E67 - Happy 2024 - Some updates and plans for 2024 Hey all! Happy New Year!  Dave is back with a few updates on all things UpCycle Canada and some thoughts for the new year ahead. Thanks for your support and your messages!  We appreciate you all so much! https://upcyclecanada.ca/ Check out a great new podcast created just for Dad!  We want to encourage and empower Dads everywhere to be the best Dad they can be!  Check out everything for Dad at https://dadspace.ca/Please share this podcast...

EPISODE 64 - Rebecca Bratspies - Environmental Expert, Environmental Justice Proponent Rebecca teaches at CUNY School of Law. She is a scholar of environmental justice, human rights, and environmental law. Her book Naming Gotham won the Association of Public Historians of New York 2023 Award for Excellence in Local History. The Environmental Justice Chronicles, her graphic novel series  won EPA’s 2023 Clean Air Excellence Award.  In 2021, ABA-SEER honored her work with its Commitment to...

EPISODE 63 - Billie Kay Asmus - Repaint Studios - PAINTING A GREENER FUTURE WITH THE REPAINT TRAY Meet Billie In early 2021, I started a small business refinishing and refurbishing furniture in my tiny basement studio. I quickly noticed the constant waste I was going through with plastic paint tray liners and wasn't able to reuse them. Naturally, I went to Amazon and Google to find a reusable option and couldn't find one. ​So then what? Needless to say, I jumped on the opportunity, filed a...

E62 - Time for an Update on All Things UpCycle Canada-ish Hey!  Some August updates on what Dave and Jen are up to! - a new UpCycler has been added to the family - Jen runs our Sunday only market booth here in Niagara - more new guests coming soon - we miss you all and look forward to getting back to a more regular fall release schedule https://upcyclecanada.ca/ Check out a great new podcast created just for Dad!  We want to encourage and empower Dads everywhere to be the best Dad they can...

E61 - Five Practical Eco-Friendly Lessons to Share With Your Kids Five practical eco-friendly lessons for kids: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Teach kids the importance of reducing waste and recycling materials such as paper, plastic, and glass. Encourage the use of reusable items like water bottles and cloth shopping bags.Conserve Energy: Teach kids to turn off lights when not in use, unplug electronics, and use natural light whenever possible. Explain the benefits of saving energy and reducing...

E60 - Stephanie Hongo - Creator of Sugarfox - Upcycling Plastics and Trash into Stunning One of a Kind Creations MY NAME IS STEPHANIE HONGO AND I AM AN AMERICAN ARTIST LIVING IN CONNECTICUT. I HAVE BEEN CREATING ART FOR THE MAJORITY OF MY LIFE, BUT IT WASN’T UNTIL I BEGAN MAKING MY TRASH PIECES THAT I REALLY FELT INSPIRED TO CREATE ART FOR ART’S SAKE. I COME FROM A FAMILY OF CREATORS OF ALL KINDS, FROM CARPENTRY TO TYPOGRAPHY WE ALL HAVE AN ABILITY TO “MAKE THINGS.” THIS BROAD RANGE OF...

E59 - Suzanne Goulden - You Don't Just Minimize Once - Balancing Minimalism and Crafting How do you balance being a minimalist and being a crafter?  Interesting dilemma! Your simpler life begins here.Ladies, we are strong and passionate, and the managers of our homes and families. We bear a lot on our shoulders. Are you feeling overwhelmed with life?Do you dream of a clutter-free house but need guidance on where to get started?Are you feeling out of balance and need ideas to fit self-care...

E58 - Quick Update From Dave Dave here!  Just jumping on to give you a quick update on UpCycle Canada. Our next chapter for the business now that the store has been closed, our new retail space at the Niagara Flea Market, and a quick update on our podcast plans Great to connect with you!  Jen and I will be back with you again on a regular basis very soon! https://www.mackaycandlecompany.com/ https://niagarafleamarket.ca/ https://upcyclecanada.ca/ Check out a great new podcast created just...

E57 - Toy Exchange Canada - Play and Learn. Return. Repeat - Rent Your Toys Today Carissa MacLennan joins us to talk toys! Yes, Dave is super happy to talk all things toys!  Imagine renting your toys instead of buying toys that your kids grow out of and then you are stuck with toys destined for the landfill!  Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles... Lend us your ear!  What a great gift idea for new parents - the gift that keeps on giving!  Be apart of the solution, sign up for Toy Exchange Club...

E56 - Jamie Montgomery - Creator of James Repurposed - Creative Repurposing and Custom Creations For Your Home Jamie joins us to talk about his amazing small business James Repurposed.  Jamie takes items that have ended their useful purpose and he rescues these materials and creates amazing home décor and gift ideas for your home. You could go to a big box store and buy something that was made somewhere else and mass produced, or you can join the upcycling family and support a local maker...

E62 - Time for an Update on All Thing UpCycle Canada-ish Hey!  Some August updates on what Dave and Jen are up to! - a new UpCycler has been added to the family - Jen runs our Sunday only market booth here in Niagara - more new guests coming soon - we miss you all and look forward to getting back to a more regular fall release schedule https://upcyclecanada.ca/ Check out a great new podcast created just for Dad!  We want to encourage and empower Dads everywhere to be the best Dad they can...

EPISODE 55 - New Year, New Location, Some Updates and More to come Hey guys!  So it is 2023, we are still running around like crazy tying up loose ends with our business and making strides towards new adventures with UpCycle Canada in 2023 Dave here!  Jumping on to say hi!  Been thinking of you all and  wanted to give you a quick update on the store, our business and what is ahead this year. We officially closed our retail location as of Dec 24th 2022 when our landlord presented us a 5...

