Clove oil and mould

Many people with seemingly unsolveable allergies are excited by the growing consensus that mould causes some allergy and asthma problems - and clove oil is the magic ingredient to help end the sneezing and wheezing.

The Victorian Department of Health states:

• Mould associated with damp buildings can trigger nasal congestion, sneezing, cough, wheeze, respiratory infections and worsen asthma and allergic conditions.
• People with weakened immune systems; allergies; severe asthma; chronic, obstructive, or allergic lung diseases are more susceptible to these symptoms and other serious health effects.  Source.

However, to get rid of mould is not as overwhelming as you may think.  Remember, mould can only grow where there is sufficient moisture and it is spread by mould spores.

An excellent ABC article explains: Mould is a fungi, along with mushrooms and yeast, and is everywhere around us; in the air we breathe and in the dust around our homes.  When mould reproduces it creates spores that are carried in the air. As an allergen, inhaling mould spores affects the body in the same way as inhaling dust mites or grass pollen.  ABC Source

Action plan to get rid of mould

1. Remove sources of damp and moisture, ventilate wet areas, mop up water asap.
2. Clean off any visible mould - unfortunately, nothing beats elbow grease to actually scrub it away. You also need to clean it off several times with fresh water, being careful not to re-contaminate the area with the mould spores.
3. Spray with clove oil and water mixture (see recipe below). Clove oil actually kills the mould, rather than a bleach that just masks the mould.
4. Place a clove oil room sanitiser - either a DIY one such as soaking a piece of chalk in clove oil, or a ready made mould aroma gel in the mould-prone area.  The clove oil will continue to kill mould spores circulating in the room.

The great news is that you do not need harsh chemicals such as bleach to get rid of mould.  For those suffering from allergies and asthma, this is a double relief because bleach and ammonia ecascerbate those conditions. 

How to clean mould with clove oil

• First clean the surface with a mixture of 4 litres of hot water, 1 tablespoon bicarb of soda and half a cup of vinegar.
• Mix a quarter teaspoon of clove oil (no more) per litre of water, put it in a spray bottle, lightly mist on. Leave for 20 minutes and wipe off.  Spray again and leave.  It will take 24-48 hours for the mould spores to dry and drop off.

For more mould recipes see our earlier blog post Get rid of mould with clove oil.

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Led replacement for halogen

NASA Earth at Night

Would you like to replace your energy-guzzling halogen downlights with efficient LEDs but are confused about where to start? 

Many people think it would be too difficult or costly - but actually it's much easier than you think.  Read on...

Home lighting is one of the most significant opportunities to save energy and slow climate change. Currently, lighting accounts for approximately 20% of global electricity consumption. To reduce this figure and lower the world’s environmental impact, an Australian company Brightgreen has developed innovative, energy efficient, high-quality lighting solutions.

Brightgreen DR700 is an innovation in LED lighting which can easily replace any standard 12V 50watt halogen downlight globe and provide 1:1 light - but only use 10.5 watts instead of 50 watts (meaning lower electricity costs).

Brightgreen has pursued three objectives:

• Bright, high quality LEDs that overcome the common limitations of LED lights - Brightgreen LEDs are just like halogens (only better!)
• Products made to last - Today’s commercial giants thrive on creating products that have short life cycles and become obsolete within a few years after purchase.  In contrast, Brightgreen’s products are designed to survive for more than 70,000 hours and last 15 times longer than other forms of lighting, such as halogen.
• Always sustainable - Unlike halogens and fluorescents, Brightgreen’s products are free from UV light, mercury, lead, hexavalent chromium and all other heavy metals considered toxic to the environment. All components of Brightgreen’s products are fully disposable and recyclable, again reducing our environmental impact on the earth by not leaving anything behind.

LED replacement for halogen

Simply remove your halogen bulb and replace it with the Brightgreen DR700. It is that easy to install the DR700!   **Please check first that you have an MR16 fitting (which has two sharp pins and is most common for 12V recessed downlights).

You can make difference to global warming and your budget by trying one at home today?  See how the led replacement for halogen works and then consider replacing more.  

A Brightgreen LED light bulb may cost $49 to start, but it will pay for itself through power bill savings in about two years in a home.

For more information, please visit Biome LED light bulbs and Todae's extensive range of LED lights

Advantages of choosing a Brightgreen DR700 LED bulb:

• total light output of 720 lumens, the same as the average 50 watt halogen bulb
• compatible with most dimmers (see below)
• compatible with most transformers
• 3 year manufacturer guarantee
• on average, pays for itself in two years residential use and one year in commercial use
• designed for the Australian market.

