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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, July 22, 2010 · 6 The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate.The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Commentary Guest Columnist NEIL OLIVER Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager The Oakville Beaver is a division of Be wise and win Gary Carr, Halton Region Chair alton Region and Sheridan Nurseries invite residents to enter the Wise Outdoor Water Use Contest for a chance to win one of three prize packages. The contest is running as part of Halton's Outdoor Water Use Program -- Know Your Colour, Know Gary Carr Your Limits, which asks residents to be mindful of their outdoor water use during the summer months. The Wise Outdoor Water Use Contest prize packages include: · Grand Prize (valued at over $1,200): An At-Home Master Landscape Design Plan from Sheridan Nurseries, a $500 Sheridan Nurseries Gift Card towards the purchase of drought-tolerant plants, a copy of The Canadian Illustrated Guide to Green Gardening and an Outdoor Watering Toolkit. · Second Prize (valued at over $400): In-Store Landscape Design Sketch from Sheridan Nurseries, a $250 Sheridan Nurseries Gift Card towards the purchase of drought-tolerant plants and an Outdoor Watering Toolkit. · Third Prize (valued at over $275): In-Store Landscape Design Sketch from Sheridan Nurseries, a $150 Sheridan Nurseries Gift Card towards the purchase of drought tolerant plants and an Outdoor Watering Toolkit. To enter the contest, visit www.halton.ca/waterconservation to complete the entry form by answering four questions about the Region's Outdoor Water Use Program and briefly sharing the actions you take to reduce your outdoor water use. Completed forms can be submitted online or printed and mailed to Halton Region at Wise Outdoor Water Use Contest, 1151 Bronte Rd. Oakville, ON L6M 3L1 c/o Strategic Communications. The contest closes July 27. Halton's Outdoor Water Use Program promotes the importance of reducing outdoor water use to ensure a continuous supply of water during the summer months for emergency services like firefighting. The program was also designed to quickly communicate any outdoor water use restrictions that may be required by using a numeric and colour-coded system that establishes three levels of outdoor water use: · Level 1 (Blue) -- Careful Use. Outdoor watering permitted. · Level 2 (Yellow) -- Limited Use. Only water outdoors on odd or even days that correspond with your house number. Outdoor watering should only occur between 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock during the morning and evening. · Level 3 (Red) -- Stop Use. No outdoor lawn watering or car washing is permitted in order to conserve water for emergency and essential services. For more information on Halton's Outdoor Water Use Program, the current restriction level or the Wise Outdoor Water Use Contest dial 311 or visit www.halton.ca/waterconservation. WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com Suburban Newspapers of America Media Group Ltd. H RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville ATHENA Award ERIC RIEHL / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER CELEBRATING IN STYLE: Young Achievers of Halton held its sixth annual graduation gala recently at the Oakville Banquet and Conference Centre. Here Little Gents, from left, Ifeoluwa Gbenga-Alade, J'Lenn James and Adonai Jones, are suitably attired for the cotillion-style gala that concluded the program, which teaches local youths not only proper etiquette skills, but also leadership skills. Scent science: when buying on time becomes buying on thyme I t's news to my nose. But, apparently, scent sells -- and sells well. According to the Scent Marketing Institute -- yes, Virginia, there really is a Scent Marketing Institute (SMI) -- "the sense of smell is the strongest and most primal of all our senses," and it "protects us from drinking milk that's gone sour and to the presence of natural gas" (that is, the presence of old Uncle Artie after a few ill-advised dives into the bean dip). It's well documented that smells trigger memories, almost instantaneously, powerfully, both good and bad. A single smell can open a floodgate. Not surprisingly, most so-called `memory links' send us time-tripping back to our childhood when we first encountered a new odour, and when our minds created that initial link. A whiff of chlorine and I'm five-years-old, shivering on the deck of the Lion's Pool on a summer morning, being prodded into icy, uninviting water by an instructor. A whiff of Herbal Essence shampoo and I'm back in Grade 10, covertly stealing a sniff of the hair of a comely girl who'd handcuffed my heart. A whiff of rottenegg gas and I'm with Uncle Artie, desperately looking for a window to open. Researchers say that the reason smells trigger such crisp memories is because our brains automatically link the smell to a moment, person, place or thing. Which explains why one person's bouquet of roses is another person's brick of Limburger cheese (think smelly feet in wool socks on a hot day). Nonetheless, there are apparently cerAndy Juniper tain scents that tend to appeal to the masses. And, according to the SMI, these scents can be used to help "trigger a memory or desire that influences a purchase decision." Further, scent can be used to create a pleasant environment -- beach, meadow, home -- to make consumers feel welcome, and encourage them to stay longer (and buy more). Take Samsung Electronics. It has developed a `brand fragrance' that is liberally sprayed in showrooms around the world: honeydew melon. And, according to Flavors and Fragrances, the company that helped produce the scent, consumers spend an average of 20 to 30 per cent more time with the products when the honeydew melon turns on its sweet charm. I suppose this is just taking the old realtor's trick and ramping it up with science. Realtors have always told clients that a home is more likely to sell if it smells like apple pie then, say, wet dog. Still, the degree to which this science is starting to be utilized in this field is mind-boggling and a bit intimidating: can we really be so witlessly guided (and controlled) by our noses? I know I'd follow a woman whose hair smelled like Herbal Essence shampoo to the far ends of the earth just to relive a few teenage memories. According to SMI, marketers and retailers could lead us (literally) by the nose down assorted garden paths. Want to make someone feel safe, secure and nostalgic? Talcum powder. Want to put someone in the mood to buy expensive furniture? Leather, cedar. How about browse longer and spend more? Floral or citrus scents. If you want to help put your partner in the mood: for women, the sweat of nursing mothers; for men, pumpkin pie or lavender. And, no, I did not make that up. Hey, that's all news to my nose. Andy Juniper can be visited at www.strangledeggs.com, contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, or followed at www.twitter.com/thesportjesters.