Makedo for kids who just love to make-do with stuff around them

A genius Australian invention, Makedo helps children (and adults!) learn about reuse and recycling in a playful way.  Makedo is a set of reusable connectors for making things from the stuff around you. With the Makedo gadgets and found materials like cardboard boxes and plastic containers, the whole family can construct amazing inventions.  The video shows it better than words can explain!

1 min crash course from MAKEDO on Vimeo.


Makedo and its Australian designer, Paul Justin are being talked about all over the design world.  From Core77 design magazine
MakeDo is a new kind of Lego: a kit of parts serving as connectors for creations made from recycled cardboard and other cheap, readily-available materials. The kits wisely build on the concept that if you give kids a fancy new toy, they'll be bored in an hour, but give them a cardboard box and they'll play all day. Kids, and maybe all of us (as proven by the Maker Faire), respond best when given the tools to find the answer rather than the answer itself.


Makedo makes it onto Biome's Top Green Gift Ideas List for 2010.  Visit our Green Christmas section for Christmas decorations and entertaining.

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EcoJot & Jane Goodall : 2 of our fave things in 1

The covers of Ecojot’s new sketchbooks available at Biome feature four endangered species in Ecojot's trademark quirky, colourful style: Chimpanzees (which Dr. Goodall has studied and advocated for over 50 years), along with the Giant Panda, Sumatran Rhino and Whooping Crane.

All Ecojot journals are made in Canada from 100% post-consumer recycled materials.  The proceeds from this line support the Jane Goodall Institute, including its global environmental and humanitarian youth program, Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots.

“In 1960, 26-year-old Jane Goodall ventured into what is now Tanzania’s Gombe National Park to document the behavior of wild chimpanzees. Her work there would inspire generations of Earth’s citizens to look at animals – and sustainability – in new ways,” said Mark Gavin, co-founder of Ecojot.

Aside from producing gorgeous, eco friendly products, Ecojot has given 25,000 notebooks to children in developing countries under the “Buy 1, Give 1” movement. Glues & inks are vegetable based and biodegradable; and the mill used to make the paper uses clean, affordable biogas (recovered landfill gases) as their alternative power source.
 
About Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots
Founded in 1991 by Dr. Jane Goodall and a group of Tanzanian students, Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots program is about making positive change happen—for our communities, for animals and for the environment. With tens of thousands of young people in more than 120 countries, the Roots & Shoots network connects youth of all ages who share a desire to create a better world. Young people identify problems in their communities and take action.
Source: excerpts taken from the Media Release on the Jane Goodall Institute website. 

See the range at Biome:  Ecojot sketchbook and note books.

During September, Biome is celebrating the animals that share our planet.  Find out how you can win $25 vouchers by identifying Threatened Species and what else is happening in our eco stores.

Download a free ecojot wallpaper for your computer

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Baby bottles by Dr Weil offer excellent features

The Dr Weil Baby range of glass and safe, BPA free baby bottles and sippy cups is now available at Biome.

Weil Baby includes glass baby bottles, safe plastic BPA free baby bottles, sippy cup and bottle brushes and covers.

What makes these bottles and sippy cups special:

• patented venting system that works effectively to reduce colic
• made from toxin-free, BPA-free ultra-safe Tritan plastic and glass
• bottle starts as a baby bottle, but change the teat and add a handle and it becomes a sippy cup
• leak-proof
• made in the USA
• focus on reducing carbon footprint in manufacturing, recyclable packaging and products

While breastfeeding is the most beneficial for baby and mother, it may not always be possible. The Australian Breastfeeding Association can provide support if you need.  When bottles are needed, choosing BPA free plastic and glass is safest for baby.

Read reviews on Weil Baby:  Essential Baby from Australia; Cool Hunting; Momgadget

Browse the full Weil Baby range at Biome.

