THANK YOU to all who have supported our effort in the Walk the Block for Cancer event held last week in Perth. Your generosity helped us push the bar and raise close to 6K. The event raised 14K!

From the survivors' lap to the illumination ceremony, it was a wonderful day. We're very proud of our team, Evergreen.. for LIFE!

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Mark your calendar to June 16 & sponsor our team, Evergreen... for Life! in the Walk the Block 2016 event to support the mission of the Canadian Cancer Society. If you can't join us on June 16th, in Perth, please go to the event's website to pledge your support.

Join us a the Perth Farmer's Market on Saturday May 7th. Evergreen Concepts will be selling Evergreen trees hand made wooden toys and hand crafted ceramic flowers, all proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society. What a perfect Mother's Day Gift! You can help in the fight against Cancer at the same time!

Say hello to Tess, our new "office manager's assistant", the official greeter to our office. Tess was adopted from LAWS, Lanark Animal Rescue Society (our local no kill shelter) in 2008 and is proud to call Evergreen Concepts "home".

To all those who organized, attended, donated.. a HUGE thank you! The event was great and $4,400.00 was raised for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Join us on August 22nd, 8 pm, for a concert/fundraiser held to commemorate the passing of Pat’s sister, Aline who lost her battle to cancer 20 years ago. Pat’s amazingly talented nieces and nephews are organizing & hosting the concert, everybody is welcome to attend. This event will be held at Fatboy’s Southern Smokehouse (34 Murray St, Ottawa) and is fully endorsed by the Canadian Cancer Society. Check out their Facebook page for more information or to donate to the cause. Hope to see you there!

https://www.facebook.com/events/246823702183830/

Cats love Evergreen Concepts!

Great news for a stray we’ve been monitoring and feeding for a while now... in the hope we could catch her and get her spayed. She found a way into our office garage & gave birth to 6 lovely kittens. They have now been surrendered to LAWS where she will care for them. These 6 kitties will be ready for adoption late July to early August. So will the lovely mommy (we call her Honeydew). If you want to give a forever home to a cat or a dog, contact LAWS 613 283-9308 lanarkanimals.ca (Lanark Animal Welfare Society), our local NO KILL shelter.

We love animals so next time you plan on visiting us, bring them along, we have acres of manicured lawns & would love to meet your fur baby!

REVOLUTION... A Movie you cannot miss! Directed, written and produced by fellow Canadian Rob Stewart. Winner of many awards, including the Toronto International Film Festival 2012: People's Choice Award

Revolution is a film about changing the world. The true-life adventure of Rob Stewart, this follow-up to his acclaimed SHARKWATER documentary continues his remarkable journey; one that will take him through 15 countries over four years, and where he'll discover that it's not only sharks that are in grave danger – it's humanity itself.

Revolution is Rob Stewart's eagerly anticipated second documentary film about the exploration of the dangers threatening our planet and the revolution required to save it. Stewart journeys through 15 different countries to explore these dangers, exposing more than just the endangerment of sharks but also the climate, our ecosystem and ultimately, humanity as a whole.

In an effort to uncover the secrets to saving the ecosystems we depend on for our survival, Stewart discovers a revolution is required to save life on earth. This starling, beautiful and provocative film is a call to action to revolutionize not just the planet, but also ourselves.

This movie was released on Friday April 12... It is absolutely awesome, moving and.. disturbing. See trailer on the right and go see this movie, it’s a real eye opener.

"Rescue Mission"
 

We recently found out that it's not only humans who like our homes!
 

This week (Oct. 16) these 3 little tykes were discovered in one of our Evergreen Custom Homes presently being finished on Bob's Lake.
 

 

The mother was never seen, only these 3 little fur balls. They didn't look too wild, though a little shy.

Pat and I went on a "rescue mission" this morning and had a wonderful time "catching" these guys (the tuna can really helped).
 

 
Though we would have loved to adopt them, we have 2 furry kids of our own so the best decision was to surrender them to LAWS (Lanark Animal Welfare Society, located on Glenview Road, off Highway 43 near Port Elmsley, about 2Km west of Smiths Falls tel: 613 283-9308).
 
 

 

 
The shelter was very busy, as usual, and it broke my heart to have to add 3 little ones to their already high cat population.

 

   

   

 These guys are so cute, 2 pure "tabbies" and a perfectly grey one with a white tipped tail. This one reminds us of our previous cat, Mica.. we used to call this white tip his "nav. light".

