• 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.

]]> http://greenbeings.com.au/greenroom/index.php/2010/11/11/eco-baby-expo-low-down/feed/ 1 http://greenbeings.com.au/greenroom/index.php/2010/10/14/eco-footprint-beyond-the-grave/ http://greenbeings.com.au/greenroom/index.php/2010/10/14/eco-footprint-beyond-the-grave/#comments Thu, 14 Oct 2010 01:17:08 +0000 admin http://greenbeings.com.au/greenroom/?p=669 Did you know that burials have a greater long term environmental impact than cremations? Neither did we! And theres more... Centennial Park in South Australia, is up for an environmental award for its efforts towards achieving sustainability. It is also the first cemetery in the Australia, and possibly the world, to manage their entire greenhouse gas emissions with a carbon offset scheme.]]> South Australia’s largest cemetery has been named a finalist for a major Australian environment award.

Centennial Park is a finalist in the 2010 Banksia Environmental Awards, in the Leading in Sustainability category for small to medium businesses.

The Banksia Environmental Awards recognise environmental excellence and sustainability. They are an initiative of the Banksia Environmental Foundation.

Centennial Park Chief Executive Officer, Mr Bryan Elliott, said the finalist position was welcome recognition of the cemetery’s environmental responsibility efforts.

“Centennial Park is helping Australians to reduce the environmental impact of their final resting places,” he said.

“A range of improvements have enabled us to reduce carbon emissions by an average of 10.7% per cremation and burial service over the past two years.

“Centennial Park was the first cemetery in Australia – possibly the world – to manage our entire greenhouse gas emissions with a carbon offset scheme.

“We are extremely pleased to be recognised in this prestigious awards program. This firmly cements our position as the environmental leader in Australia’s cemetery industry.”

Other environmental improvements at Centennial Park include reducing operational waste to landfill by 95.7%, vehicle emissions by 10% and reliance on mains water.

Following simple steps that reduced electricity use by 9%, new technology in the cemetery’s chapels and administration buildings have created further reductions of 25% and 14.5% respectively. Crematorium improvements have reduced gas consumption by 5% and electricity consumption by 10%.

Centennial Park is also creating new life for flora and fauna with a revegetation program to attract more native birds and animals to its grounds.

Winners of the 2010 Banksia Environmental Awards will be announced in Sydney on Friday 15 October.

After researching and trialling natural skincare products its time for a bit of cosmetic enhancement to make the most of those natural assets. We’ve moved our focus to sustainable, natural makeup. It’s clear that finding natural and dare we say it, eco-friendly cosmetics is a difficult task. However, the demand for more natural products, has lead to the emergence of a new breed of cosmetic company like Zuii Organic. With a focus on ‘love, nature and organics’ Zuii use Australian grown certified organic ingredients blended using their unique manufacturing process. We’ll be profiling Zuii Organic over the coming weeks and putting their products to the test.

Zuii products are free from Talc, parabens, petrochemicals, genetically modified ingredients, preservatives and have not been tested on animals. The range has been developed using certified organic flower petals, essential oils, plant extracts, vitamins and minerals.

The range includes:

• Flora powder foundation produced from organic rose petals, chamomile and jasmine flowers.
• Flora powder eyeshadow, the organic rose, chamomile and jasmine are blended with vitamins and minerals to deliver a range of colours.
• Flora powder blush using the organic rose, chamomile and jasmine flower base.
• Flora moisture liquid foundation provides medium coverage, and contains calendula, aloe vera, vitamin E and antioxidants.
• Flora lipstick, contains jojoba and sunflower rich in vitamins, whilst protecting and moisturising the skin. It also contains aloe vera for extra hydration.
• Flora lip tint is colour blended with organic rose petals, beeswax and aloe vera.
• Flora mascara is a unique blend of coltsfoot, nettle, horsetail extracts plus vitamins E and D. No petrochemicals in sight.

We can’t wait to try them out!

For more information visit http://zuiiorganic.com/

Their ‘minimised comprehensive range’ means that the products are potent so that they can be used sparingly and are suitable for many skin types and conditions. That way you don’t need to buy different sets of products for yourself, your partner and your kids.

The range of products is extensive and includes daily skincare, Evohe essence, body-hair care, treatments, eco tools and accessories (think recycled steel and bamboo) as well as the Evohe colours range or mineral makeup. What’s more they will soon be offering a spa range.

