Location(s)

Free Geek Monthly Meeting
6:30-8:00pm

LOCATION: Free Geek Community Technology Centre

1820 Pandora St. (3 blocks NE of Commercial & Hastings); come to the back door please.

All welcome! Please note: Our new space is not wheelchair accessible yet. We appreciate your patience. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns at 604-879-4335.

Join us as we make decisions and discuss issues relevant to a community non-profit dedicated to computer recycling, education, empowerment and free & open source software. Open to the curious, the beginner and the programmer. Folks with no computer experience welcome!

Feel free to check out more info about our meeting procedures [HERE]

Location(s)

OOh! What's this then?

WHAT: Press Conference, Q&A, Photo Opportunity, accordion

One of our favourite e-waste ninjas, Jim Puckett, possibly the world's leading expert on toxic trade, and founder of international ewaste watchdogBasel Action Network will be holding a press conference, along with our own Ifny Lachance and David Repa at Free Geek. There will be a Q&A and photo opportunities, including a tourof the Free Geek reuse/recycling depot and volunteer facility. Coffee and baked goodies, as well as a humane accordion serenade will be provided by Rowan Lipkovitz and a Creaking Plank.

WHEN: Tuesday April 29 - 10:00am

WHERE: Free Geek Vancouver, 1820 Pandora Street, Vancouver BC.
Pandora is between Hastings and Powell, and 1820 lies between Commercial
and Victoria. Media parking and entrance in rear. MAP:
http://freegeekvancouver.org/directions

Relevant Links:
http://ban.org

Location(s)

Earth Day Celebration

Saturday, April 26, 2008, 11am to 5pm
Jericho Beach Park, Vancouver, B.C.

Free Geek will again have a geek booth at the Earth Day festivities on Jericho Beach. Drop by and say hello! (Look for the huge FREE GEEK banner in the "eco village.")

Better yet, if you want to help spread the word about free & open source, e-waste, or fun with compooters, volunteer to hang out at our booth! It's a fun day in the sunshine, and people are always interested to find out what a Free Geek is :)

To volunteer, contact Ifny for more details at 604-879-4335, or email her at

ifny {at} freegeekvancouver {d0t} org

See you on the beach!

From the Evergreen website:

"Last year, more than 3,000 people came to Jericho Park for Earth Day. This year we are expecting record crowds to converge for a day of celebration, restoration and hands-on participation. Come be part of it all!"

Location(s)

Waste Not, Want Not

A New Exhibit about New, Old & Innovative ways of Recycling Materials

Free Geek is being featured as part of the Waste Not, Want Not exhibit at the Historic Stewart Farm in Surrey. We are making history!

This exhibit will focus on the conceptof thrift and the origins of the 5-R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,Reclaim, & Reuse. The theme will be based on historical examplesfrom early farmers from the 1900's leading up to the present day. Youwill learn 50 ways to convert garbage to treasures, traditional methodsof composting and how technologies have changed in objects through theuse of wood, coal, oil to electricity and mass production. Specificexamples will be displayed using household goods, furnishing, everydaytools, textiles, clothing, toys, computers and much more.

April 12 - June 15, 2008
Open Saturdays & Sundays
12 noon - 4:00 pm and by appointment by calling 604-592-6956
at the Stewart Hall building, Historic Stewart Farm
13723 Crescent Road, Surrey
www.heritage.surrey.ca

More info:

Use it up! Wear it out! Make it do! This is the focus of the Historic Stewart Farm’s inspirational new exhibit “Waste Not, Want Not”, on display from April 12-June 15. The exhibit explores the concept of thrift and the origins of the 5 Rs – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Reclaim. Through 50 fascinating examples of facts, imagery, artifacts and handmade collectibles, visitors can learn about the history of waste from past civilizations, find out about the first community recycling programs in the 1890s, how farmers made do with the little they had, and lessons learned from the wars and consumerism into the 20th century .

Displays of household goods, furnishings, common tools, textiles, toys, art, computers and more help us discover how the waste we toss today compares to the waste that was thrown away by other civilizations. How long does it take an aluminum can to biodegrade? How do you get polar fleece from a plastic pop bottle? What fun can be had from inventing new things from old materials?

Discover different ways of converting garbage to treasure through the reuse of tin cans, scrap metal, old clothing, jars, paper, ceramics, and more. Find out about traditional and new methods of growing food, composting and how technologies have changed through the use of organic, synthetic and manufactured goods. Learn about the Top 10 most useful items for storage and items for kids. Explore the characteristics of materials such as wood, paper, bone, leather, plastic, tin and how technologies influenced mass production. Find out where you can take your old TV, computer, appliance, eyeglasses and pop cans.

