When it comes to energy-saving initiatives, we all win. Cutting down costs while reducing your carbon footprint can be done in many simple ways in your life. In an effort to inspire positive change for you, your wallet and the planet, the team at Timbercreek Communities has some easy tips for going green. Check out our ultimate guide to making any rental more energy efficient:

The phantom menace  

If you’ve never heard of phantom power (or standby power), it is a mega-waste of megawatts. Your phone charger and your laptop charger are sucking up energy at an alarming rate (if left plugged in but not charging anything), not to mention other everyday devices and appliances around your home. According to HyrdoOne, you could save $150 a year just by cutting down on phantom power alone.

Cut the lights

Who doesn’t want a nice ambiance in their home? Brightly lit rooms can make a space feel inviting, but having several lamps on in each room of an apartment can also be really expensive and wasteful. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody's there to hear it, maybe it makes a sound, maybe it doesn’t – we’ll never really know. But we know for sure that if the lights are on in a room and no one is there to see it, that energy is getting used up for nothing. Make it a habit to flick off the lights as you leave a room, and try to keep the excess ambiance lights (lamps, twinkle lights, etc.) to a minimum.

Waste not, want not

If you’re one of those people who loves long, hot showers, consider the benefits of taking a shorter one. Cutting back just two or three minutes on your showers may help reduce your monthly bills by quite a bit. You’ll also be doing the world a favour since water conservation is a major issue at the moment.

For more tips and tricks on how to make your apartment more energy efficient, check out the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance’s page. The team at Timbercreek Communities hopes that this information will help reduce your power bills while reducing our carbon footprint!

To learn more about our rentals across Canada, please visit our website.

Roommates have been there day in and day out, whether they wanted to be or not, and you couldn’t have gotten through it all without them. Make the holidays your time to say thank you, starting with one of these clever gifts!

Key holder

A key holder can be a useful gift for a roommate who’s always losing their keys. If you’re the one who seems to be losing things the most, give this communal gift as a promise that you’ll take more care.

Shave Subscription

An electric shaver is a lame Christmas gift. A Shave Subscription is an awesome Christmas gift. Give your roommate the gift that keeps on giving with high-quality blades sent each month, perfectly on cue.

Great Power Great Electricity Bill Crewneck Sweater

Does your roommate often forget to turn off the lights? Tell him or her how you really feel with this hilarious sweater.

Beard Bib

No more little hairs all over the bathroom sink, a Beard Bib guarantees cleanliness, plus hilarious photos.

TubShroom The Revolutionary Tub Drain Protector

Hair in the shower drain belongs high up on the list of Worst Roommate Pet Peeves. Who knew the solution to this endless struggle would be just $12.99 on Amazon?

Hair Tie Bracelet Cuff

A Hair Tie Bracelet Cuff may sound crazy, but it totally makes sense. Anyone with long hair can attest -- it’s annoying getting wrist dents because of tight hair ties. This bracelet keeps your hair tie stylishly handy without any uncomfortable indentations.  

Wireless Earbud Headphones

Tired of your roomie complaining about your loud music? Wireless Earbud Headphones have a tangle-resistant design and cords that hang comfortably behind the neck.   

Candle Lovers

If you’re looking for a gift that you and your roommate will enjoy, gift a candle this holiday season. Choose a seasonal scent like Frosted Cranberry or Marshmallow Fireside. This gift gives back, making your apartment smell like a cozy winter wonderland.

Say thanks to the gal or guy with one of these creative roomie gifts. For more information about Timbercreek Communities Apartments, simply visit our website

To have spending money, or staying out of debt, and start saving for tomorrow is a smart plan when your attending college or university. Many businesses are looking for part-time workers all year round. Check out today’s post for four tips on how to find work on or near campus and start making money today.

Take advantage of on-campus services

If you have yet to visit your university’s career services centre, this might be the best place to start. Most institutions have entire departments devoted to helping you identify your skill set, clean up your resume and prepare for interviews. Residents at London apartments (1267 Richmond Street), have it especially easy. In one click you can sign up today for an appointment with a Career Counsellor at the on-campus Student Success Centre at Western University (1151 Richmond Street), located just a 15-minute walk away from your apartment.