We have a bit of mutual love going on here, we love their products and business philosophy, and we want to share the love around. So we’ve got half a dozen Evohe trial packs to put out to our testing panel as we are keen to find out what you think.

Inside each pack you’ve got:

• Cleanse
• Mist
• Moisture 24/7
• Omega 369
• Silica mask
• Exfoliate
• Body mist
• Repair intensive
• Omega body
• Body polish
• And finally a trial size sample of their mineral make up.

So if you fancy a bit of sustainable luxury, email us back when you see our product panel call out email.

Ten years ago, Lindy McLeod was living abroad and while visiting France, admired the women of Paris rushing home in the evenings and on weekends with their fresh produce – fruit, breads, meats and cheeses – brimming in their seriously chic shopping baskets. She bought some for herself which rapidly became an indispensable part of her life because, as well as looking great, they proved to be extremely hardwearing and the handles were very strong and did not break.

After returning to Australia and realising how many plastic bags we use as a nation (at its peak over 7 billion annually!), Lindy began investigating the possibility of bringing a classic French-style shopping basket to Australia.

These baskets are genuine French-style market baskets imported from Morocco. Each one is handmade using traditional methods and techniques and so is unique. The baskets are made of strips of woven palm leaves from a species of date palm. These strips are then sewn together and the basket built up in “rounds” into the traditional triangle shape, variations of which can be found in countries all around the Mediterranean. The more rounds the bigger the basket! The handles are of genuine Moroccan leather and firmly fixed to the baskets so they never pull off. Handles are either short so the baskets can be carried in the hand or on the elbow, or longer to go over the shoulder.

Great for shopping, picnics, beach bags, gift hampers, use them for weekends away or they also make great presents.

For more information visit The Market Basket Co.

According to the KeepCup website the disposable paper cup is made from various materials including bleached paper sprayed with a polyethylene coating. The cup is often impregnated with dyes which makes it difficult to recycle.

In the first six months, since the launch in June 2009, KeepCup has sold over 100,000 units. According to Bluebag, the makers of KeepCup, if everybody who owns a KeepCup uses it regularly, there would be 100 million less disposable cups used, saving 17,000 trees and keeping 307 tonnes of plastic lids from landfill.

The KeepCup is recyclable (it has an estimated lifespan of four years) and replicates disposable cup sizes so you get the correct and consistent portioning of coffee and milk. Small and medium cups fit directly under the coffee machine. The plastic used is BPA free and the lid means less likelihood of spillage.

Designed and manufactured in Australia, the key features which make the KeepCup so functional include:

• A band around the body of the cup where coffee preferences are embossed. Highlight this to prevent mix up and to identify your cup at the machine.
• A sealing mechanism to make the cup splash-proof in transit. This is removable so it is easy to clean.
• Stackable, dishwasher safe and microwavable.
• Low embodied energy, reuseable, unbreakable and recyclable (polypropylene)

The KeepCup can be branded which makes it great company merchandise and a great gift for the afflicted addicted coffee cravers.

Its not news to Etiko, their founder Nick Savaidis was acutely aware of the positive impact that a company can have on people and communities – if it wanted to. Etiko’s ethically produced sportswear is the first non food range to receive Fairtrade certification and it is Savaidis’s hope that his range will triumph over the big brands such as Nike.

The competition is on as the big brands have cottoned on to the fact that today’s customers are looking more critically at products. Nike’s CEO Mark Parker realises that doing the right thing in terms of waste reduction, renewable energy and factory conditions is good for business.  In  Nike’s 2007-2009 sustainability report the CEO admits past mistakes with respect to labour conditions. Their new focus is on transparency and innovation to, in their words, ‘prototype the future rather than retro fit the past’. Eco-design is the new buzz word and when developing products, consideration is now given to everything involved with bringing a product to market, from raw materials sourcing to transportation. They have also sought to reduce the impacts of their manufacturing activities through the use of renewables such as solar and wind power on some of their facilities.

When big companies move into the sustainability arena, they bring money, resources and power, and can have a significant sway in terms of the performance of their supply chain which can only be a good thing. But where does that leave companies like Etiko?

