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Treasures from Trash

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:31:33 +0000

I felt like a bit of a scrooge this Christmas. Presents for my two year old consisted of things she needed, like a new toothbrush and a toddler cutlery set. However, when she spent most of the holidays playing with a cardboard box and bubble wrap, I realised that she would not be emotionally damaged from my meagre gift giving.

What she did really want over the Christmas holidays, was entertainment. Getting outside, drawing, making and baking things. Thanks to the crappy weather we spent quite a bit of time inside, so finding things to do to entertain her was quite a challenge. Luckily there are websites like http://www.lovelytrash.com/ to go to for inspiration. Lovelytrash takes recycling to a new level with creative ideas for making great toys, decorations, furniture and all sorts using the contents of your recycling bin.

Dangerous Chemicals in Baby Products

admin — Wed, 25 May 2011 04:31:45 +0000

This article looks at some highly controversial substances that have been shown to be detrimental to a babys’ health.

Phthalates are softening agents added to many toys, lotions and creams for all age groups especially in industrialised countries. Recent studies have shown that when a baby is exposed to these chemicals, even in topical products, that the phthalates and their derivatives are absorbed into the blood stream and also present in the urine. One of the better known effects of phthalate exposure in babies is an underdeveloped male reproductive system. There is an indisputable link between high phthalate exposure either in utero or after birth, and several developmental abnormalities such as those listed below.

Some Recognised Symptoms of Moderate to Severe Phthalate exposure in Babies

incomplete dropping of the testicles
reductions in the masculinsing hormone dihydrotestosterone
reduced distance between the anus and the base of the penis (AGD) – which is used to predict abnormalities in adult reproductive development. The AGD should normally be twice as long in males as it is in females, however studies have shown that significant phthalate exposure to male infants may shorten this measure. The shorter the anogenital distance the more feminised the body in question.
the development of proliferative lesions in Leydig cells, which are located in the testicles

Mineral oil is a by-product of commercial processes involving crude oil, and when applied to the skin will produce an oily coating. As a moisturiser it is barely effective, because it is so poorly absorbed and does not allow the skin to breathe. This hasn’t stopped many commercial manufacturers from using it in their baby ranges though because it is cheap to produce. Natural emulsions such as beeswax, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and sesame oil are a much better alternative. Knowing that just about anything that sits on a babys skin, is likely at some stage to enter their mouths via the fingers also should discourage one from purchasing products containing mineral oil.. On ingredient lists you will find mineral oil listed also as petroleum, paraffin or paraffin oil.

Oestrogenic chemicals and derivates in the environment, processed foods and in skin care products are part of the phthalate controversy. So when purchasing any products, be sure to choose those that use natural organic and biodynamic ingredients. These are less likely to contain environmental hormones.

With a better understanding of the ‘baddies’ in commercial baby products you can reduce the risk of toxicity, allergy and discomfort for your baby. In summary, here are some tips to help you select better and healthier products for you and your baby:

Read labels
Choose natural skin care products that use organic and biodynamic ingredients, ensuring top quality raw materials that are free of nasty chemicals
Avoid mineral oils and petrochemicals
Avoid any products that contain artificial fragrances. Most naturally derived fragrances from flowers and herbs are fine.
Look for organic and pure products that may also contain the label “Phthalate-free”. Also avoid placing plastic bottles in the microwave, as transmigration of plastics under heat leads to chemicals being passed into the contents of the bottle.
Patch test new products for potential allergic reactions by dabbing a small amount on the inside of your baby’s elbows.
Live an organic lifestyle. A recent study showed changing to a biodynamic, organic diet can virtually eliminate all traces of phthalates in the body!

References
1. Norman J. Barlow, Barry S. Mcintyre and Paul M.D. Foster 2004,
Male Reproductive Tract Lesions at 6, 12, and 18 Months of Age Following in Utero Exposure to Di(n-butyl) Phthalate , 32; 79 Toxicol Pathol
2. Sharpe RM., 2001, Hormones and testis development and the possible adverse effects of environmental chemicals, Toxicol Lett. Mar 31;120(1-3):221-32
3. Chensheng Lu,1 Kathryn Toepel,2 Rene Irish,2 Richard A. Fenske,2 Dana B. Barr,3 and Roberto Bravo3 2006, Organic Diets Significantly Lower Children’s Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides, Environ Health Perspect. February; 114(2): 260–263.
4. Wasmuth HE, Kolb H, 2000, Cow’s milk and immune-mediated diabetes, Proc Nutr Soc. 2000 Nov;59(4):573-9.
5. Harrison LC, Honeyman MC. 1999, Diabetes. Cow’s milk and type 1 diabetes: the real debate is about mucosal immune function, Aug;48(8):1501-7
6. Berthold Koletzko, MD, 2000, Complementary Foods and the Development of Food Allergy, PEDIATRICS Vol. 106 No. 5 pp. 1285
7. AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, (1997), “Inactive” Ingredients in Pharmaceutical Products, PEDIATRICS Vol. 99 No. 2, pp. 268-278
8. Burks, W, (2003), Skin Manifestations of Food Allergy, PEDIATRICS Vol. 111 No. 6, pp. 1617-1624.

