several aspects of our Sustainability program have been formalized in order to facilitate this goal. Omicron's green goals for 2009, as they relate to our professional practice, have been defined as: Create a proven and predictable process ... http://www.o-vert.com/green_practice/omicrons-green-practice-goals-for-2009/ Cotton has always been perceived as clean, fresh and organic. We wear it on our bodies, sleep in it on our beds and drape it in on our windows. But if cotton is natural, why are we seeing an increase in organic cotton? It’s an important question to ask, and ... http://www.o-vert.com/green_tips/the-fabric-of-our-lives/ Have you ever wondered how much you could reduce your waste by composting? Currently 30% of the waste going into landfills is organic waste that can be composted. Worm composting can work in apartments as well as households. After four months you will have your finished product, which can be used ... http://www.o-vert.com/resources/apartment-friendly-worm-composting/ Did you know that there is a way to change all computer settings on a network so that monitor, hard drive, and System Standby settings will reduce power usages when desktops/laptops are not in use during the night? Make these changes, and watch your carbon footprint, and your electricity bill, drop. ... http://www.o-vert.com/green_practice/reduce-power-usage-in-office-computers-not-in-use/ http://www.o-vert.com/deep_green_thoughts/deep-green-thought-february-13-2009/ http://www.o-vert.com/deep_green_thoughts/deep-green-thought-february-6-2009/ Did you know that toxins are everywhere, from the cleaners we spray on our kitchen counters to shampoos and even in some pillows? These toxins make their way into our bodies through inhilation, contact, and ingestion with air, water, food, soil, and products. Many of the chemicals that we originally thought to ... http://www.o-vert.com/resources/top-10-ways-to-detoxify/ http://www.o-vert.com/deep_green_thoughts/deep-green-thought-january-30-2009/ The o-vert team kicked off another green year in style today with a festive welcome to staff as they arrived at Omicron's head office. Mock mimosas, delicious organic banana bread slices and wonderful vegan brownies were enjoyed as the 2009 firm-wide green resolutions were unveiled. Staff in Omicron's Calgary branch ... http://www.o-vert.com/overt_initiatives/green-resolutions/ I have a confession…I love Scrubbing Bubbles' Bathroom Cleaner and have been using it for years. It's been top of the list when it comes to my weekly cleaning routine. After all, I watched the commercials with all of those little bubbles moving around all over those bathrooms, cleaning and scrubbing, ... http://www.o-vert.com/green_practice/for-the-love-of-clean/ http://www.o-vert.com/deep_green_thoughts/deep-green-thought-january-24-2009/ Light House is located in the heart of Granville Island. Climb the stairs and you'll enter the information and education centre. Here you will find books, displays, products, people and ideas that can help you make your home, place of work and community more manageable - more sustainable. Ask the ... http://www.o-vert.com/resources/light-house-sustainable-building-centre/ http://www.o-vert.com/deep_green_thoughts/deep-green-thought-january-16-2009/ For many of us, the beginning of a new year marks the beginning of a new set of resolutions. We look back at the actions of our past and forward into what we want or need from the future. It’s the perfect time for us to reflect on the environment, ... http://www.o-vert.com/green_tips/another-year-greener/ At this time of year, we tend to make new year's resolutions that involve getting back into the gym, eating healthy, saving money, and quitting bad habits. But what about making a green resolution? An easy way to support sustainability is by shopping locally. This reduces your carbon footprint, helps you strenghten and connect with ... http://www.o-vert.com/resources/green-resolution-shop-locally/ http://www.o-vert.com/deep_green_thoughts/deep-green-thought-january-9-2009/ The market shift towards green buildings over the last several years has established new practices and paradigms in the building industry.  The changing market for green buildings and the desire to assess the performance of those buildings has led to the emergence of a bona fide evaluation tool for assessing ... http://www.o-vert.com/green_practice/the-problem-with-leed%c2%ae-alignment/