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We often think about the air and water pollution outside, so when trying to stay away from contaminated air, we stay at home. However, indoor air pollution is more serious than we think. Because most of our life is occuring inside, it is even more dangerous than outside pollution.

To avoid pollution, we often try not to inhale traffic fumes, keep away from chemical plants and building sites and wear a mask when cycling. It is enough to make you want to stay at home. However, according to research, the levels of pollutants such as hazardous gases, particulate matter and other chemical “nasties” are usually higher indoors than out, even in the most polluted cities.

Two environmental engineers, Richard Corsi and Cynthia Howard-Reed of the University of Taxas in Austin, suggested that it is the process of keeping clean that may be making indoor pollution worse. The researchers found that baths, showers, dishwashers and washing machines can all be significant sources of indoor pollution because they extract trace amounts of chemicals from the water that they use and transfer them to the air.

Overcrowded classrooms where ventilation systems were designed for smaller numbers of children frequently contain levels of CO2 that would be regarded as unacceptable on-board a submarine. New car smell is also the result of levels of toxic chemicals. Laser printers, computers, carpets and paints all contribute to noxious indoor mix.

To prevent health problems from indoor pollution, we often do what we can – we plug in humidifiers, dehumidifiers, purifiers and ionizers and we use air filters on air conditioners and heaters. However, our homes are still not healthy.

Altough indoor pollution seems hard to escape, it is easy to solve this problem with some plants.

Here are some examples of items containing formaldehyde along with the antidote plants.

foam insulation (mostly in older homes)– chrysanthemum
plywood — azalea
particle board — dieffenbachia
carpeting — philodendron
furniture– spider plant
clothes — golden pothos
paper goods — bamboo palm
household cleaners — corn plant
water repellents — mother-in-law tongue

Benzene is another offender. Here are the cures for various offenders:

synthetic fibers — chrysanthemum
plastics — Gerbera daisy
tobacco smoke — peace lily
detergents — English ivy

Circulating air via a fan, opening a window or using an air conditioner helps get these toxins moving so the plants can absorb them.

Image courtesy CCIS

Head to Art Central’s Studio C this month to check out Echoing the Youth Experience, a mixed-media exhibit which features newcomer youth art.

The project provided an opportunity for immigrant youth to gather and benefit from one another’s artistic expressions. The Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) put together the pieces from their youth art project, contest and art shops. There were no designated mediums, colour choices, techniques used or methods desired – youth were given the freedom to create anything they desired.

The exhibit runs until September 30, 2010.

Friday and Saturday Red Bull Dusk ‘til Dawn

Bike after dark at the Red Bull Dusk 'til Dawn competition

This unique mountain bike race runs overnight to see who can complete the most laps of a downhill course. Registration is $20 per competitor; online registration is available at http://www.zone4.ca/onlinereg.asp?id=3088. Head lamps and bike lights are highly recommended.

Saturday and Sunday BBQ on the Bow

Canada’s oldest barbecue competition attracts teams from all over Canada and the U.S. vying for the Best in Alberta title; but the real winners might be the people who go to sample the food.  This smokin’ hot festival promises the masters of pork butt, beef brisket, chicken and pork ribs will be out in full-force, plus live entertainment, a barbecue sauce competition and more. At the Eau Claire Festival Market, admission is free.

Sunday Pride Festival 2010

Expect to see plenty of rainbows downtown this Sunday! This year’s pride parade and festival starts at 8^th Street and 8^th Avenue SW at 12 p.m. and marches east along 8^th Avenue, ending at Olympic Plaza. Immediately following the parade, there will be a festival at Olympic Plaza with street vendor tents, live entertainment, and a Kid Zone.

See Canada through the eyes of a Chinese Canadian starting Sept 18 inside the Chinese Artifact Museum at the Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre.  Simon Wong’s new contemporary art exhibit, My Maple Leaf, shows Chinatown’s personalities and sceneries that are uniquely Calgarian.