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Green Olympics London - a gold medal performance?

Source: http://www.iso.org/iso/news.htm?refid=Ref1690

From the world's first "recycled stadium", a food strategy that requires balance, affordability and sustainability, to water-harvesting, cycle parks, a sustainable timber Velo track, plus, the target of sending none of the 8,000 tonnes of consumer waste generated to landfill, there's an impressive line up on the starter blocks.

Since the last Olympics Games, environmental standards - and possibilities - have changed markedly.  Expectations of how companies and countries need to minimise impact our planet in all they do are high.  London's commitment to a sustainable Games was reportedly a central part of winning the right to host the event.

Global warming is the critical issue of our time and the Games has been built and operated with a strict carbon footprint limitation.  Reducing the tonnes of carbon dioxide and gases sent into the atmosphere is not just about vehicles and electricity.  "Embedded carbon" in the materials used to construct venues, such as concrete and steel, is the major contributor and that is why many temporary structures have been built wherever possible from materials, such as billboard fabric, and recycled materials, such as the reclaimed gas pipes making up the roof of the Olympic stadium.

There's much to learn for other construction companies and event organisers - and not just the big ones.  For the individual person there are many mind-expanding ideas on what you can do in your every day life and when undertaking your own event or contruction.

Here are some of the facts gathered from media reports (sources at the end):

Low Carbon Games
Estimated carbon footprint published 2009. For the operation of the games this is expected to be 315,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and other gases – a 20 per cent reduction on the initial estimate.  New permanent venues have been built only where there was a strong legacy case. Temporary structures built whereever possible, such as the water polo venue and wings of the aquatics centre.  “Embedded carbon” in the structure of the stadium reduced by using recycled materials, such as old gas pipes which provide the truss – the ring around the top of the stadium.
Renewable Energy Games
Original target was 20 per cent of all energy supplied, largely provided by a large two-megawatt wind turbine on the Olympic site. Health and safety considerations ruled out the turbine. Renwable energy now expected to be 11 per cent of the total, provided by biomass boilers in the dedicated energy centre and a small amount of solar panels on the roof of the press centre car park.
Public Transport Games
All ticket holders given a Games Travelcard to use on public transport on the day of their event.  Walking and cycling to venues encouraged by Active Travel Programme – with 7,000 secure cycle spaces.  However, that system has some problems because they are half an hour walk away!
Good Food Games
London 2012 thought to be first major event in the world to have a food strategy, stressing choice and balance, affordability, sustainable sourcing across 800 food and drink outlets. All meat and dairy and fresh produce from the UK is Red Tractor farm assured.  All fish is certified as sustainably sourced. Much overseas produce is Fair Trade.
Zero Waste Games
London 2012 expected to generate about 8,000 tonnes of consumer waste overall. The target is send none of this to landfill. All food packaging, including that used by McDonald’s, must be recyclable or compostable (all provided by a single supplier) and colour-coded to match colour codes on different bins for different waste streams.  I very much like that idea of the colour coding!  All waste handled by a single specialist contractor running a dedicated line for Olympic waste.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/07/pictures/120725-london-green-olympic-games-bid/

Cycling's sustainable surface
The VeloPark was constructed using mainly timber and has a lightweight roof that reduces its embodied carbon emissions by limiting the use of steel. It also has rainwater harvesting capabilitys that will help cut water consumption by 75 per cent. But best of all the timber, including that used for the track, all came from certified sustainable sources.
VIPs and their greener Beemers
BMW's brightly coloured Olympic fleet includes 200 electric vehicles and 400 bicycles. Half the fleet will be BMW 320d Efficient Dynamic saloons, while another 700 will be BMW 520d Efficient Dynamics. The automaker has achieved its target of ensuring the London Olympics Games' fleet does not exceed average emissions of 120 grams of CO2 per kilometre, while also pioneering the use of zero emission technologies.
The world's first recyclable stadium
The 80,000 seat stadium was constructed with less than half the steel used in comparably sized stadia, making it the lightest Olympic Stadium to date. It includes more than a third recycled content and is expected to require 60 per cent less water than comparable stadia. The ring beam that supports the roof is also made of reclaimed gas pipes.