Video about Weil Baby and Tritan plastic

Key Baby CEO Steve Schmidt describes how a partnership with Dr Andrew Weil, to produce a safe, clear baby bottle using Eastman's Tritan copolyester came to life.  Talks about what sets Tritan plastic apart from other baby bottle materials: can be boiled to sterilise without breaking down, dishwasher durability is superior, crystal clear and its the only BPA free bottle produced totally in the United States.

Who is Dr Weil?
Dr Weil is a world-renowned leader in the field of integrative medicine. He is founder of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, author of numerous books, columnist for Prevention and TIME magazines and a frequent guest on Larry King Live and Oprah.

Dr Weil explains "every product and every manufacturer that licenses my name is actively engaged in making the world better for all of us.  Through these ethical business practices I hope to encourage the transition from a consumptive economy to a restorative one. A restorative business is one that provides a valuable product that a sustainable world needs, displacing unsustainable products in the process. I personally make nothing from products to which I license my name. I donate all of my after-tax profits from royalties from sales of Weil Baby products directly to the Weil Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting integrative medicine through training, education and research."

How the AirWave™ Venting System works:

• Threads on both the ring neck and the bottle securely connect the nipple assembly to the bottle.
• Sealing ring on the nipple seats in the bottle neck and positions the nipple in the correct orientation.
• Four protrusions within the bottle neck provide a means for air to enter the bottle
• The flexible inner ring of the nipple rests against the inside surface of the bottle neck. This allows air to flow into the bottle but prevents fluid from leaking out
• NOTE: The patented AirWave venting system is designed to work with a moisture lock. Adding moisture to the inside of the nipple prior to attaching the nipple /ring combination to the bottle will assure a smooth fit and prevent leaking. The AirWave system will work without adding moisture, however extra care should be taken to ensure the inner flange of the nipple does not stick or get caught on the top of the bottle. The ring should not be over-tightened. A snug “medium tight” application will allow for best venting results.

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Moving on unwelcome house guests (pests)...with compassion!

Having spent many years living in the "well-ventilated" old wooden Queenslander houses of Brisbane's inner suburbs, I am on pleasant terms with the crawling, flying, vermin community that shares our love of the leafy area.

From Uni student days when the Brisbane City Council's rat catcher arrived with his frenzied Terrier and condemned a metropolis of rats in the backyard shed, to huge flying cockroaches that so impolitely drop onto your lap with no care for the interruption.

I have always avoided chemical sprays due to allergies and as a long-time vegetarian I have not the heart to kill a creature.  At Biome, we believe in respect and compassion for all who share our planet, so dilemnas over pest control that are both non-toxic and humane are not new to us.

We once offered a product that attracted cockroaches to a sticky-glue mat that they never left!  We soon received a polite customer email pointing out that even though they are lowly cockroaches, they do not deserve to die such an inhumane death.  That was the end of those products, and rightly so.  Someone else explained that they not only catch cockroaches, but also unlucky geckos that stumble across them...eep. We do love to get our customer's feedback to help with the deliberations.

You can understand our excitement with this new product, Pest Free, a plug in device that controls rats and cockroaches by altering the electromagnetic field already contained within a building's structure. It is an Australian-made product with 15 years of history and University testing to validate its effectiveness.  Scientific testing shows that the influence of the electromagnetic force causes loss of appetite in vermin and increases thirst, thereby disrupting their normal behaviour and reproduction.  It is not an ultrasonic product and will not effect cats, dogs, birds, computers or the electricity flow in a building. 

Having recently dealt with a voracious house guest in a not-so humane way, we hold hopes for this device. We had tolerated the noisy scurrying of a sizeable rat as it went about its noctural activities in the roof, good naturedly replaced the plastic light fittings that it consumed and learned to lock away our food because if its penchant for midnight feasts. One pitch black night, however, the rat and I met our Waterloo.  As I blearily tended to a crying child, the rat - I guess as startled as I - leapt from the kitchen bench into my face.

I searched with no success for a humane catch and release product for a huge rat.  I visited the hardware store to peruse the extermination options, but as my mind played out the gruesome scene my knees buckled.  With no solution, and with heavy heart, I handed the task to my husband and asked to be kept in the dark about whatever tactics were taken.  The rat did move on...