On Saturday, April 19 from 12noon-4:00pm, the Where Does it Go? program will showcase various local recycling companies, including Free Geek, and provide answers to your questions about exactly where materials that we throw away finally end up (all ages, drop in, admission by donation). Ifny Lachance from Free Geek will be giving two informal talks during the afternoon about computer recycling.

On Saturday, May 10 from 1:00pm-2:30pm Blue Box Toys will give kids the opportunity to make amazing and unique toys from recyclable materials such as milk jugs and yogurt containers. Dr. Recycle will teach creative tricks to help kids learn how to reuse items that are often tossed out. Fee is $6/child (7-11 yrs). Please pre-register by calling 604-592-6956.

“Waste Not, Want Not” will be on display in Stewart Hall on Saturdays and Sundays from 12noon-4pm, or by appointment by calling 604-592-6956. The Historic Stewart Farm is located at 13723 Crescent Road in South Surrey. Suggested admission is $5/adult, $3.75 Students, $2/50/child & Youth, 5 & under free. For more information call 604-592-6956 or visit www.heritage.surrey.ca

Location(s)

Massive Tech Trade Show

Tues Apr 1 from 9-5pm at the Vancouver Convention Centre (the white sails downtown)

We're booth 116, come visit us!!
We have complimentary tradeshow passes for anyone who would like them.

You can validate a ticket for yourself [HERE]

Once you validate the ticket online you won't have to pay the $29 when you
get to the Convention Centre -- just find the area for people who already
have tickets and they can look you up.

Unfortunately we don't have free tickets to the speaker's conference, but if you do plan to go, check out Ifny's panel at 11am "The Economics of Going Green."

Location(s)

Free Geek Monthly Meeting
6:30-8:00pm

LOCATION: Free Geek Community Technology Centre

1820 Pandora St. (3 blocks NE of Commercial & Hastings); come to the back door please.

All welcome! Please note: Our new space is not wheelchair accessible yet. We appreciate your patience. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns at 604-879-4335.

Join us as we make decisions and discuss issues relevant to a community non-profit dedicated to computer recycling, education, empowerment and free & open source software. Open to the curious, the beginner and the programmer. Folks with no computer experience welcome!

Feel free to check out more info about our meeting procedures [HERE]

Location(s)

We'll have a Geek booth at Northern Voice 2008

Where: 2424 Main Mall, UBC main campus

When: February 23, 2008,starting @ 8:30am (!)

Location(s)

Our new space is bigger, warmer, and located 3 blocks NE of Commercial and Hastings, at 1820 Pandora.

Official moving day is Thurs. Dec. 27, and we are busy packing from now to Dec 22. Yes, we can use your help during this time! If you're not crazy about lifting stuff, you might help directing folks, sorting stuff, sweeping, doing errands etc. We have a 5-ton truck already, but an extra vehicle or so would be nice for moving people.

If you'd like to help over the next week, give us a call during operating hours or email ifny [at] freegeekvancouver [d0t] org. Please let us know when you're available to help and how to contact you. We'll be open again on Jan. 3, and could use extra hands getting everything sorted away in the new place too.

We look forward to seeing everyone in our new diggs in the New Year!

Location(s)

Gastown Tech Businesses Team Up for Free Geek Hardware Drive

The heroic Jordan writes:

"The Gastown tech community is organizing a 'Free Geek' Hardware Drive. On Friday, Dec 7th, participating Gastown tech business will donate their old, unneeded hardware to Free Geek, a non-profit that 'helps the needy get nerdy.'

"There's still time to be added to the list of participating businesses, and have your donations picked up next Friday. To participate, send an email to: Jordan[at]strutta.com and you will be added to the pick-up route. Then just bring your hardware for donation on Friday the 7th, and the truck will make its rounds, stopping eventually at Vancouver’s Free Geek headquarters at 117 E. 2nd Ave.

"Clear your life of your unused hardware, and help a very worthy non-profit in the process! All donated items are sorted for usefulness and if necessary, either refurbished or recycled in their volunteer program. Useful refurbished items are donated to deserving volunteers and non-profit organizations."

MORE INFO & UPDATES ON THE STRUTTA BLOG
MORE INFO ON WHAT HARDWARE FREE GEEK ACCEPTS

Thanks for thinking of us!!!

Free Geek was recently awarded a grant of $4000 by Mountain Equipment Co-op.

These Urban Sustainability Grants are designed to "support local environmental groups in each MEC store community." Geeks are green too!

We look forward to using this money to help defray our costs, so that we can keep getting free computers into the hands of Vancouverites.