Attend a job fair

Job fairs offer an awesome opportunity to meet with multiple employers at once. Each year in September, for example, the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Guelph and Conestoga College all work together to sponsor the nation’s largest Career Fair. This year’s fair is set for Wednesday, September 28th, in Waterloo’s RIM Park.

Search your university’s job bank

Tired of hearing that you’re too young or don’t have enough experience? No online employment database will cater to your demographic more than your university’s job bank. Employers who post there are specifically open to hiring students. By using this database you have better odds of finding a job that is flexible and appropriate for your experience level and skill set. Students at Wilfred Laurier University (75 University Avenue West), located near Waterloo Apartments, have access to over 5,000 jobs posted each year online via the Career Development Centre’s Navigator.

Network, network, network

Finding a great job is often the result of being connected to the right person at the right time. Staying engaged in on-campus activities is fun and might help you connect with a person who has the contacts you need to get hired today. Your university may also host networking events. The University of Waterloo hosts Employer Information Sessions which make mingling with potential employers easy.

Timbercreek Communities wishes you good luck in your search for a job. For more information about apartments located near your university, visit our website today.

The TIFF Kids Film Festival is an extraordinary opportunity for children to learn and engage through film, and it’s being held not far from our Toronto apartments. For more information about the upcoming event, refer to today’s post by the Timbercreek Communities blog team.

The fun begins this spring

One of the largest film festivals in the world, the incredible TIFF Kids Film Festival, kicks off this spring, April 8th through 24th. The festival is held at the downtown Bell Lightbox (350 King Street West), a 15-minute walk from 165 Bathurst Apartments, or less than a 10-minute drive from Garden View Apartments (321 Sherbourne Street) or Sherwood Apartments (392 Sherbourne Street).

What’s on for 2016

Dozens of films from around the world will come together in Toronto to create a kid-friendly festival experience. Parents can browse the lineup of movies for 2016 on the event website, with options to filter by age or by the country the film is from. Find your movie picks on the complete schedule to add the time and date of the showing to your family calendar.

digiPlaySpace 2016

Another component of the festival that is already underway is digiPlaySpace 2016. 25 installations from nine different countries put technology to use to offer kids hands-on experimentation, exploration and creativity. Stop by the Bell Lightbox today to experience this innovative learning centre before it’s gone for the year.

Join the fun

Ready to take part in the 2016 installment of the TIFF Kids Film Festival? For questions and inquiries, call 416-599-8433. To participate in the opening night party, scheduled for April 8th, reserve your free tickets online today.

The blog team at Timbercreek Communities is excited that the TIFF Kids Film Festival is returning to Toronto this spring. We hope today’s post inspires you to add this fantastic event to your family calendar. For more information about our Toronto apartments, visit our website today.

Join the global movement to reduce energy consumption by participating in Earth Hour 2016. Coming up on March 19 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., there are lots of great ways to turn this sustainable act into a fun Saturday night in your London Apartment or around town.

Western Fair District

Spend the day at this local entertainment venue checking out classic cars during the Speed and Custom Car Show, then head over to OLG Slots where the Western Fair District will dim the lights for you. During Earth Hour, they will be shutting off all non-essential lights and monitoring the change in energy consumption to share with guests. This is a fun way to get out of the house and learn about the collective impact we can make by conserving energy in unexpected places. Western Fair District (316 Rectory Street) is a five-minute drive or 20-minute walk from Sunset Manor (498 Queens Avenue).

Cozy night in

Settle in for a candlelit night at home in your apartment at Regency Place (520-560 Mornington Avenue). Break out a deck of cards, pick up some ready-to-eat snacks, and enjoy the company of your family and friends without high-tech distractions. If you’d prefer to unwind alone, you can prepare your own Earth Hour station with candles, a journal, book or puzzle, and your comfiest blanket.

Take a walk

Get out and see Woodfield and downtown London in a new light by walking around the neighbourhood near Four Seasons Apartments (396 Queens Avenue). Keep your cell phone or a flashlight handy in case the city really does go dark, and keep your eyes open for special Earth Hour activities at the many restaurants along Dundas Street.

Power down this March 19 and join the global movement for a more sustainable future. Whether you decide to stay home or hit the town, we hope you see London in a new light this Earth Hour!