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Replacing throw-away takeaway cups with reusable coffee cups

Are throw-away coffee cups heading for a tipping point like plastic grocery bags and bottled water?

Look in a public rubbish bin on the street and it will most likely be full of coffee cups, plastic bottles and take-away food containers.  Some of this could be recycled if there was such a facility in public places, but landfill is the only option for the plastic-coated paper coffee cups.

We have noticed in the last year a growing realisation that disposable coffee cups can not be recycled.   I was putting coffee cups in our household recycling bin until early 2009 because I did not realise.  The takeaway coffee businesses do need to better inform their customers that the cups can not be put into recycling.

Any local Council serious about reducing the amount of waste going to landfill must also address takeaway coffee cups.  As with disposable plastic water bottles and plastic bags, there seems to be only four choices:

• a ban,
• a tax or levy on the price of the item,
• a container deposit type system (so that the seller has the responsibility for recycling), or
• public education by coffee businesses and government to encourage people to bring their own reusable cup.

Most people would likely prefer the last option.  We're doing our little part at Biome by talking to our customers and finding practical, affordable alternatives.

Keep Cup reusable coffee cup a great Australian invention made from high quality, BPA-free plastics in Australia, with an estimated lifespan of 4 years.  We had great experiences using our Keep Cups over the Summer holidays.  Five of our group had a KeepCup under the tree and the coffee shops we visited were very happy for us to provide our own cups.  We were enjoying the best of our beautiful environment at the beach and it felt so good to be reducing our waste each day.  Some places even offer a discounted price if you bring your own reusable coffee cup.    Great for Mothers Day gifts.

Klean Kanteen insulated bottle with cafe cap - a great innovation from the Klean Kanteen people.  Not only a reusable option, but the double-walled stainless steel insulated cup will keep the contents hot or cold for six hours.  You could use them for coffee, tea, soup or yoghurt.  The bottle comes with a loop cap, but you can purchase a cafe cap to transform your bottle into a sipping mug.

 

Whenever you head out, just remember to grab your reusable coffee mug and your reusable shopping bags.  

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Thirsty Shingleback lizard drinks from reusable bottle

Everyone in South Australia is withering from the intense heat wave - even the hardy Shingleback lizards, known as Sleepies to the locals.

Thank goodness for a Hannah Montana SIGG bottle, its cool contents and a brave seven year old girl with a love for every little creature that crawls...
Thank you to my brother for this awesome photo.

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Zaishu: art function eco

Zaishu's latest slot-together seat/table features artwork by acclaimed Australian textile designer, Nicola Cerini. The inspiration for this work evolved from an ecology camp about rare, native and vulnerable plants of East Gippsland. The Baw Baw Daisy is from that body of work and the Waratah is also endemic to that region.

Zaishu Studio designers, Matthew Butler and Helen Punton, create beautiful and meaningful designs often in collaboration with other artists around the world. They use only certified sustainable materials, handprinting the designs in their coastal studio.  Both artistic and functional, Zaishu's signature creation can be utilised as either a seat or a table.   See the full Zaishu range at Biome.  Here's a sneak peek of their new creation for the boys...or girls...arriving at Biome.   The pretty designs are popular for Mothers Day gifts.
Gaskets & Gears...

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Pure and Green - achieving "real" organic skin care

We have looked closely at many natural skin care brands and as you may know many are just “bulk purchased bases” that are custom branded.  Further, many brands claiming to be organic are either not certified, or they use a certification that allows fairly small quantities of organic ingredients.

Unique skin care formulations are few in number and certified organic choices with close to 100% organic content are rare.   Newcomer Pure and Green Organics is an exceptional Australian creation that has ticked all the eco-credentials, led by an enterprising young businessperson wanting to achieve something special.