Sources: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/how-green-will-the-london-olympics-really-be-7982182.html, http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/feature/2194942/top-10-green-olympic-facts, http://lydall.standard.co.uk/2012/07/olympic-bike-parks-will-have-security-guards-to-deter-thieves.html, http://energy.gov/articles/2012-london-olympics-go-green-its-energy-efficient-sustainable-and-recyclable-design

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Bob Dylan honour & Blowin' in the Wind book

President Barack Obama awards Bob Dylan the Medal of Freedom. Image from the Huffington Post.

We're honoured to offer a small part of Bob Dylan's story at Biome (see more about the book below), so we were pleased to hear that he received the Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor.

According to the Huffington Post, Dylan released his first album in 1962, and his music had a considerable influence on the civil rights movement. The president said he found Dylan's music transcendant, claiming it led to his "world opening up, because Dylan captured something about this country that was so vital."

And from Wikipedia, "Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan and released on his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963. Although it has been described as a protest song, it poses a series of rhetorical questions about peace, war and freedom. The refrain "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind" has been described as "impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind".

Picture book and CD available at Biome Eco Stores

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind.

Bob Dylan's lyrics for "Blowin' in The Wind" are just as relevant today as they were almost 50 years ago.  

The song is often hailed as an anthem of the 1960s civil rights movement, but in tackling universal questions about freedom, justice, war and peace, it has become much more than just a protest song.

Now readers of all generations can appreciate Dylan's moving message in this Blowin' in the Wind picture book adaptation illustrated with powerful, poetic paintings by Caldecott honoree Jon J Muth.

This beautiful edition includes a CD of Dylan's original 1963 recording, plus a special note by renowned music columnist Greil Marcus, putting the song in historical context.

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind...

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Keeping free range free!

Thank you to the Australian Greens for the content in this post.

Buyer beware ... Consumers are being exploited with eggs labelled “free-range” that are not truly free-range, while the the Egg Corporation is proposing to increase free-range stocking from 1,500 to 20,000 birds per hectare!  This is a massive 1233 per cent increase in bird densities on the range. At this stocking rate, free-range hens will be denied their most basic welfare needs.

Due to a complaint from the Humane Society International, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has opened up the proposed standard for comments.  Submissions are required by 20 June 2012 and can be lodged by email to adjudication@accc.gov.au.


Meanwhile, the Greens NSW have launched the ‘Truth in Labelling (Free-Range Eggs) Bill 2011′ to prevent producers from misleading consumers about how laying hens are treated

In Queensland it has been law since 2002 that free-range egg farms can keep a maximum of 1,500 birds per hectare, but there currently exists no legal definition of free-range egg production systems in NSW.  

Standards vary drastically between how many birds are allowed to be kept in the shed and on the range and whether practices like beak trimming are permitted. When consumers buy “free-range” they often don’t know which standard are buying into.

In this video, Lauren Fitzpatrick reports for The Milk Moustache.

The widely accepted industry voluntary "Model Code of Practice" states that free-range birds must be kept at 1,500 birds per hectare. Because it is a voluntary code it can not be enforced. Some farms are cramming up to 40,000 birds per hectare and claiming to be “free-range.”

The Egg Corporation released a statement in early April this year that 29 per cent of free-range eggs produced in NSW come from farms which stock their hens at densities even greater than 20,000 birds per hectare. In Queensland it has been law since 2002 that free-range egg farms can keep a maximum of 1,500 birds per hectare. The demand for free-range eggs has exploded in recent years.  In the year 2010/11 free-range eggs made up 29 per cent of the national market in volume and 41 per cent of the value.  Free-range is big business—last year it made nearly $200 million in retail sales. Take action

The Greens NSW need your support to end the egg rorts and help make the Truth in Labelling Bill law.

• Only buy eggs that are stamped from accreditation bodies the Free Range Farmers Association Inc. and the Free Range Egg and Poultry Association of Australia Inc. 

• The only way to ensure your free-range eggs come from truly free-range farms is through legislation. The Greens NSW need your support to help make the Greens Truth in Labelling Bill law. Click here to download the petition and get the signatures of your friends, family and colleagues and send it to John Kaye MLC NSW Parliament House Macquarie St Sydney 2000. 

• The NSW Government needs to hear from all ethical consumers that they want their rights to buy genuine free-range eggs protected. Click here to find your local NSW member. The Greens have put together a step-by-step guide complete with questions to ask your local state representative. 

• Whether it be at the farmers market, shopping centre or around the dinner table start a conversation about the exploitation of the free-range label and why legislation is needed to protect it.

