If you’re anything like me, coffee is not just one of life’s little pleasures, it’s also a lifestyle. That sweet smell in the morning makes my mind go into a frenzy and when it’s time for that first sip I can’t help but feel as though everything is right in the world. But then when reason seeps its way back into my brain I am reminded that even something as perfect as my morning cup of coffee can sometimes come at a cost. Now I am a student so admittedly, I am always looking for a way to cut costs and until recently, not knowing what Fair Trade meant fed right into my disinterest in paying more for what appeared to be the same product. I loosely understood Fair Trade = Good, social benefits, better working conditions, all things I had heard but somehow my consumption behaviour was still not affected. While on a recent trip I was fortunate enough to tour a coffee plantation. This experience put me face to face with the costs associated with coffee which previously slipped my min...

Qu’est-ce qu’une cuisine communautaire? Une cuisine communautaire ou la restauration collective se défini comme le regroupement de gens dans un contexte formel ou non formel pour apprendre à cuisiner et/ou partager ces connaissances de manière structurer ou non. Donc, une cuisine communautaire peut être un souper entre amis à un cours de cuisines que tu dois payer une large somme pour y participer. Pour moi, une cuisine communautaire c’est une façon d’apprendre de nouvelles techniques et de mélanges de saveurs, mais aussi d’apprendre à connaitre de nouvelles personnes et à renforcir des liens avec des amis. Enfin, je crois vraiment qu’une communauté forte peut se développer en passant par des cuisines communautaires et est essentiel à mieux comprendre les impacts et les alternatives à nos systèmes de production et distribution de nourriture. Ottawa est plein de foodies (des fans de nourritures qui aiment découvrir et expérimenter), donc il y a un bon nombre de participants e...

L’été est la saison pour le ménage intense, les boutiques dans le marcher By et la sangria dans le jardin. Si l’on désire marier ménage et boutiques, je vous recommande d’aller faire un tour au Wunderkammer sur la rue Dalhousie. C’est une boutique éclectique, inétressante et toujour surprenante. The store’s efforts to re-use vintage jewellery and leather goes to show how being green can actually be very cool. If you have some old jewellery, accessories or even wallpaper hanging around your house or apartment, the artists would love to have it. And you could get up to 30% off your purchase. How can anyone resist that? And the staff/artists are absolutely fabulous. Upon calling the store, I had a great conversation with Nathan who was nice enough to take the time to explain the whole concept of the Spring Cleaning Event happening on June 14th, from 6 - 9 pm. The whole idea of the swapping sale began with the artists going to the United States to dig up vintage components in or...