In June 2009, Pure and Green was the first company in the world to have every product in its range from face, body, dental and hair care to be certified organic.  You can usually tell when an eco company is "for real" by the extra steps taken that set them apart.  Pure and Green has shown deep consideration the whole way through to the packaging, using innovative ingredients and mixing their own formulations in a custom built kitchen.

ACO certification
We have learned that there are very different standards applied by organic certification bodies.  Pure and Green chose to be certified by Australian Certified Organic (ACO), the gold standard for high-level cosmetics certification.  It requires:

• at least 95% of ingredients by mass to be certified organic (other certifiers accept as little as 20%);
• no use of synthetic vitamins (eg. pro-vitamin B5) or synthetic surfactants (eg. coco glucoside, coco betaine), which other Australian certifiers will allow; and
  
• no toxic solvents to be used as ingredients or used in the extraction of any other ingredients. Other certifiers may not check, creating a loophole for toxins to silently enter products which still get labelled 'certified organic'.

Palm oil free
Palm oil is often hidden in derivatives like sodium lauryl sulphate, sodium palmate, stearic acid and glycerine without mentioning it on the label, or it is labelled as palmitate or simply "vegetable" oil.  Pure and Green has gone to lengths to ensure there is no palm oil in any ingredient.

Certified vegan and cruelty-free
The products carry independent certification of this, again taking it that extra step.

World leading packaging

• The first cosmetic company in the world to use 100% post-consumer recycled cardboard caps for its bottles. Not just recycled, but they have even ensured it is post-consumer, which is the true standard for recycled paper.
  
• The first company in Australia to use BIOpack bottles made from plant sugar.  This was not an "off the shelf" packaging option -- they achieved this with persistence, and they are custom manufactured for Pure and Green in a carbon-neutral factory.
  

We have been so impressed by the creators of Pure and Green with their responsiveness and openness to questions.  They are small business people who have fought every step of the way to make things happen that most others accept are not possible, like the BIOpack plastic bottles and eliminating palm oil.

Take a wholistic approach to your skin care by choosing safe mineral makeup.  We have selected the three best mineral makeup brands for Biome - read more about Inika, Sante and Musq mineral makeup.

National Organics Week will take place from October 16 - 25.  Stay tuned for organic-themed events and specials in the Biome stores. 

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Mineral makeup and natural skin care favourites

We recently held an event at our Biome city store to introduce our customers to the new natural and mineral makeup ranges: MUSQ mineral makeup and Sante natural cosmetics.

Our experienced makeover person, Hayley, shares these 12 favourites.  All great for those who want natural, safe cosmetics that look as good and last as well (or better) than conventional make-up.  

1. Musq mineral powder foundation
After seeing how well this foundation evens skin-tone and lifts and brightens the eye area, I'm hooked. So many people ask for low effort foundation, and this is so easy to apply (just brush a little over your face and neck, layer for more coverage as required). This powder is also great if you prefer a cream or liquid foundation (such as our MUSQ cream foundation) as these need setting so they last the day.  For those worried about a powdery look, consider our next favourite...

2. Bod rose hydrosol toner
By spritzing this nourishing spray over your entire face after applying your powder make-up (including blush and eye shadow, but before mascara), you'll end up with a wonderfully dewy, natural look.  This certified organic damask rose hydrosol is such a treat.

3. Olieve vanilla lip balm
The first step in your make-up routine should be to put on some lip balm (this one is packed with olive oil and tastes amazing). This will give the lip balm a chance to work it's magic while you are applying foundation etc, then blot off and apply lipstick. Your lips will be smoother and your lipstick will look the better for it.

4. Sante eye shadow pencils
For easy, even eye makeup even in those bleary-eyed morning applications with a foggy bathroom mirror these are it. They are easy to blend and gentle on your eyelids. For a more intense finish top with Sante eyeshadow trios in complimentary colours.

5. Musq mineral eyeliner
So soft on your delicate eye area, but with intense colour. No barely-there, scratchy pencil with this eyeliner around. To make this pencil long-lasting on the inner rim of your eye, use our EcoTools bamboo angled eyeliner brush with a matching eyeshadow and dab it over with the flat of the brush.