By Su-lin Sze, 2011, Naturopath and Consultant to Weleda, manufacturer of holistic products for mother and baby.

Chooks Star in Reality TV Show

admin — Tue, 10 May 2011 09:45:05 +0000

Just how free are free range chickens? Well, now you can see for yourself. For fans of reality TV, SunnyQueen has a surprise in store… now you can watch the chooks from Sunny Queen’s Free Range farms living the good life – live and unedited. Talk about compulsive viewing!

“We want our customers to see first-hand the life led by the happy, healthy hens who produce our free range eggs,” Julie Proctor from Sunny Queen said.

“Until now, some free range egg customers have been unsure about what “free range” means. We can’t speak for all Free Range but we’re proud of our Sunny Queen Free Range Farms, and what better way to show off our pampered chooks than to give everyone a bird’s eye view with our new, live action webcam.

“It’s no wonder our hens think they’re something special – they are!”

From Thursday 28th April, Sunny Queen is encouraging all their free range egg customers to get an eye full of their frolicking free range hens via their live Eggcam at: www.sunnyqueen.com.au/eggcam

“The live EggCam has been set up so people can see everything that the girls get up to when they are out and about – from the moment they hit the paddock and start foraging until they’re brought back into the barn at dusk to get their beauty sleep.”

“We cater to their every whim, open fields by day, great food and service, nests to lay their eggs in, plus warm, safe barns to rest in at night. Our girls are truly happy, contented hens who live and eat well,” Julie said. “And now our customers can see that for themselves.”

No editing. No special effects. Just a camera constantly filming the pasture during daylight hours, showing the hens as they go about their day.

Eco Xpo

admin — Tue, 03 May 2011 02:38:43 +0000

The inaugural Eco Xpo is on in Sydney from the 6^th to the 8^th of May. A great chance to peruse whats on offer from the best brands in the industry. Check out the sustainable eats and potter amongst the eco-products. Seminars are being given on each of the days. We love staying at the Lane Cove River Tourist Park and they have now introduced Sydney’s first luxury Eco-tent which will be among one of the initiatives they will be discussing on Saturday. If you go on Sunday Beatrice and her husband who run Hemp Gallery are giving a seminar. We got our hemp curtains from them a couple of years ago and absolutely love them. We’ll be heading down to check it out. See you there!

Nature Babycare Nappy Trial Results

admin — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 03:47:03 +0000

I have a love - hate relationship with disposable nappies. I feel guilty about using them, but they are totally invaluable in many situations and it would seem I am not alone. So when we did the callout for testers to trial the Nature Babycare eco-disposable nappies, we were inundated with volunteers. The popular brands Huggies and Babylove perform well, so to bring a new disposable nappy out which can compete with the price and performance of these brands, and bring eco-credentials into the mix is a pretty tall order. We have finished our nappy trial and the results are surprising. Find out how our testers got on.

Little Takas Nappies Review

admin — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:57:30 +0000

The latest trial results are in. The Little Takas testing panel have been scrutinising these little gems for the past couple of months. All panel members stated that they would use these nappies again and recommend them to friends. The main points of difference with these nappies was the soft texture and fit, particularly around the legs. So if you are interested in these eco disposable nappies check out what the testers had to say about Little Takas.

If you want to grab yourself some they can be found at the following stores:

o Online at www.littletakas.com

o Baby Kingdom stores in NSW and online nationally at www.babykingdom.com.au

o Progressive Supa IGA stores in Western Australia.

o Farmer Jacks Foodworks stores in Western Australia.

o Drakes Supermarkets in South Australia and Queensland

o Foodland supermarkets in South Australia

o IGA supermarkets Nationally

o Romeos chain of IGA and foodland stores

o SA commercial group

Sustainable Wood and Forest Protection

admin — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 04:36:11 +0000

Wood can be considered a fairly green construction material. However, there can also be significant environmental and social impacts associated with logging. With the help of Greenpeace’s ‘Good Wood’ guide it is easier to see the wood for the trees so to speak. Whilst it advocates using wood sourced from certified schemes such as the Forestry Stewardship Council, there is a load more advice in relation to which wood is good, the five best and worst imported timbers in Australia and questions to ask before buying timber products. An essential read for any eco-conscious renovator.

