The UpCycle Canada Podcast: Your Eco-Friendly Inspiration

EPISODE 41 - Another solo episode with Dave - Jen has left me completely unsupervised yet again so I thought I would dip into our mailbag, emails, DM's and comments and compile some of our more recent questions from listeners and followers on our social platforms! Jen will be back for the next episode! I PROMISE!! Hear more about what is going on in our UpCycled World, our vendors, podcast, g...

EPISODE 40 - Today I sit down with Travis and Laura from Wood Pallet Treasures - a great interview with a family that is focused on building their business with the environment in mind! Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary - We transform old pallets into beautiful things. All of our rustic pieces are made from upcycled materials. Giving wood a second chance We are a Midwest based company that desig...

EPISODE 39 - what is the green needle? The Green Needle specializes in sustainable and eco-friendly sewing classes. Our motto is Reuse, Reduce, Repurpose and we apply that to our classes. We offer sewing classes and workshops - from beginner to advanced. Our teaching methods are based on a practical approach. From alteration, deconstruction, and restyling, the students learn about clothing constru...

We want to hear from YOU - Yes! YOU!  Podcasting can be sooo one sided - here is YOUR chance to be on our show - for FREE!! Our Ad-Free Podcast is designed for Authors and Readers just like YOU! So now let's hear your amazing voice on our podcast! Head over to our website and record your free message and we will put YOU into an upcoming episode! Share your favourite episode, suggest a guest,...

EPISODE 38 - In this episode we speak with James Howells - creator of ArtSpike64!  James stumbled into creating metal art. Now his works are recycling things you may throw away.  We saw James' story on the National news here in Canada and we had to reach out and connect!  James takes found and repurposed metal and creates great works of art from found materials! Hear the story as to how this...

EPISODE 36 - in this episode, we speak with Scott Anderson from Chop Value - Toronto East!  Chop Value collects used chopsticks from area restaurants and repurposes these "disposable" items and recreates amazing creations in the process! Chop Value is a urban harvest used chopsticks. Our resource is what others may view as waste - that means we don’t take virgin materials from our enviro...

Episode 35 - Fast and Slow Fashion Why Upcycled fashion? Reduce Carbon emissions, Greenhouse Effect, waste, water usage, and pollution. Increase personal style, local & independent business, slow fashion, shopping intentionally, and garment lifespan.   Our Story. We are the alternative to fast fashion. Our Vision. Cultivating the upcycled fashion community. Our Mission. Promoting and raising a...

EPISODE 34 - When a side hustle takes off! Today we speak with John from Harmsen's Hockey - a side hustle that continues to grow, and grow and grow!  John took a love for hockey and turned it into a thriving upcycling business that he balances alongside a career that he truly loves!  John took some time between projects to talk side hustle growth, repurposing unwanted hockey gear, giving back...

EPISODE 32 - Welcome back to The UpCycle Canada Podcast!  Today we welcome Stan Rutherford to the show and discuss his post-retirement new passion - upcycling pianos!  Stan is a retired pilot and shifted his passion from the clouds to the landfill - diverting pianos, restoring some, repurposing many and keeping the beautiful memories alive long after the playable life of a piano! “Ladies and gentl...

EPISODE 31 - Happy Earth Day!  Super thrilled to  share this episode with you!  We have the creator and host of the new Documentary Movie - Scrap.  Ten years in the making, 4 years of filming, travel, zoom calls and many hours of effort has resulted in a movie that brings to light the amazing salvaging, upcycling and restoration efforts to divert items from the landfill!  We sit down with the writ...

EPISODE 30 - Here is a taste of some of our past UpCycling Guests - we smile when we look back at the great guests we have had so far - SO MANY MORE TO COME! 'A rising tide lifts all boats' is often attributed to John F Kennedy. The speech which introduced this phrase to many people was given by Kennedy in 1963.  As a community, we enjoy shining a spotlight on the amazing upcycling, repu...

Day 2 - Some ways to celebrate earth day with your kids Since 1970, April 22nd marks the official celebration of Earth Day, a day to commemorate and reflect on the movement towards a greener, more sustainable future. This Earth Day, we’re sharing some ways that you can take action to celebrate earth day in your neighborhood and in your home by making more sustainable choices and actions!  Take act...