6. Sante rouge blush
Great natural colours, and what's more looks flawless on. Simple as that!

7. EcoTools bamboo makeup brush set
A good all-round makeup brushes set. The blush brush doubles as a great mineral powder applicator (as it is denser than the EcoTools powder brush so more economical with your mineral make up). The concealer brush is also great for applying or blending cream eyeshadow like our Sante eyeshadow pencil sticks.

8. Musq mascara
For defined lashes with no nasties, this is an excellent choice. Apply to tips, allow to dry and then apply to whole length of lashes. Available in black and brown.

9. Sante lip contour and gloss lip duo
Customers loved the colours, and I loved the easy application. Just sharpen with Sante's sharpener, apply the liner all over lips (and leave at that for long-lasting matt colour) and top with matching gloss at the other end.

10. Sante dipliner liquid eye liners
So long lasting for a liquid liner. If you like a little retro flick, always apply from the outer of the lid to the inner for more control and you'll get them even. I love the sparkling brown dipliner (No. 1), it is such a contemporary yet unusual shade.

11. Sante cover/concealer sticks
In the last range, these were a favourite, and now come in 4 shades. Apply a little just over the little dark patches of your inner under eye (if you go to close to the outer eye it may gather in creases and you generally never need it near smile lines for dark circles anyway).

12. Tinderbox Fennel and Yarrow cleanser
At the end of the day (or night!) take it all off with this effective, yet uber-natural cleanser from WA company Tinderbox. You'll be impressed at how fast it works on mascara and eyeliner.

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A little bottle of fresh cleaning goodness

Biome team review by Amanda

After working at Biome for two years, I've had the pleasure of personally sampling most of our products. So for my first review I've chosen one of my all-time favourites.  Tinderbox Laundry Additive is a little bottle of fresh, cleaning goodness.  The package says it's a deodorising antiseptic for your laundry wash, but it's much more glamourous than that.  I add half a capful to each wash and it infuses my clothes, towels and bedding with a beautiful blend of plant oils such as rosemary, cedarwood, geranium and lavender. Suffice it to say, my house smells amazing on laundry day!  You might think I'm odd for rhapsodising over a cleaning product, but that's how lovely it is!  And because it's made by the lovely folk at Tinderbox in Western Australia, I know it's completely natural, hand-made and cruelty-free. Gorgeous.

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A message from the Zen Tails books

Our online team has this postcard near the phone for inspiration when they are speaking to our customers - possibly you!  We have written a lot on the blog recently about people and companies speaking the truth (or shades of the truth) and I thought this message sums it up perfectly.

This image of Guru Walter Wombat is from the captivating Zen Tails series of books by Australian author Peter Whitfield (available from the children's book section of Biome).  Zen Tails are classical philosophical tales adapted and beautifully illustrated for children.  Each book contains a moral as well as the original Zen Tale.

As Peter says, the messages he teaches are thousands of years old and developed by far wiser souls than himself. I feel there are many adult business leaders who would benefit from the wisdom in these children's books.  

© Walter Wombat image is provided by courtesy of Zen Tails and can not be reproduced.

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Landcare calls on everyone to help

Landcare Australia and Coastcare are calling on all Australians to join their register of volunteers to help our country and planet.

Landcare's Your Planet Needs You campaign aims to make it easy for you to sign up to a volunteer register to say what skills you can offer. Everyone can help, whether it be pulling weeds, making coffee, transporting equipment, designing or distributing posters to promoting events within your company.

On World Environment Day, Landcare staged a flash mob event to promote Your Planet Needs You. Look at those awesome inflatable globes being tossed around... Biome's Earth Balls. We were very chuffed that Landcare chose our Earth Balls for the fun. And, yes, among the celebs in this photo is French ‘Spiderman’ and climate campaigner Alain Robert (who else could look so cool in a red suit?).

Check out the Flickr album with more photos of the Landcare event

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