Without the big marketing budgets of the big competitors, their success comes about through word of mouth, and whilst performance of products is key to their success, it seems they have a no compromise approach. While for Nike, sustainability is an add on, for Etiko it truly is core to the business and many consumers will go to great lengths to buy into that.

Etiko is a niche brand, and like other ethical brands, these products have a personality and a story which brands like Nike will have trouble matching.

Etiko’s awards

The 2008 Premier’s Sustainability Award – Small Business (Victoria),

2008 Banksia Environmental Foundation Award – Business Sustainability,

2008 Telstra Business Award – Social Responsibility (Victoria)

Winner of the 2008 FSC Responsible Forest Management Awards – Small Chain of Custody Operator of the Year.

The idea behind it is quite simple actually, during printing, ‘Ecofont’ literally ‘shoots’ holes into the letters that you have typed, to reduce the ink used by up to 25%.

The Dutch company claims it was the holes in cheese that gave them inspiration for the design of their software that has helped to extend the life of print cartridges and reduce the amount of landfill each year.

Ecofont allows you to work with your customary font such as Arial, but when it comes to printing you hit the Ecofont print button. The resulting documents look great, save money and help you save the environment as well. Ecofont professional is available from January 2010.

For more information and a free download of the Ecofont software, you can visit the Ecofont website.

For more great ideas to green your office check out our article Go Green While You Work.

I actually found them by accident as they started following Green Beings on Twitter. The name eco conscious optics got me curious. The company uses recycled metal (with a minimum of 95% recycled stainless steel) and plastic and ‘eco reinterprets the whole product lifecycle in an environmentally sustainable way, starting with its recycled content‘. Other  company initiatives include planting a tree for each frame sold and providing easy access to facilities to donate unused frames frames to people in developing countries.
Well, that all sounds great, but the most important thing about specs is whether they look good, and even better, can they make you look more intelligent? One things for sure it makes a good talking point. The collections on the website look cool, but if they are unique frames with a uniquely high price tag then they are likely to only be affordable to those with oodles of cash. The prices on first glance seem reasonable where they retail in the US, Europe and Japan….The next question is will they be available in Australia?

We’ll find out.

The slabs are designed to be prominent in order to encourage pedestrians to step on them. Five percent of the sustainable energy created from each step is expended on lighting up the slabs LED — which also serves to demonstrate the energy transfer was successful.

Among the various applications for the remaining energy are ideas around powering traffic lights, safety signs and other outdoor ambient items that require electricity. Pavegen’s slabs have already been trialled in East London, with the developers now seeking investment.

This eco innovation is being taken a step further. Pavegen systems is working with one of the leading recycled rubber slab manufacturers to offer tactile paving slabs that generates energy at pedestrian crossings. Often lighting is used in these areas to make pedestrians more visible, busy crossings can now be self sufficient increasing the safety of users with a retro fitted Pavegen slab that requires no grid connection. The rubber is produced from 100% recycled car tyres.

Designs are currently being finalised for a stair based unit that is currently producing 25% of the total energy for a London tube station, Pavegen believe the next model will produce nearer 40%.

For more information visit http://www.pavegensystems.com/about.php

“The problem is that businesses will do anything for money,” says 27-year-old US environmentalist Brent Schulkin. “But what if that’s also the solution?”

Schulkin approached 23 liquor and grocery stores in his San Francisco neighbourhood and asked what percentage of a day’s takings each would be prepared to invest (in energy-efficiency improvements) in return for him organising a “mob” of shoppers to visit their store. The winning store committed 23% and Schulkin got busy publicising the event on the internet.

The power of Schulkin’s scheme relies on the number of shoppers who join the mob. Schulkin’s nervous wait at that first event was rewarded with a huge turnout who spent between them over $9000 in just a couple of hours. Success!

Since that first Carrotmob in early 2008, there have been countless other mobs in the United States as well as mobs in England, Canada, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland and Australia. Surry Hills in Sydney was the scene of the first Australian Carrotmob in October last year. The winning bidder, the MFC Supermarket in Surry Hills, pledged 20% of profits from the mob (subsequently increased to 80%) and has committed to a program of significant energy reduction in the store.

We love the carrotmobbing concept and we will be keeping our readers posted of any further developments in Australia.

For more information, visit the Carrotmob website: http://carrotmob.org/