It Takes a Power Smart Village at the Vancouver Olympics

Vancouver -- Making kids stand in a line-up for any length of time isn't such a great idea. Why not head over to the BC Hydro Power Smart Village, located in downtown Vancouver? There's enough here to entertain children and adults alike.

After last weekend's lineup fiasco, I was in search of free events that didn't take all day to get into, plus would be worth my while. Someone had told me earlier that there were no lineups at the BC Hydro Power Smart Pavilion, so I headed over to their site. The Village literally takes up one small block. While there were short five-minute lineups for each attraction, this was manageable compared to the four hour lineup down the street to see the Royal Canadian Mint.

I stepped into line like the obedient Vancouverite that I was. I was handed a passport card which I could get stamped at various locations on the site. After collecting all four stamps, I could put the card in for a draw for free Olympic event tickets, with one drawing per day. Sounded good to me. I collected my first stamp and battery powered lanyard, and away I went.

The next stop was at the Home of the Future. It was tinier than my apartment, but featured Power Smart appliances and sustainable technology, that would enable a home to use less energy, and thus provide sustainable green living. I obtained my stamp, then headed for the history pavilion. At the front door, I received my third stamp.

Inside were torches on display from Turin, Italy, and Salt Lake City, Utah, plus a Paralympics display.

There was popular station where kids could spray paint a seven foot digital wall with graffiti, except instead of paint, electronic neon colours magically appeared on the wall.

Now that I had my fourth stamp, I placed my card into the box in order to win a free ticket to the Olympics.

If you checked in online, you could have gotten a free pin, but I was happy with my lanyard and free pen.

Outside in a tent was a place for kids to play a game to win a free t-shirt. There was also a Conservation Lab trailer set up for kids' activities.

When I went to check out the largest tent, it contained seating and a large screen where you could watch the Olympic action unfold. It sadly was being underutilized.

A small cafe nearby served snacks and beverages.

The niftiest tent had to be the big dance stage named Club Energy and powered by foot power. You danced away the afternoon and your dancing would power the music. But stop dancing, and the music would stop. How self-sustainable is that?

Don't let the geeky name keep you from coming out to enjoy the festivities. There's enough entertainment here to last an entire morning, and more. Get your groove on and learn about going green at the BC Hydro Power Smart Pavilion in downtown Vancouver.