EPISODE 54 - Our Gift to You - The Daily Santa Podcast - Countdown to Christmas with us Podcast #7 in our group of podcasts is the Daily Santa Podcst - join us as we countdown to Christmas with daily Podcasts designed for children and families to enjoy! Join Santa, Twinkle the Voice Over Guy, Producer Dave and Selfie, Santa's Official Social Media Elf as they navigate the month of December leading up to Christmas! There is fun, facts, stories, poems, special guests and a theme to each...

EPISODE 53 - Our Most Recent Blog and a Shout Out From Mike and Tay at Black Dog Salvage Yep, it happened again!  Our friends Mike and Tay at Black Dog Salvage and Lift Arc Studios gave us another shout out on their weekly podcast - we are so thrilled! In this episode we share - a clip from the Black Dog Salvage Podcast, - the news story of the end of their television show and the huge impact it had on their local community - and more about their very own Black Dog Salvage furniture...

EPISODE 52 - Our Dad Space Podcast - How To Get Out of Your Own Way and Find Contentment in Your Dad Journey As we close off 2022, we are busy closing down our storefront, still working full-time, completing custom orders and saying goodbye to our walk-in retail customers, we wanted to share some of our other podcasts that we do with our UpCycle Canada Family! I Created Dad Space - a podcast for Dads by Dads to encourage men at any stage along their journey to be a better Dad!  I would...

EPISODE 51 - Black Dog Salvage and UpCycle Canada - Check out This Amazing Podcast With our Friends in ROANOKE, VA Black Dog Salvage is a prominent architectural salvage company based in Roanoke, Virginia and the home “Salvage Dawgs” (2012-2020 - DIY Network/HGTV).  Founded in 1999 by Mike Whiteside and Robert Kulp, Black Dog Salvage specializes in saving valuable architectural pieces of history from the landfill.  The main retail showroom and nearby receiving warehouse are filled with...

Episode 50 -  Camille Lee Joins in to talk about her business Wear Em Out Tees About Us: Welcome to our circular-fashion home! All Wear Em Out Tees inventory is comprised of a careful selection of pre-loved t-shirts transformed into soft, upcycled graphic tees for you! Find your one-of-a-kind find right here and be sure to subscribe to get the latest updates on future launches! Did you know that it takes approximately 713 gallons of water to make one newly-produced t-shirt? That's an...

EPISODE 49 -  Stacy joins  us to share her journey,   - starting with stepping into a home built in 1885,  - the passion and work it took to make this house a home for her family - passing on her love for rehab and refurbishing to the next generation - her podcast, blog and YouTube content that takes her community along for the ride - her desire to help with the big and little questions - and how a great side of the road find ended up becoming a long walk home  - all in the name of salvage,...

Episode 48 - Jason Centeno joins us today to talk about his new app that addresses garbage pickup in a fun and effective way! Jason is a retired Firefighter turned Eco-Medic and his new App Trashmitter.com Download Trashmitter and never worry about trash day again! Use Trashmitter to easily schedule local trash pick-ups Trashmitter is an on-demand app that allows users to arrange for bags of trash to be collected from a set location and disposed of responsibly. “I run several Air bnbs...

EPISODE 47 - Director of Operations for Earth Wise Architectural Salvage - Aaron Blanchard joins us from Seattle, WA on this episode of The UpCycle Canada Podcast! Aaron braves the Tacoma to Seattle commute daily to help salvage, merchandise, and keep things on track. RESPECT THE PAST - SUSTAIN THE FUTURE As a demolition contractor, Kurt was in charge of demolishing houses and buildings.  While preparing for demolition, he’d walk through the buildings and notice all of the beautiful...

EPISODE 46 - Instead of tossing materials from her 1850's home reno into a bin and shipping it off to a landfill, Joce had an idea - a plan - to take unwanted reno materials and repurpose them into amazing creations that capture the history of the materials! Please join us in welcoming Joce Greenwood from The Salvage Life - here is bit about Joce and her business! Welcome to The Salvage Life. I’m Joce, a passionate woodworker, DIYer and lover of all things salvage.  I grew up with a love...

EPISODE 45 - Well I found Jen! Yep I did!  She is back to get caught up on what is happening around here in UpCycle Canada! We chat about our store, some of Jen's past favourite guests and who we are looking forward to having on our show! We are looking forward to our busy season of Fall and Winter - we are looking for help in our store!  If you a re looking for something to get you out of the house, if you find that you have some time on your hands, we are looking for volunteers to...

EPISODE 44 - Hey! thanks for dropping by for another episode!  We are thinking a lot about salvage lately and finding some incredible salvage focused creators on Instagram right now!  So inspiring! Unlike demolition, deconstruction requires finesse instead of shear force. Reusable items such as cabinets and flooring can lose their value if they are damaged during the salvage process. Here are some of the great creators and salvage experts that we have been in contact with!...

EPISODE 43 - Hi guys!  We wanted to share another vendor from our store!  Hiske MacKay created a soy candle business that has grown in a very short time!  MacKay Candle Company has great products - focused on candles!  Hiske, her husband and 2 young children operate a farm here in Ontario Canada, and somehow finds the time to run a successful candle business on the side! We wanted to introduce you to Hiske, her family and her amazing candle business! Here are some of the MacKay Candle...