14 -North Shore News — Sunday, September 3, 2000 David Van Veen Contributing Writer TO the delight of many parents, and the dismay of most children, the summer holidays are almost over. ‘ Before your kids have another chance to say “but there’s nothing to dooooo,” they'll be at their desks working hard on the 3Ks: reading, writ- _ ing and ‘rithmetic. If your family’s preparations for back-to-school include shopping. for clothing and school supplies, try practising the other 3Rs — reduce, reuse and recycle — and make this school year an earth-friendly affair. Tt seems like fashion design- ers are always reeveling old fashion trends (witess capri pants back in style this sum- mer) so why nor visit dothing consignment stores to find some back-to-school clothes? Nor only does buying used clothing save you money, it’s a wise 3K choice because no new “materials or energy go to pro- ducing secondhand clothing. Three things to remember when purchasing used cloth- ing: @ check, then check again, for stains or defects; FASHION Recycled fashion revives trendy threads" @ try everything on. The previ- ous owner may have made alterations that give 2 size 12 skirt a size & waist; @ most consignment store sales are final so, if your child is 2 fashion slave, make sure he or she shops with vou. Or, if your teenager has questionable taste (in your humble parent cpin- ion) make sure you go along. To complete the recycling circle, remember to take your family’s quality used clothing to a consignment store or a charity that will resell or give them to people in need. Another earth-friendly strat- egy is buying school supplies made from recycled content. Many paper products such as seribblers, scratch pads, and printer paper are now made with recycled content. There's even a pencil made from recy- cled newspaper and cardboard. Items that indicate they are made with “post-consumer recycled content” get a gold star from the environment “because the manufacturer uses materials collected in munici- pal, school or business reeveling programs. When you buy such a product you help ensure a - market for the materials so dili- gently recycled in Blue Box and other recycling programs. Establish some A+ garbage- reducing habits now by pur- chasing or making reusable lunch bags. Whether your stu- dent wants an insulated or y "You're History! “EMS SWAN” ” q Are you a a history buff? The. North and iWest Van Sailing Ship Seciety is ‘ooking for new, -.meinbers' to help. ‘with fundraising for their :) Sailing. ship building programme. Their plans *: call for the construction of 4.120 foot brigan- tine (see illustration) by September 2001 in _Tet’s Do It! time for the Queen’s Golden fubilee Celebrations. Once completed the ship will become a sail-trainer for young people and as -_. part of the city's foreshore development east ” of Lonsdale, will become a major tourist “ateraction for the ‘city, as-well as providing employment for students during the summer months. [It is also hoped that a ‘iiember of the Roy=I Family will be able to attend the launch of tne vessel and with this in mind a “Pass the Champagne Contest” is now underway. For a donation of five dollars or more to the 904-1393. “Swan Building Fund” you will {if all goes according to plan) get. a chance co meet roy- ; alty as the person who wil! hand the tottle of champagne to the guest of honour at the - christening. (And, of course, you will get your picture taken as well). For more information call Bill Beaumont at plain cloth bag, zip- pered or Velcro-clo- sure, soft-sided or hard kit, there is a style to suit every- one. If you are handy with a sewing machine, you can make a funky lunch sack from the legs of old jeans or scraps of material. Be sure to have reusable plastic con- tainers on hand to hold sandwiches and snacks. Used mar- garine and yogurt tubs will do the trick. Buy - refillable drink containers and you'll net only . reduce garbage, you'll save money. Larger sizes of beverages, yogurt and snack foods gen- erally cost less, are easy to split into sin- gle portions and can be stored in your own reusable con- tainers. Some’. North. Shore schools have set up juice box recycling programs. While great for fund-raising, keep in mind that only part of a juice box is actually recovered in the recycling process and the rest ends up in the garbage. The best strategy for cutting down on garbage continues to be the refillable container. One last idea for cutting the garbage at lunchtime: let your children help choose what gees in their lunches so there is less wasted food. Fashi ion TO SEPT. 3: The Bowen Island Fibre Arts Guild pre- sents the exhibition From - Women’s Hands, noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday in the Gallery at Artisan Square, Bowen Island. The public is invited. to the official opening, Aug. 13, 3 to 5 p.m. Collages, weavings, quilts, tapestries and_ fibre sculptures by a variety of artists This year, students in classrooms all over the North Shore will talk about the importance of caring for the environment. Help your kids turn that talk into action by adopting reducing, reusing are featured. Info: 947-9834, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 13: The Matinée.. - Fashion ~ Designer Debut. runway show presents the fall collec- tions of ‘nine Vancouver : designers, all grant recipients for 2001. Tickets for the 7:30°° show,” at the Hyatt p.m. are $12 Regency Hotel, through Ticketmaster at 280- ° 4444. ONGOING: North... Shore Crisis Services’ non-profit thrift store, 209A 145 E. 15th St., DUNDARAVE consignment store encire' Boutique. has’an entire floor of brand-name fashions for children, including the fleece jacket and floral cord pants Sandra Mites displays. To learn more simple’ ways. to get garbage out of your. life, call 437-GVRD °(4 4873), to request’ your ‘free copy of Hot Recycling Hints. North Van, seeks donations | - quality women's ‘and chit clothing and accessories need ed. Dropoff is Tucodays and Wedn x Open Sunday column. Send in’ yours information as early as bes to the North Shore News. Fax to; FIRST CLASS{ PRODUCE We ve been busy renovating and have 5 expanded to twice the size! Torta