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Take 3 initiative & single use plastics

Story by Biome's Online Manager:  Some of the Biome team recently attended a screening of the documentary BAG IT, which was promoted by Queensland Conservation and TAKE 3.

We learned how garbage and litter flows from our waterways out to sea and the harm it causes to water birds and sea life as well as our fragile ocean eco systems.

Turtles, who apparently eat everything, are attracted to floating plastic bags because they look like jelly fish.  While, all over the Pacific, albatross chicks are fed junk by their parents who mistake pieces of plastic for food and bring them back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year thousands of baby birds die from starvation, toxicity, and choking.  Carcases of these birds are found decaying with bits of plastic sitting in their stomach cavities still perfectly in tact.

 

TAKE 3 is “A Clean Beach Initiative” where you are encouraged to take at least 3 pieces of rubbish when you leave the beach, waterway or anywhere. You may not have put the rubbish there but you have the ability to take it away and make a difference. If we participate in this simple act and pass on this message we can help stop the damage our litter is causing to our fragile oceans and waterways.

There is no "away"

The documentary BAG IT is a light hearted look at the effect our addiction to single use packaging has in the world. We saw that although we think we are doing the “right thing” by recycling, most plastics are in fact not recyclable and get filtered into landfill.  Further, a huge amount of our “unwashed” plastics are being shipped to China and India to be processed in deplorable conditons.  Container ships are full when they come here carrying fast moving consumer goods, but they are empty on the return leg.  This makes it an inexpensive prospect to ship our garbage around the world to be processed by cheap labour, starting with sorting the heaps of stinking waste.  

The better solution is clearly to avoid plastics in the first place, or to re-use plastics many times before they are sent to "recycling".

Things you can do

• TAKE 3 - pick up other people's rubbish. We can greatly reduce the amount of marine debris in our oceans by preventing it from getting there in the first place.
• Reduce & re-use - use your reusable shopping bags and Onya Weigh grocery bags instead of plastic bags.
• Take your own container to the grocery store and shop from the Deli for meats and cheeses, or take them to the take-away from where you buy lunch and Friday night Thai. You can use stainless steel lunchboxes or glass containers that are BPA free.  
• Sign a petition to support the introduction of acontainer deposit system in Australia which will significantly increase the recycling rates of glass, plastic and aluminium drink containers. 
• Small plastic caps are not recyclable for many reasons, so although it's hard to believe, the responsible consumers are the ones who throw their plastic caps and lids into the rubbish instead of the recycling bin!  For this reason, try not to buy things with small plastic lids or get creative with them instead of throwing them away. 
• Watch the BAG IT documentary.  Find our where it is screening in Australia hosted by Tim Silverwood or visit the official BAG IT movie site.

 

You know how handmade soap gets all goopey on a soap dish? It’s because the soap sits in water and makes your lovely soap disappear faster. You can make this little soap dish with plastic lids that would usually be thrown away, to keep your soap dry by allowing excess water to drain away faster.

Here's another cool way to reuse your plastic drink bottles and lids. Vertical herb gardens are great for small spaces like balconies. 

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Mineral makeup foundation

Musq - winner of the 2012 Natural Beauty Award for best foundation

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Millions of women in Australia and around the world are ditching the chemicals found in conventional cosmetics in favour of beautiful natural products that are better for your skin, your health and the environment!  Are you joining them?  Today’s mineral makeup foundations provide beautiful results and the formulations are so advanced you won’t miss those nasty petrochemical-based products one bit!  

In our busy little mineral makeup corner of the store, the question most often asked is how to choose the right mineral foundation.  Would I be best with a cream, liquid or powder? What colour best matches my skin?    

Prepared by Biome's mineral makeup expert, here's a helpful guide to foundation perfection.  

1.     Choose your formulation - Cream, Liquid or Powder?

Choose the correct formulation for your skin’s needs.

One of our most popular powders

Oily  -   Powder

On Oily skins powder helps to eliminate excess moisture and give a flawless, shine-free finish.

Oily skins can sometimes use a liquid foundation, but must be sure to powder well to stop the makeup ‘sliding’. Touch ups with powder during the day are also a great idea to keep you looking polished.

Pro Tip: Try using a Rose Water or Hydrosol spray like Mokosh hydrosol toner after powder foundation application to help ‘set’ the makeup. This will create a gorgeous ‘natural skin’ look.