Episode 3 - The History of Earth Day  Our planet is an amazing place, but it needs our help to thrive! That’s why each year on April 22, more than a billion people celebrate Earth Day to protect the planet from things like pollution and deforestation. By taking part in activities like picking up litter and planting trees, we’re making our world a happier, healthier place to live. The first Earth D...

DAY 1 - Our Special Earth Day Week Episodes The theme for this years Earth Day Celebrations is "Invest in our planet" Think about what you can do differently to make this earth better than before!  The world's largest retailer is removing all plastic bags at the checkout on April 22 - this will catch some customers off guard, potentially leading to impatient customers, complaints, a...

EPISODE 26 - We take a pause from all of the amazing podcast guest interviews with many more great episodes lined up - in this episode Dave and Jen do some recaps from past interviews, add in a few additional details and update you on all things UpCycle Canada related... Do you want to hear YOUR VOICE on our podcast?  leave us an audible message on our Instagram messaging app and we will put you f...

EPISODE 24   In this episode we sit down with John Lyon and his side hustle upcycling used hockey sticks!  John is known as The Hockey Stick Guy.  John started early in in hockey, he took his collection of used sticks and started his own business turning sticks into amazing one of a kind creations! John shares with us how his business started, connecting with UpCycle Canada as a vendor, the growin...

EPISODE 23 On this episode of The UpCycle Canada Podcast we sit down with a creative maker here in Canada that is doing her part to reduce landfill and textile waste!  Meet Gemma Smith from Re-Vive the TEE! The Re-Vive the TEE Story: An affordable and Canadian way to upcycle old clothing that celebrates life, achievements, and adventures. Simply place your order, choose your t-shirts, fleece colou...

EPISODE 22 Dave and Jen welcome Alex Morgan - creator of the unique app, EcoRate - an app that allows you to find, rate and review local cafes in your community rewarding cafes that are actively doing business in a way that promotes eco-friendly, earth friendly practices! EcoRate Mission Empower people to reduce consumer waste using actionable community-driven data. Problem Climate change is one o...

EPISODE 21 An interview with someone that quickly went from being a listener of The UpCycle Canada Podcast to becoming a super-fan and then, best of all... a friend!  We are pleased to share the story of a fellow upcycler that inspires us!  Please welcome Samantha Hulst from Junebird.ca Samantha's story... If you’re like me, a parent that is troubled by the amount short use and “disposable” t...

EPISODE 20 We are beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to interview two of our favourite reality series stars from the hit show Salvage Dawgs - 11 Seasons of Salvage, Repurposing and Upcycling!  Check out our interview with Mike and Tay Whiteside from the show - they were so kind and gracious with their time - this father son team can be seen on this hit tv show and with their work at Black Dog...

EPISODE 19 Welcome to The UpCycle Canada Podcast - we are so very pleased to share this interview with the Mayor of St. Catharines, Ontario CANADA, Mayor Walter Sendzik . Walter Sendzik was born and raised in St. Catharines. In 2014, as a first-time candidate for political office, he was elected as Mayor of St. Catharines and re-elected in 2018. As Mayor, Walter brings a strategic focus and busine...

EPISODE 18 Please welcome to the UpCycle Canada Podcast, our special guest, Pam Krieg and her business, Maritime Moose ! Meet the maker Pam (she/her), is the maker behind Maritime Moose ! Pam knits and crochets everything you see in her shop from upcycled, salvaged and repurposed materials! Pam is a queer settler living and creating in Mi'kma'ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of th...

EPISODE 17 In this episode of The UpCycle Canada Podcast we  spend some time speaking with an amazing person making a difference - Cecily Zeppetella from Upcycle4cChange !  Cecily, in her early 20's, has developed a passion for upcycling and then turned that passion into a volunteer led outreach in support of people in need of furniture.  Upcycle4Change runs in conjunction with The Niagara Fu...

EPISODE 16 Cliff Ravenscraft hosted a room recently on the social audio app Clubhouse recently.  I was invited up on stage to ask some questions about podcasting. I wanted Cliff's response to my question on how he prepares as a podcast host and as a podcast guest - interview tips and suggestions. Cliff shared this link in response https://mindsetanswerman.com/22-tips-for-better-podcast-interv...

EPISODE 15 We saved our very first interview for our newest team member, Paige! Paige began her journey with UpCycle Canada as a customer when she was 13 years old, after claiming to her family that UpCycle Canada was "her store" everything aligned and we were able to offer her a position with us - Paige is our very first employee ever! Paige shares her thoughts on UpCycling, what it mea...