Prepare for Family Day fun to remember. For today’s post, the blog team at Timbercreek Communities has put together some ideas for how to have a fantastic Family Day near our Brampton apartments with the people who matter most.

Get ready to get moving

Neighbourhood community centres all throughout Brampton are hosting special activities in honour of Family Day on February 15th. At Cassie Campbell Community Centre (1050 Sandalwood Parkway West), for example, participate in a three-on-three basketball tournament, swimming, ice skating or a badminton tournament. The fun kicks off at 9:00 a.m. and continues until badminton ends at 5:30 p.m. This community centre is just over a 10-minute drive from Rambler Towers Apartments (25 Rambler Drive).

Stories for all ages

Visit the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (9 Wellington Street East), or PAMA, on Family Day. There will be free workshops, activities and exhibitions designed with your family in mind. Stop by between 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to experience storytelling, music and art at this local venue, a five-minute drive from Rambler Towers Apartments.

Kids Fest Toronto

One of the biggest celebrations happening nearby is Kids Fest Toronto (6900 Airport Road). For high-energy fun the kids will love, attend this weekend-long festival in Mississauga. Activities include more than 30 themed inflatables, indoor mini golf, kid-friendly science experiments, exotic animals and crafts. Rambler Towers Apartments are a 15-minute drive from this Greater Toronto Area Family Day option.

Glen Eden

Take advantage of the long weekend to spend time at Glen Eden Resort (5234 Kelso Road), just over a 20-minute drive from Rambler Towers Apartments. Enjoy slipping and sliding down the slopes at this popular nearby ski, snowboarding and tubing destination.

How can you make the most of your time and energy? For today’s post, Timbercreek Communities wants to answer that question. The blog team has compiled their high-tech solutions to improving productivity at 2125 Rue Saint-Marc Apartments.

Wunderlist

Being productive becomes much harder when you have multiple projects going on, countless events to attend and endless piles of homework to conquer. Step one to improving productivity is downloading an app that helps you build to-do lists for each of your obligations. Wunderlist allows you to create, organize and share multiple lists to cleanly organize everything you need to do. Plus, you can set alarms to keep yourself on task and on schedule.

Anki

Improve productivity by improving your memory. Use Anki to create media-rich flash cards. The next time you need to memorize facts and figures for an upcoming exam, save time with this helpful memorization tool.

Feedly

Do you spend precious minutes surfing the web for the daily news you need and love? Feedly compiles news and magazine stories into a text-only view for efficient browsing. Users can customize their feed by topic or custom subscriptions. If you are short on time, the app allows you to quickly and easily save an article for offline viewing at a different time.

RescueTime

RescueTime helps you determine what is consuming your workday. The app runs in the background of your computer or mobile device to calculate exactly where the precious minutes of your day are spent. After the day is done, you will receive detailed reports on your activity. Improve productivity with this helpful tool

Sunrise

With so many different calendars to keep track of, you can spend more time weeding through the various apps than actually getting anything done. Sunrise promotes productivity by connecting each and every calendar you have, from your Facebook calendar to your calendar at work. Keep track of how your schedule fits together, important deadlines and must-attend meetings.

Which app will you try first? Timbercreek Communities hopes that today’s post unlocks the secret of productivity for your continued success. For more information about 2125 Rue Saint-Marc Apartments, visit our website today.

Learn something new by attending a free lecture or lecture series near 450 Sherbrooke Apartments. Find suggestions for must-hear speakers coming to the city in today’s post from the Timbercreek Communities blog team.

Creative Mornings

Montreal is one of 130 cities across the United States and Canada that participate in Creative Mornings. This free before-work speaker series offers a platform for inspiring big thinkers and creative intellects. For a before-work talk that is sure to jump-start your day, visit the Creative Mornings website to learn more about upcoming opportunities.

Sunday @ The Segal

One of the most popular programs at the Segal Centre (5170 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine) is the Sunday @ The Segal lecture series. This free event is held at 11:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of each new production at the venue. Sunday @ The Segal invites intimate conversation and fascinating inside information. To get to this performing arts venue, plan on a 15-minute drive or a 30-minute trip using public transportation from 450 Sherbrooke Apartments.