Sante cream foundation                           

Dry -  Liquid or Cream

Choose Liquid or Cream foundations for their hydrating properties.  Powders can be drying on this skin type, causing a rough, or chalky appearance. If you would like to use a powder foundation, just be sure to prepare your skin accordingly. It’s important to exfoliate and moisturise well.

Pro Tip: For longer wearing makeup and a more polished look, apply a light dusting of powder after your foundation. A light spray of rose water or hydrosol will help set the look.

Musq mineral powder foundation

Combination  - Powder or Liquid

Combination skins can use either a powder or a liquid foundation.  Powder foundations are great for combination skin as they help to absorb any excess oil and combat unwanted shine. The trick here is to apply more coverage in your oilier zones while using more sparingly in other areas.

Pro Tip: When using liquid foundations, those with combination skin should apply a dusting of powder, focusing on their oily zones, after their foundation to prevent the makeup from ‘breaking up’ in their oiler zones later in the day.

2.     Choose your shade – Know your Skin Tone and Depth

Is your skin Fair, Medium or Deep? Remembering that this may vary in Summer and Winter.

Secondly, is your skin tone Cool, Warm or Neutral?

Cool: You have blue/green eyes, may sunburn/freckle easily, your natural hair colour is blond/light brown, you look good in bright pinks, fuschia and muted browns.

Warm:  You have brown/hazel eyes, tan easily, have brown or darker hair, your skin has a slightly yellow/golden tone, you look good in rich browns and navy.

Neutral : If you have two or more characteristics from both Warm and Cool then you are most likely a neutral skin tone.

Now, check this handy table that gives our recommendations on the best Inika, Musq and Sante choices based on the combination of your skin tone and depth.

For example, if you have Fair skin with Cool tone, recommendations for you are Inika Liquid: Cream; Inika Powder: Grace, Nurture, Unity, Strength; Musq Cream: Kalahari; Musq Powder: Kalahari; Sante Liquid: No. 1.

3.     Try them on!

To get the most accurate colour match, always test makeup on your face rather than your hand or wrist. 

Try at least 3 shades. Pick out the shade that you think most suits your skin tone and then pick one shade lighter and one shade darker.

Apply the makeup using brush/cotton tip on clean skin. At your outer jawline (just in front of your ear) use your brush/cotton tip to make a vertical  ‘stripe of each shade. Work it into the skin slightly as you would when applying to your full face.   This area of your face is perfect for testing foundation because you can see how the makeup affects any pigmentation, your overall skin tone and ensures it will blend into your neck seamlessly.

The aim here is to find a shade that is almost undetectable. If you’ve got the coverage you need and you can’t see it on your skin, you’re onto a winner!

Browse our mineral makeup ranges ...  Inika, Musq, Sante and our Makeup brushes.

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How will you make a difference today?

Here's three ideas ...

Clean up Australia Day sneaks up on us every year--and it is now only 12 days away.  The main day is on Sunday, 4 March; Business Clean Up is 28 February, and Schools on Friday, 2 March.

Why not register for Clean up Australia Day and co-ordinate a group of friends?

Does it seem like forever since you last checked a printed telephone directory?  You can cancel receiving phone books at the official site. You will receive a postcard confirming your cancellation during each book delivery period to your area....

And, don't forget that any old books you do have can go in your household recycling bin.




WWF is asking you to send a letter to the next Queensland Government to help save the Great Barrier Reef.  Every election is an opportunity to help secure commitments from the political contenders.  Queensland votes this March.  Not sure what to say?  WWF has provided a draft letter for you to start with.

They're also asking you to spread the message on Twitter with the hash tag #hanginthereturtles

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Put a cork in it

When 80% of the 20 billion bottles of wine produced in the world each year use natural corks, why do nearly all wine bottles in Australian bottle shops seem to have screw caps?

Is it a reflection of Australian culture?  After all, we drink a lot of beer with screw tops, perhaps we expect to be able to casually screw the top off a beverage.

Australia and New Zealand are among the leaders in this technological "development"--and it's uptake--along with other cork alternative, the Diam petrochemical plastic cork.  Commercial reasons must be driving the change because it's cheaper and reduces spoilage.  But, we seem to be accepting the move away from hundreds of years of tradition without much fuss.  Does some small percentage of wine oxidation really matter when we are once again replacing a truly sustainable solution with an non-renewable, petrochemical answer?

James Halliday posted his views of this debate and attracted some passionate replies! Apparently, the makers of screw caps contend that an aluminium cap generates less carbon in its manufacture and transport - compared with cork that has to travel all the way from Spain!