The opening reception on Sept 18 at 2 p.m. also features Tai Chi, Gu Zheng, and speech art performances.

Admission is free, and the exhibit runs until Oct 2.

A FREE exciting outdoor celebration of the young culture emerging in our city is coming your way! Original Art, Music, Dance, and Skateboarding, are coloring Calgary at Shaw Millennium Park on Saturday 4th September from 1 to 6pm! C.A.K.E. Young Artists’ Society is proud to present FUSE Young Culture Festival, a grassroots initiative celebrating, supporting, and inspiring young creative innovators within a unique atmosphere of inclusivity and fun! There’s more than $1000 in cash and prizes available to be won in our breakdancing and skateboarding competitions (register to compete between 1 and 2pm, registration is free)! Featuring the musical stylings of: C-SIK, Lady C, Sons of Boey, King Dylan, Kapital Enemy, Blist, V.o.P., and MORE!  And make sure to check out the awesome arts and crafts that will be on exhibit and for sale by some of our city’s most talented and hardworking young artists! FUSE Young Culture Festival. Saturday 4th September at Shaw Millennium Park, 1 to 6pm.

Community + Arts + Knowledge Engaged (C.A.K.E.) Young Artists’ Society is a not-for-profit society incorporated in the Province of Alberta to promote the future of Calgary’s creative culture and support talented, local, young emerging artists.

I am so excited to tell everyone who is a K-pop fan that there is going to be an after-party immediately following SMTOWN 10 in LA. This party is sponsored by YesStyle and they already had a free ticket give-away event on Facebook – so congratulations to whoever won the tickets. However, for the ones who didn’t win, you still have a chance to get in because the tickets are selling now on http://www.kollaboration.org/smtownafterparty/

You might be able to see your favorite idol in the party but there will be no guarantee as to who is going to be there. All of the artists have been invited but they will be in their own VIP section. I think as long as you enter, you will at least be able to ask for an autograph. The dress code for this party is high so prepare some nice clothes ^ ^ and you also have to be 21 or over to enter.

The party is held at Conga Room which is right across the street from the Staples Center where they will host the show. Is from 10:30 pm till 2 am so I suggest to those who are attending to get a good rest in the morning then be prepared to party for the whole night! Hope everyone has fun in LA!!

The last weekend of August is one of world culture, as you can head to Mexico, Spain, Scotland or India without ever leaving the city.

Friday to Sunday Expo Latino

Celebrate Hispanic culture this weekend at Prince’s Island Park. Expo Latino features Latin dance, music, food and art. Advance weekend passes are $15 at Co-op and $10 daily pass at the door. Seniors and children under 12 are free.

Saturday Foothills Highland Games

Throw on a kilt and grab your bagpipes for the 11^th Foothills Highland Games. There will be authentic Scottish piping, drumming and heavy game competitions, music and dancing from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Foothills Composite High School. Adults $8, children $6, family pass $25.

India Fest, courtesy http://www.indiafestab.com

Sunday India Fest

Step out of downtown Calgary and into India with Bollywood dance lessons, henna artists, yoga instruction, South Asian food stalls and more. The festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Shaw Millenium Park. Admission is free.

Celebrate youth culture on Saturday, Sept. 4 at the FUSE Young Culture Festival. This free outdoor celebration at Shaw Millennium Park includes original art, music, dance and skateboarding.

There’s more than $1,000 in prizes to be won in breakdancing and skateboarding competitions (free registration between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.).

The event is put on by C.A.K.E. Young Artists’ Society (Community + Arts + Knowledge Engaged). Their mandate is to promote the future of Calgary’s creative culture and support talented, local young emerging artists.

Activities run from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday Hootenanny at Heritage Park

Heritage Park’s the place to be this Saturday, as they are hosting a variety of activities including musical entertainment, crafts, exhibitors, dance demonstrations and more. If you’re one of the first 500 guests paying regular park admission through the park gates before 10 a.m., you can enjoy a free pancake breakfast at Gunn’s Dairy Barn. The event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday Bow River Flow

Organizers announce the 2nd Annual Bow River Flow beside the Bow River on Calgary's Memorial Drive. Image courtesy www.bowriverflow.ca.