The Good Wood guide has implemented a green, amber and red coding scheme. According to the Good Wood guide, the best timber to buy is:

Green-Good Wood

From FSC-certified forests
Verified Pacific ecotimber and community forest operations
Verified recycled, reused and urban salvage

Amber-Second choice

Includes sources that are in transition to Good Wood or from non-controversial or neutral source. Question the supplier, if they can prove the wood comes from one of the following sources it is OK to buy. Amber wood status is:

Verified from a forest or plantation in transition to FSC certification (e.g via stepwise schemes such as Tropical Forest Trust (TFT) or SmartStep)
Certified by standards other than FSC. CSA standards are okay but MTCC, PEFC, AFS and ISO are not.
Verified legal by the credible third-party Smart Wood VLC (verification of legal compliance).
Verified community small-scale sawn timber or Community Timber
Plantation wood (not preservative treated) verified as not coming from an area where the forest was cleared to make the plantation after 1994, including rubberwood, eucalyps, cypresses and acacia
Non-verified recycled, reused and urban salvage
Bamboo, coconut wood and recovered orchard trees like mango wood.

Red-Bad Wood

Timber species to be avoided.

Generally timber from Papua New Guinea or Indonesia is not Good Wood as it is logged destructively and/or illegally. 70% of Indonesian timber and up to 90% of PNG timber is illegally logged. Timber products imported from China are likely to be made from these timbers as well.

It’s a jungle out there in terms of working out what you should and shouldn’t avoid. There is a lot more advice and frequently asked questions available on Greenpeace’s Goodwood website.

Green Beings Trial Panel Results In

admin — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 07:48:44 +0000

The results of the latest Green Beings product trial are in. Four willing lip balm addicts put the new flavours of Burt’s Bees all natural lip balms through their paces. Click here to find out how they got on. In the meantime we are collating the results from our Little Takas nappy trials. Keep your eyes peeled for our trial panel callouts if you fancy getting your hands on some eco-friendly products to test.

Traditional Christmas BBQ?

admin — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 05:50:16 +0000

After sweating it out creating a full roast in a steamy kitchen last Christmas, this year it is going to be the simple Aussie seafood BBQ. In Australia the country of origin of the seafood must be displayed but this doesn’t provide much insight into how sustainable the seafood is. What is more confusing is that fish from over exploited and depleted fishstocks regularly grace the shelves of fishmongers. So what should be on and off the Australian BBQ list this Christmas?

To help try to make the choice easier, the Australian Marine Conservation Society (ACMS) has developed Australia’s Sustainble Seafood Guide – which can be searched readily online.

I’m glad to see that BBQ favourites calamari, octopus, scallop (farmed), Australian salmon (wild) are considered to be a ‘better choice’. Species such as wild barramundi are considered a ‘think twice’ choice as there are uncertainties over the size of the stock and there are stock depletions in many areas. Bugs, including Balmain, Moreton bay and various deepwater bugs are also considered a ‘think twice’ choice. As most are trawl caught there are environmental impacts associated with bycatch and potential habitat damage. There are also uncertainties about the stock status which is considered fully fished in NSW. The deepwater bugs are also relatively long lived which increases their vulnerability to fishing.

It also recommends that you think twice about sticking a prawn on the barbie (along with crayfish, dory, flathead and lobster). As banana and tiger prawns are farmed in ponds and tanks there is the potential for significant impacts from these farms on local water quality. What makes the impact greater is the fact that the prawns are fed fishmeal sourced from wild fisheries. A better choice are haul caught school and bay prawns in NSW.

Considered a definite ’steer clear’ are species such as wild hoki, cods and gropers, imported farmed prawns*, orange roughy*, atlantic farmed salmon*, wild scallop, hake, wild snapper, swordfish* and of course shark* and tuna* (skipjack is a better choice).

For those who want to add a bit of meat to the barbie there is now much more choice when it comes to free range. Better to buy direct from the butcher to reduce the amount of plastic packaging.

* these fish also appear on Greenpeace’s seafood redlist

Update on Solar Rebates

admin — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 09:40:55 +0000

If, like us, you are in NSW and were thinking of installing photovoltaic panels on your roof to generate your own solar electricity, there have been a few changes. The NSW Solar Bonus Scheme, introduced in 2009, provides gross feed-in-tariffs of 60 cents a kilowatt/hour for the solar electricity generated. This feed-in-tariff helps pay off the cost of installation. This scheme has been reviewed and from the end of October 2010 you will receive 20 cents a kilowatt/hour for electricity sold back to the grid.

The Solar Bonus Scheme was to be reviewed when it reached 50 megawatts (MW) or 2012, whichever came first. NSW reached 52 MW by mid-2010. The review shows that the take-up rate of the scheme has been faster than expected, and demonstrates that, to date, the scheme has created more than 100MW of renewable energy capacity. More than 50,000 customers have joined the scheme. Due to the rate subscription in the first 10 months of the Solar Bonus Scheme, NSW Government have closed the current program and introduced a ‘more sustainable’ tariff rate of 20 cents/kWH (from 27 October 2010). However, this will not affect customers already participating in the scheme.