As someone comments on the Halliday post, "How can you suggest that screwcap production has minimal carbon footprint consequences? Have you considered the environmental impact associated with mining and smelting aluminium and the total amount of energy used in the process of manufacturing screwcaps? Transport is only one component when determining the environmental performance of a product over its life cycle."

And another reminds us that the bark of a cork tree regenerates and is harvested between 10 and 14 times during its 200 year life, in the process capturing 7 or 8 times more CO2 than had the cork bark never been harvested.

Australian environmental commentator Tanya Ha explains in her book Greeniology, the disappearance of cork is an environmental tragedy. "Cork is a wonderful, sustainable resource. The cork oak survives without chemicals, fertilisers or irrigation. Cork trees aren't cut down, only their outer bark is harvested every nine years....Over half the world's cork comes from cork-oak forests in Spain and Portugal. These forests are home to the endangered Bonelli's eagle and the Iberian lynx. As the world buys more wine with plastic stoppers or screw tops, these forests are losing their markets and the farmers are having to clear the land in favour of more profitable crops."

Cork is also biodegradable and readily recyclable so it does not need to end up in landfill. We have a well established recycling stream for cork in Australia.  According to the Planet Ark cork fact sheet: 

Girl Guides Australia has been a world pioneer in cork recycling, beginning its program in 1990. Since then, this program alone collected over 160 million corks. Currently, other community organisations including Motor Neuron Disease, Friends of the Zoos and Green Collect also collect
corks for recycling.

Both Biome eco friendly stores take pleasure in accepting your corks for recycling and handing them onto the Girl Guides.

Interestingly, Australia may lead the way with screw caps, but Planet Ark says, we also have the world’s largest wine cork recycling plant run by Logic Australia. The end result are new products like flooring, memo boards, placemats, coasters, floor tiles, gaskets, horse-float mats, boat decking and inners for hockey and cricket balls.

The story of cork is a common modern eco-dilemma, but we think that it is worth standing up for nature's solution.  It may seem like you're fighting against a tsunami of change, but every purchasing decision you make sends a message.

What Australian wine is bottled using a cork?

Searching online bottle shops, no one seemed to mention whether each wine has a cork or not.  The only winery that came up in searches was Harris Organic Wines, WA, who publish a statement about their commitment to cork.  Way to go!

We asked this question of our Facebook fans last year and they told us:
Brown brothers Riesling, Golden Grape Estate in the Hunter Valley,‎"Stones Gold" sparkling ginger wine, Brown Brothers Zibibbo Rosa, Bleasdale Vineyards eg. for "Frank Potts" Cabernet blend.

Perhaps you can add to our list by posting the names here or on our Facebook? 


Homewares made from cork

Cork wine bottle stopper

You can support cork through other products of course.  We have just introduced to Biome some cork homewares made in Spain from pruned branches and bark of oak trees grown on the Iberian Peninsula - a cork wine bottle stopper, cork trivet and cork soap dish.

Why not upcycle your corks into a real cork memo board?

Find inspiration on the behomemade.com blog. They made the gorgeous memo board pictured here from an old door frame and corks.

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Mind expanding New Year resolutions

We all need the injection of energy that the start of a fresh year brings.  It's hard to avoid the reminder to stop the wheel of life, re-group, tweak priorities and chart a course for exciting new destinations.  There's something about opening a fresh diary, that same feeling of writing for the first time in a crisp new exercise book back in school days. How about pencilling in those blank pages some appointments to expand your mind?

On your schedule this year, consider undertaking further learning about a topic that interests you.  The environmental sphere has so many issues and opposing points of view to learn about, and the technology is moving fast.  New ways of doing things, new organisations, new resources and clever consumer choices are coming to fruition relentlessly.

You don't necessarily have to enroll in University or even leave the house!  The internet opens an incredible field of resources from all over the world.  An internet-based course may not be the choice for everyone if don't wish to spend more time in front of a computer screen.  However, the internet will also give you leads to classes where you do meet face to face with a group of like-minded explorers. Your local book store will have plenty of environment books on topics by authors such as Australia's Tim Flannery.  Why not combine your leave with a hands-on educational tour or working holiday where your time, labour and money supports environmental projects.

Here's a start with some of our favourite resources. We invite you to post links to any other eco-educational resources.