 
   

Our 3 rescue kittens need a home. They've had a rough start but look in perfect health. They responded well to human contact so they are definitely not wild.

Anyone out there wanting to give a second chance to these guys or any one of the wonderful cats or dogs residing at LAWS, please check out their website at www.lanarkanimals.ca

 

Building Today... for Tomorrow

“Leave what you don’t need and you may be amazed at how far your budget will take you…your life will also be positively changed forever.” These are words that Celine & Pat Shank, owners of Evergreen Concepts Inc, live by, ever since they returned, some 20 years ago, from a sailing sabbatical to the Bahamas aboard their sailboat. This trip dramatically changed their outlook on life. After working in construction for years, Pat says the trip made him realize he wanted to work in an environment that promotes and supports cost efficient, healthier and environmentally responsible homes.

Six years ago, Pat & Celine decided to relocate their business to the Perth area in order to be able to work within a community that has always been, in their opinion, passionate about protecting the environment.

Located east of Perth on Hwy. 7 off Leach’s Road, Evergreen Concepts is a country home building consulting and design company geared towards environmental stewardship. With over 20 years experience behind them, they offer complete home and cottage building package systems, as well as provide expert design consultation, project management and various specialized products also geared towards environmental responsibility and healthy living.

Although the main thrust of their business has always been centered around designing and building quality and energy efficient country homes and cottages, Evergreen Concepts follows a simple, yet definitive, principle...”to show people what they can easily and economically do without sacrificing their lifestyles”, says Pat.

Their latest effort, the Country Cabin concept, is based on cost effective designs, allowing many more property owners in the moderate to lower budget range, to truly appreciate their natural surroundings, as Pat and Celine experienced on their sailing adventure all those years ago. A second model, a small cabin, is presently being built only meters from Hwy 7. This will clearly show how efficient small can actually be.

“Our main goal is to demonstrate how simple it can be for most people to build ‘light to medium green’ while making their environmental foot print much smaller,” says Céline. “Lifestyles and budget concerns are always taken into account, right from the start”, adds Pat. The cabin kit sizes range from 800 to 1,200 sq. feet, geared to younger families and generally anyone whose budget falls below the $200,000 mark. “Country Cabin Getaways was created to reach out to individuals who face a limited budget, wanting only to connect with nature through cabin ownership,” says Céline. “Many options exist in order to keep cabin budgets reasonable even with an environmentally friendly approach,” says Pat. When each project wraps up, the Shanks say they want to walk away with a sense of satisfaction...“We want the clients to say they feel good about their new home or cottage,” Celine says. “If they feel good about it, then so do we.”

At Evergreen Concepts, the step by step approach adapts to the clients’ needs, anywhere from assisting the do-it-yourselfer to full turnkey clients, through design and consulting expertise. The couple also works to ensure a better understanding of the green living lifestyle. “Building Green is not a fad... it will not go away”, says Pat. In fact, as the couple has witnessed over the past few years, the movement to build “greener” & healthier homes is finally catching on. “Controlling design, reducing waste, embracing new and more efficient technologies to build is where this is all going”, says Pat. The fact that the revised 2012 Ontario Building Code will encompass many concepts that have been important to Pat & Celine is proof that the whole industry also sees a need for it.

With the present economic and climactic pressures affecting our planet, their slogan, “Building Today... for Tomorrow” has never been more appropriate.

Celine & Pat welcome visitors to their office & models or to their websites at www.evergreenconcepts.ca and www.cabinkits.ca

You can also reach them by calling 613 267-6721 or toll free 1 877-267-6721

 Background: The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

For those who had visited this page before, another Solar Decathlon took place in Washington from September 23 & October 2nd. . The timing was not quite right for us to attend but we have been following all the teams’ progress online.
Canada was, once again, represented by Team Canada: University of Calgary. They placed 10th out of 19 teams. This year, “Team Canada has partnered with the Native Communities of Treaty 7 to design a home that meets their needs and interests, integrating technology and tradition. TRTL is a unique celebration of innovation and cultural diversity.”

To find out more about TRTL and Team Canada, visit their website at www.solardecathlon.ca

For more information, to find out Who Won and to see “virtual tours” of every solar house, please check out the official Solar Decathlon website at: www.solardecathlon.org.