Calling all bikers, skateboarders and roller-bladers! Head downtown to celebrate human-powered transportation at the second annual Bow River Flow, a free event that includes performances from local musicians, fitness sessions, a kids zone and more.  Activities stretch from 3 St. to 9 St. NW, which means Memorial Drive will be reduced to one lane of traffic in either direction.

Sunday Black Eyed Peas

Fergie and co. rock out at the Saddledome this Sunday evening. It’s the second-to-last Canadian stop on their The E.N.D. World Tour (also known as The Energy Never Dies World Tour). For tickets, call Ticketmaster, 403-777-0000.

Globalfest starts tomorrow (Aug. 20)! Globalfest is one of my favorite events in Calgary. Through volunteering with Globalfest through Youth Volunteer Corps (click here to get involved), I’ve not only enjoyed the fireworks show, the great purchasable food items, and dances, but the display of Calgary’s diversity as a whole. If you haven’t heard of Globalfest prior to this post, click here for some information on the history of the event and read their mission below:

“The mission of GlobalFest is to produce for the people of Calgary and visitors to our City, a world-class, multi-cultural festival and international fireworks festival that will offer the viewing public an affordable and accessible multi-faceted cultural experience. It is the intention of GlobalFest to use this platform to generate cultural awareness of and significant funding for local community groups as well as foster economic development in East Calgary and beyond.”

The fireworks festival is one of my favorite part of the whole event. This year, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany will the countries participating in the fireworks festival. In addition there will be a fireworks show put on by Globalfest to conclude the fireworks festival. Click here to see by whom and when the fireworks will be happening.

Check out Globalfest!

Thursday night was no ordinary night for me, because it is not every night that one is invited to travel through  millions of years to witness how life truly was when dinosaurs ruled the planet. The theatrical show, Walking With Dinosaurs, was created after the huge success of the BBC TV series and is shown in countries all across the globe. You were able to see how the dinosaurs moved and communicated and all the effects were perfect! Not only was the live show a spectacular sight but it was an informative evening as well.

Palaeontologist Mr. Stone takes audiences on a trip to a land called Pangea; when the Earth existed with only one continent. We witnessed how life was for herbivores when they were gathering food, protecting their young and how they defended themselves when they became prey. But eventually, you see the land begins to shift and several continents are created. Walking With Dinosaurs does a spectacular job of showing how the dinosaurs had to adapt to the changes of the new land.

This is a show I would definitely recommend for families. As for where you want to sit, being on the first level will have you very close to the dinosaurs to reach their necks out to you but sitting on the second level does allow you to see the whole arena spectacular at once. There just isn’t a bad seat in the house. There were many young children where we were sitting and none of the lighting or sound effects (or should I say dinosaur roars), were too scary for them. The show is definitely intended for kids of all ages!

Thanks to Kids Up Front for providing us with tickets, it gave me an opportunity to take my younger brother out to a show we could both enjoy. Kids Up Front is an amazing charity, with locations all across Canada, that provide tickets to events to kids, giving them the opportunity to see a show or sporting event they might not have seen otherwise. If you are interested in learning more about them and how you can help out, you can check out their website!

Movies getting too expensive for your budget? Feeling nostalgic?

We have a solution for you!

This Wednesday, head to Deerfoot Mall for a unique drive-in movie experience. They’re showing Alice in Wonderland in the parking lot on a massive inflatable screen, and the sound comes through on your FM car radio.  Admission is free, but they accept donations for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area at the entrance gates.

As this will be Deerfoot Mall’s last drive-in movie of the summer, it’s an Alice in Wonderland party. Dress as your favourite character from the movie or book for a chance to win a Deerfoot Mall gift card. There will also be special kids crafts with an Alice in Wonderland theme.