Sustainable Furnishings Council. This US organisation offers excellent resources and runs a GREENleaders sustainability training course. They are offering a free one-hour webinar on Monday, 16 January 2012. The webinar will provide a grounding in the environmental issues related to home furnishings, including the factual basis for climate change, problems with indoor air quality, toxic waste, and water conservation.  This webinar is intended to give participants useful information you can begin using in your business immediately. To reserve your seat at the webinar, follow this link.


Centre for Environment Education Australia in collaboration with CEE India offers exciting tours to India with a purpose. These tours offer much more than the standard tourist experience as they provide a unique opportunity to get involved with projects and people working to conserve the nature. The 10 day wildlife tour to Northern or Western India includes guided tours to National Parks, interacting with locals, experiencing the rich culture of India and hands-on-experience on an environmental project.

University of the Third Age (U3A) is a non-for-profit international movement for older people who want to continue to enjoy learning in later life.  Online and in-person courses are low cost, require no prior qualifications, and are run in most capital citites of Australia.

Conservation Volunteers. Australia's Conservation Volunteers welcomes people with a love of the outdoors and an interest in the environment to take part as a volunteer in one of its many conservation projects, like the Tasmanian Devil.  Volunteers require no prior skills or experience. Projects are managed in conjunction with project partners that may include regional councils, national parks, museums, landcare groups, conservation departments and other national conservation agencies. They also run a range of Education Programs.

Have you participated in a course, workshop or study on an environmental theme?  We would love to hear your ideas...

For inspiration on some other New Year resolutions, check this video story from Planet Green on their Top 5 green resolutions (#5 Swap clothes, #4 Save Paper, #3 Go Vegie, #2 Ditch Plastic, #1 Act now).  Or visit the Planet Green page here with more resources and links.

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Spending for positive change

For all of us concerned about the earth's precious and limited resources, Christmas time really stretches and strains our conscience.  We think carefully about the purchases we are making, about whether they are necessary and whether they are responsbile.

At Biome Eco Stores, we agonise over finding the balance between encouraging consumption at Christmas and operating a viable business.  For any retail business, and particularly one like ours that operates at the margins, Christmas is vital to our survival throughout the rest of the year.

Our mission at Biome has to be two-pronged - one is to help everyone who visits our stores make a difference to the planet, and secondly, to continue to exist so that we may help people with those choices!

While loading the brilliant new range of Tegu magnetic building blocks onto our website, there was the reminder we needed about what we are doing.  In the below video, the founder of Tegu, Chris Haughey says that parents will always spend money on toys for their children.  Tegu's aim is to help people spend that money where it will have a positive social impact.

As Chris explains, Tegu is a "for profit" engine for positive social change in Honduras. Being able to support businesses like Tegu is what makes us at Biome happy!

Some of us choose to live a minimalist, buy nothing life, and some of us choose to consume with a conscience.  Obviously, Biome is a store for the later - but, we have great respect for the former!
 
For every product we choose to stock, we run through our selection criteria assessing what the product is made from, where it is made, who made it and under what conditions, how long will it last and what will happen to it at the end of its life.

We need stores such as ours with an ethical and eco focus to ask the questions and demand standards that profit focussed retailers overlook.

Thinking about reduce & recycle at Christmas

Planet Ark has produced an excellent list  "The 12 do's of Christmas" (thank you to our facebook friend for letting us know about this!).  All very easily achieveable actions to help you reduce and recycle this Christmas.  Ideas like:

• Buy good quality decorations that can be reused many times, or make your own from reused materials.
• Gather all your steel bottle caps and save them in one can, then fold down and send the whole lot off to recycling.
• When giving new electronics, recycle the old electronics - Planet Ark's RecyclingNearYou.com.au has an excellent resource on where to find places to recycle just about anything.
• Invest in a battery recharger for your home and give rechargeable batteries with gifts.

Introducing Tegu magnetic wooden blocks

Tegu's product designer talks about the thought process and 'maths' behind Tegu's magnetic wooden building blocks, which have the unique ability to build stronger minds for children.

See the Tegu range available in Australia at Biome.  Visit here for our green christmas ideas.

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Teenage skin care

It's hard to find Certified Organic, Australian-made skin care for teenagers that is also palm oil free.

Brands for teenage skin care are often developed by parents out of concern for the chemicals their teen children are exposed to.  Parents want personal care choices that are gentle yet effective, without compromising on fashion or fun.

Natural products for teens should provide a safe and sustainable alternatives to chemical cosmetics for teenage skin care.  Openness in the beauty industry and inspiring girls to make smarter choices for their bodies and the environment.