The review of the scheme showed that a range of factors, including the strong Australian dollar and renewable energy policies overseas, has seen prices of solar panels more than halve since the program first commenced. Since 2009, there has been a flood of cheaper panels from China and Spain.
The new program with the 20c tariff rate will be subject to review on 1 July 2012 and at the end of the program (31 December 2016).

With electricity prices set to rise by up to 64% over the next three years in NSW, lets hope the feed-in-tariff follows suit.

Nature Babycare Disposable Nappies For Testing

admin — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:25:52 +0000

Environmentally friendly disposable nappies are edging onto supermarket shelves alongside the familiar sight of brands such as Huggies and Babylove. Unlike the dominant brands, which have large marketing budgets, Nature Babycare has built awareness by word of mouth and has some innovative marketing techniques. One such initiative is their Ambassador program which gives back to the consumer. So how is Nature Babycare different? Who wants to join our trial panel?

Naty’s nappies are not based on petrochemicals like the standard brands. They are formed from renewable raw materials (although they are not yet 100% biodegradable). The conventional plastic outer sheet has been replaced with a biodegradable material made from maize starch and cellulose fibre, both natural materials. This means that the nappy is water tight and allows the nappy to breathe, resulting in an airier, dryer, cooler and more comfortable nappy.

The absorbing layer of the nappy comprises biodegradable chlorine free cellulose fluff pulp, blended with a small amount of super-absorbent granules to increase the absorbing capacity of the nappy to reduce the number of changes needed. Naty are currently testing alternative sustainable and biodegradable packaging material which they hope to release onto the market soon.

Naty’s marketing strategy engages us, the consumers, through initiative such as their Ambassador program. Through the program you receive points for referring friends and family members, taking part in forums or for answering surveys. These points can be redeemed at the online store. If you sign up 50 ambassadors you receive a years supply of nappies.

We spent some time chatting with Maria, who is the key contact for the Australian arm of Naty, and she kindly offered up four packs of the Maxi nappies for Green Beings readers to trial. We are keen to get you involved and find out what you think. To be part of the survey sign up for our newsletter to receive trial panel callout emails, or email me directly at jo@greenbeings.com.au.

Nature Baby Care nappies are available from:

Coles

Woolworths

State of Green

Thomas Dux

Nature Babycare

Eco Baby Expo Low Down

admin — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 04:14:33 +0000

Biodegradable baby rattles were only some of the fabulous eco-friendly baby products that we came across at the Eco Baby Expo in Luna Park Sydney. It was great to see so many inspirational products under one roof. We chatted with many of the stall holders and had a great time testing, sniffing and sampling. Here’s a few of our favourites.

Nature Baby Care – eco friendly disposable nappies and baby products. We chatted to Maria about the products which are made from compostable and sustainably harvested materials. These nappies are also available in supermarkets – whats more we have four packs (32 nappies per pack) of Maxi (7-18kg) for you to try out – watch out for our email callout.
Reusable nappies – there were a number of reusable nappy options exhibited at the show. Some we have tried and some not. Bambooty (we can recommend their bamboo nappies and cute tees) was there and is going from strength to strength. Swimbaby which is, you guessed it, reusable nappies for swimming. Cutetooshies which has a selection of colourful reusable nappies.
Natural rubber soothers/dummies and teethers made out of 100% sustainable natural rubber. Free from parabens, PVC and pthalates, these one piece dummies are easy to clean and of course BPA free.
There were several Eco baby shops such as Sustainababy. IttyBittyGreenie were particularly chatty and helpful. Eco-friendly toys, bottles, clothes and skincare were on show. We couldn’t resist picking up one of their Greentogrow baby bottles.
Eco-friendly baby toys. Decomposing in as little as 5 weeks once buried in the ground, the range of rattles, teethers and other baby items from Kiki Eco are cute, colourful and made from corn.
Eco-friendly and chemical free cleaning. We loved Naturedirect’s Enviroair revitaliser which helps reduce bacteria, pollutants and odour from the air in your home – great for asthma or allergy sufferers.
Baby skincare products were on show. There was a great range from naturewithin, great for itchy, dry or excema prone baby skin.
There were also stands with more information on a range of birthing and baby topics, including naturopaths, calm birth courses and doulas. One for the fellas, a beerandbubs evening – a one night session down the pub where dads can learn techniques for supporting their partner through the birth. Including essential tips on what you should never say to a woman in labour.

The Eco Baby Expo was organised by Bonjour Baby and this expo was their first. A fantastic resource for those interested in getting to grips with how to go green when having a baby.