To get a prime spot, drive in when the lot opens at 5 p.m., then grab dinner and go shopping until the 9:30 p.m. showing.

GlobalFest 2010 will be an explosive fireworks festival that will bring different countries together to compete against each other to produce a huge and spectacular display of fireworks! Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain will compete this year to try to produce the grandest choreographed display of fireworks, with an extra element- the compulsory musical piece, Grand Pas de Deux form Ludwig Minkus’ Don Quixote to be incorporated- contributing to these pyromusicals being entirely unique global premiers. GlobalFest’s aim is to showcase our community’s cultural and artistic diversity within Calgary and around the world, appealing as a fantastic international destination for everyone.

What’s new this year to GlobalFest is the OneWorld International Night Market, a non-fireworks night where you can come to Elliston Park, which will be free to public to access, and explore the tents set up to display and sell art and merchandise from around the globe!

Located at Elliston Park, with entrances located at the corner of 17^th (International) Avenue and 60^th Street SE and the festival operating between 6 pm-11:15 pm, tickets are still available online at www.globalfest.ca , so come down and check out GlobalFest!

Here’s the fantastic line-up:

Friday, August 20- Germany (Opening)

Sunday, August 22- Italy

Tuesday, August 24- Portugal

Thursday, August 26- Spain

Saturday, August 28- Finale

But what can be better than simply enjoying the park and watching a brilliant display of glittering lights in the sky reflected off an immense and sparkling lake? When you can VOLUNTEER and be part of a celebration of one of Calgary’s unique festivals celebrating cultural diversity and art! You enjoy many other added benefits of volunteering with GlobalFest, such as a free GlobalFest shirt, parking, snacks and drinks during your shift and a site pass (for access to all five nights of the fireworks). Find out more at www.globalfest.ca!

I know I’m going to enjoy being involved in this fabulous festival; I’ve got placed at the Kiddie Korral, but how about you?

Image credits:

GlobalFest logo: http://www.ama.ab.ca/cps/rde/xchg/ama/web/savings_Global-Fest-12484.htm?link=txt

GlobalFest display: http://www.skagit.edu/directory.asp_Q_pagenumber_E_462

Gloabfest logo: http://www.globaltvcalgary.com/events/GlobalFest/3300763/story.html

Friday and Saturday Afrikadey!

Afrikadey’s week-long celebration comes to a close this Saturday at Prince’s Island Park in a showcase of up-and-coming African talent. See headliner K’Naan, plus Nomfusi, Papagroove, H’sao and more. Tickets $25 for adults, $20 youth, 12 and under and seniors free.

Saturday Chinatown Street Festival

Now in its 10^th year, the Chinatown Street Festival promises a unique cultural experience including Chinese cuisine, shopping, music and dance. Even play a game of Mah-Jong (Chinese chess), watch the traditional lion dance or get your fortune told. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. rain or shine, free admission in the heart of Calgary’s Chinatown.

Saturday Roller Derby Championship Game

Image courtesy www.calgaryrollerderby.com

The Thrashin Lassies take on the Cut Throat Car Hops this Saturday in an intense battle of speed, strength and skill on four wheels. These girls make roller skating look like the easy part. The action takes place at the Triwood Arena at 7 p.m.; tickets $10 in advance or $15 at the door (kids 10 and under free). For more information, visit www.calgaryrollerderby.com.

Thursday, August 12th (today!) is the official kick off day for Taste of Calgary! The delicious festival runs until Sunday, August 15th. The food tents will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Eau Claire. The festival itself is free, so you can check out the performers and the acts on Main Stage for free but to have a taste you can purchase tickets that are $0.75 each. You can check out the full menu here! The tickets make things a lot easier because then all the food and drink tents just post how many tickets you need for a sample.There is also a Taste Marketplace where you can check out local artists and entrepreneurs, you can also make your own “I’m stuck on Band-Aids…” video! It’s going to be 20 degrees for all four days of the festival, so be sure to get outside and I would bring an umbrella on Thursday and Friday just in case, this is Calgary after all.