The reels of movie film as we know it are coming to an end. Along with the demise of photographic film and conventional cameras, celluloid film will be a thing of the past. Movies will soon come to the local cinema on digital. The familiar saying of left on the cutting room floor will take on a new meaning.  

Stage North has found a way to celebrate the well-known strips of black mini-frames by challenging creative people to make wearable art and art forms out of recycled movie film. As a Landmark Cinema, the local Aurora is making the switch gradually this spring and has supplied rolls of film for all competitors in the challenge.   

A showcase of the creative works will be featured at Stage NorthÆs Annual Oscar Night on the Big Screen on February 26. A fashion show and art exhibit opens at On the Rocks Nightclub on Sunday with the Red Carpet at 5pm and Fashion Show at 7:30pm. The Oscars will be shown on the big screen as they happen live in Hollywood. Tickets are only $15 and available online at tickets.npp.bc.ca or at the NPCC box office. 

This unique event is one of a kind and has caught the imagination of many artists. A Youtube video located under Fashion and Form was created by Stage North member Karen Rutledge with the help of local actors and former mayor, Bruce Lantz. Email enquiries have come from as far away as Manchester, England.  

Stage North has partnered with Northern Environmental Action Team who has recycling at the top of their list and the Fort St. John Community Arts Council who encourages new creative projects. Along with Dimitri Karampalas at On the Rocks, Stage North and Fort St. John will be the first to stage a fashion show and art exhibit with recycled movie film.   

Participants have until February 6 to register and all fashions and artworks are to be delivered by February 22. For further information:  www.stagenorth.ca or phone 250-785-6214. 

Personalize Your Gift Giving with a Recycled Rubber Tire Tile

A one-of-a-kind Christmas gift idea is offered by the Northern Environmental Action Team (NEAT). You can take a personal step toward a more sustainable community by purchasing a unique paving tile made of recycled rubber tires.

Your name or names of family, friends, colleagues and businesses will be engraved on each tile making a great gift for those hard to buy for at Christmas time. The tiles will be placed on a path in a public Fort St. John location in the spring as a demonstration of a sustainable alternative to cement or tar paving. You can monitor how the tiles react to the sun, ice , snow removal and repeated melting over a period of 8 months. The first project of recycled rubber tire tiles will encompass 1200 square feet of surface.    

The recycled rubber tire tiles are a pilot project to introduce a sustainable product to Fort St. John and area. The tiles are entirely a BC product, made from car and truck tires shipped from Fort St. John to Pacific Shredders and ground into BC crumb. Dinoflex Industries in Salmon Arm uses the BC crumb to make the rubber tiles.

The tiles are durable, permeable and easy to install and reinstall. Perfect for playgrounds and other people places, they are a more environmentally friendly and a more forgiving alternate to paving or cement. On walking tracks the cushioned surface is easier on the knees and legs. Recycled rubber tire tiles are commonly used for driveways and patios.

NEAT invites you to be part of the drive for sustainable living in Fort St. John. Be one of the first to give your stamp of approval to this recycled product for the community. A 4 foot square tile engraved with your name is a donation of $250 and a 2 foot square tile is $150. All donations receive a tax-deductible receipt. If purchased before December 12, a Christmas card with a photo of your personalized tile will be available for you to give on Christmas day. Check out www.neat.ca for more information or stop in to 10027 100 Street in Fort St. John where NEAT has other unique environmentally friendly gift items for sale.

Whole Wheat 'n Honey was bursting at the seams with Christmas fun on Friday. With the floor filled with tables of great local arts and crafts and gifts of all kinds, there was standing room only as people browsed the gifts and enjoyed good conversation. The Santa Claus Parade came right by the window for everyone to watch while sipping on free hot chocolate!

There was beautiful pottery by Shannon Butler, cool recycled seatbelt purses from NEAT, gorgeous paintings, handmade earrings, fingerprint jewelry from Baby Tags Jewelry, custom gift cards and wrapping paper by Catherine Ruddell, cozy hats from Redd Karr and so much more!

Check out some of the photos from the Christmas Craft Fair and leave a comment to let us know what you thought about the evening!

Did you know that holiday lighting can increase the amount of money a homeowner spends on electricity? One way to fight rising energy costs is to use energy efficient LED holiday lights. Not sure what to do with your old Christmas lights? Bring them down to the Home Hardware Building Centre on Saturday, November 26 for the Holiday Light Exchange and we will recycle them for you. But that’s not all! You will also receive one strand of energy efficient LED lights to take home!

Thank you to our partners: BC Hydro, Northern Environmental Action Team (NEAT), and Home Hardware Building Centre.

Can you drop your pumpkin on the bulls eye?? On Tuesday, November 1 – get ready for some POST-Halloween fun….all while you help the environment!

Interesting boxes and signs have been turning up around Fort St. John, claiming that they "gotcha".

Never fear, it's not crazy people! (well....)

As part of Waste Reduction Week, NEAT, The City of FSJ and various retailers around town are rewarding people for shopping with reusable bags or getting their coffee in a travel mug. If you get got, your name will go in the Gotcha box for a chance to win stuff!

So grab your travel mug (if you're like me, you have at least three that never get used...) and remember your shopping bags when you run to the store. See how many "green" choices you can make this week and maybe even win cool things.

(... and I will try to find my travel mug and use it!)

http://neat.ca/discover/projects/gotcha-fort-st-john

With the famous words “LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION” a director on a movie set films the action taking place. This year Stage North Theatre Society in Fort St. John takes the commands “CUT” and “IT’S A WRAP” to a new level. Stage North is challenging fashion designers and artists to cut and create fashions and art forms by reusing commercial movie film (that stuff that runs through the projector at the theatre...you know).

Commercial movie film has limited reusable applications but Stage North Theatre Society in Fort St. John claims “it’s a wrap” for their plan to recycle commercial movie film.

On October 1st, NEAT will be hosting "Wine & Trees, An Environmentally Minded Evening"  The theme of the evening is "green", whatever that means to you.

The evening with begin with wine and cheese, followed by entertainment provided by Ryan Sebastiano and Naomi Shore.  We will also be having an auction to help raise money to expand the programs that NEAT is able to provide in our communities. Silent auction items include a helicopter ride, Silpada jewellery, a fabulous piece by Shannon Butler, and more! Wear green, think green, and join us for an evening of "Wine & Trees". 

Tickets are $30 each and include a glass of wine. They are available through the NEAT office at 10027-100 St. from 9am -5pm (We are a cash/cheque office currently) or you can use the form below. For more information, call NEAT at 250-785-6328

(if you are a business or artist and want to donate a "green" themed item for the auction, please contact the NEAT office)