Speakers at McGill University

Many Montreal institutions offer special speakers and lectures to the public. 450 Sherbrooke Apartments are only a 20-minute walk or 10-minute bus ride from McGill University (845 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest). Take your pick of free speaker series offered here. From science to conflict management, dozens of public sessions on dozens of different topics are offered throughout the calendar year. Browse the online schedule to find the perfect upcoming event for your interests.

There is so much left to learn. Timbercreek Communities hopes that you will take advantage of one of these incredible chances to learn something new without paying a dime. For more information about 450 Sherbrooke Apartments, located in the heart of Montreal, visit our website today.

Get to know Cambridge’s art scene a little better with Timbercreek Communities’ guide to the Cambridge Centre for the Arts. Timbercreek’s Cambridge apartments at 204 Hespeler Road are located in a bustling community only minutes from recreational facilities, entertainment, great schools, shopping, dining options and more.

What is the Cambridge Centre for the Arts?

The Cambridge Centre for the Arts is a municipally operated community arts centre that provides quality programming through workshops, art shows, classes, a full time gallery, special events and more. The Cambridge Centre for the Arts is located in the heart of downtown Cambridge and is a five-minute drive from Timbercreek’s 204 Hespeler Road Community. This local arts centre also includes a gift shop, pottery studio, five program spaces and an auditorium.

The Cambridge Centre for the Arts offers an exciting selection of programs that are taught by highly qualified arts educators in a variety of disciplines. There are also drop-in programs, workshops and special events available.

Upcoming Events:

Art Gallery Showings

There are three upcoming gallery showings for 2015. They include:

• Defining Language, James Olley, September 3-October 9
• 14^th Annual Juried Exhibition, October 23-November 20
• Studio 30 Annual Exhibition, November 25-December 19

Kid’s Programs

Three of the Centre’s most popular children’s programs include “Going Green with Your Sewing Machine”, Pottery for Kids and Drawing & Painting. These programs are available for kids aged nine to 13 and are designed to get kids in touch with their creative side. The kid’s programs at Cambridge Centre for the Arts are available year round, including during the summertime, after school and during March Break.

Drop-in Programs for Adults

Drop-in programs for adults include a Pottery Studio, Life Drawing, Ballroom Dancing, Sewing and Quilting classes and much more. Classes typically take place at night from 6:30 p.m. onwards during the week. These classes and workshops are a fun way to explore your more artistic side and to make friends in the process.

The Cambridge Centre for the Arts is a local hub of creativity and entertainment just waiting to be explored. For more information please visit us at www.timbercreekcommunities.com.

Check out Burlington’s budding coffee scene with Timbercreek’s top picks for local coffee shops. Our Burlington community at 955 Warwick Avenue is located in the heart of the city, within minutes of all life’s amenities.

Detour Coffee Roasters

Detour Coffee was co-founded in 2006 as one of the Greater Toronto Area’s pioneering espresso bars. This local coffee shop and café serves premium coffee beverages including cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, macchiato, tea beverages and decadent chocolate drinks. Detour Coffee is less than a ten-minute drive from Timbercreek’s Burlington community at 955 Warwick Avenue.

Tamp Coffee

Tamp Coffee offers premium blends from Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia. This independent specialty coffee bar has an insatiable passion for coffee, service and quality. Tamp Coffee works closely with micro direct coffee traders and roasters locally as well as globally. Tamp also bakes homemade treats, snacks and dessert, including gluten-free and vegan options.

Lakeshore Coffee House

Lakeshore Coffee House is a proudly independent coffee bar that offers delicious beverages, appetizing foods and great service. Their food menu includes sandwiches, soups, salads, quiche, pastries and even homemade ice cream. Lakeshore Coffee House’s coffee is fairtrade and organic certified from around the world. They also offer free WiFi, catering services and a beautiful summer patio.

Williams Fresh Café

Williams Fresh Café is a popular local coffee chain that offers delicious café beverages and food at a reasonable price and in a comfortable atmosphere. Williams Fresh Café is less than a 25-minute transit ride from our Burlington community at 955 Warwick Avenue and offers great coffee, reliable service and a relaxing environment to enjoy a cup of joe with friends or family.

Enjoy the best in Burlington coffee with Timbercreek Communities’ top picks for local cafés and coffee bars. For more information, visit us at www.timbercreekcommunities.com.