To appeal to teenagers, a skin care range needs to 'emotionally 'teen', functionally 'green'.   

Teenagers and chemicals

Research by Dr Rebecca Sutton who has studied the effects of four chemical families on girls aged 14-19 as part of her research for the American Environmental Working Group (EWG), produced in September 2008, showed that teenage girls’ bodies contained residual traces of 16 chemicals commonly found in everyday personal care products.

There are so many products in use around the home that identifying the exact source of these chemicals is difficult. But we can minimise these chemicals in our bodies by choosing beauty products that do not contain chemicals and are certified organic.


Australian Certified Organic (ACO) is Australia’s largest certifier for organic and biodynamic produce. ACO endorsement for any commercial product stipulates that food and other products must contain 95 percent organic ingredients, with the remaining five percent restricted to natural ingredients meeting stringent requirements. The product must adhere to strict national production standards, undergo annual audits, and show total transparency - allowing any person to trace the origin of every ingredient.

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Recycling, the art of re-invention

 

A gorgeous new product we have in store at Biome has inspired this post for Planet Ark's National Recycling Week being celebrated right now.

Made from reclaimed cotton shirts, this little recycle yourself doll on a key fob is accompanied by a booklet that tells its story from cotton on the bush transforming to a smart business shirt, then to a discarded shirt, before its re-invention into this quirky doll.  As the story concludes: 
And today, someone who reminds you that in your heart you have the strength to recycle yourself into whatever you want to be.

Isn't that so true about all recycling?  A material or an ingredient has a useful life in one form, but when that use comes to an end there are so many ways it can be re-invented, re-loved, re-used or upcycled. Upcycled being the term de rigueur that refers to the process of converting waste or useless products into new materials or products of better quality.

We don't recycle at Biome - well not much...

With all the deliveries of stock we receive in our stores, we gather a mountain of cardboard boxes and stuffing of various kinds from bubble wrap to polystyrene beads, shredded paper and compostable beads - but we take joy in not recycling.  Don't panic!  We re-use -- rather than recycle -- as much as we can.  Where ever we can re-box (as in re-use a box) or re-stuff (re-use stuffing materials) we will.  In fact, we even have our neighbours on the bandwagon.  The restaurant gives us their wine cartons, the laundromat gives us freebie magazines and the coffee shop gives us boxes.  They love it because their bins are less full and we love it because we don't have to buy boxes and stuff.  Some of our suppliers send re-boxes to us as well, then we use them again to send to you...so that is at least three useful lives before any more energy is used to recycle them!

Where can I recycle certain things?

Planet Ark's Recycling Near You program is gold. That is, Planet Ark deserves a gold medal for all their incredible work to promote education and uptake on recycling.  They have a telephone hotline, or, visit the website where you can type in your location and it delivers links on where you can recycle certain things.

The page for recycling in the Brisbane area has a wealth of leads.  For example, one link tells me what materials I can put in the household kerbside recycling bin in Brisbane
All these materials are collected:

• Glass Bottles and Jars (but not drinking glasses and plates)
• Aluminium Cans
• Aluminium Foil
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Office Paper
• Envelopes Without a Window
• Envelopes With a Window
• Phone Books
• Pizza Boxes (scrape the food out, some grease is ok)
• Egg Cartons (unless you know someone with chickens that can reuse them)
• Cardboard
• Steel Food Cans (does a magnet stick to it? it's steel if it does)
• Steel Paint Cans (empty)
• Steel Aerosol Cans (empty)
• Milk cartons
• Juice cartons
• Tin-plate or aluminium lids from steel food cans
• Plastics marked with
   

The last one is great news - they accept all plastics marked from 1 to 6, which is pretty much most firm plastics these days.  This was not always the case.
We aim to ensure that every plastic item stocked at Biome has a recycling symbol stamped on it - without that symbol there is no hope of it being recycled.

If you are into re-crafting, there are so many books and internet resources on how to make new things from old things.
Happy re-inventing!

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Non stick cookware - a cautionary tale

A cautionary tale

So far this story has followed a plot-line similar to that of so many human-created chemicals.  Invented by accident, its benefits are found to make life easier or more enjoyable for people - and more pofitable for companies.  The product is released on the world without caution, before proper testing of its health and environmental impacts.  Decades later, the chemical is found to be harmful in its manufacture or use.  The company knows this, but covers it up, until a group of concerned citizens fights for long enough to gain the attention of Government regulatory bodies.  Think CFCs, cigarettes, BPA, DDT ...

It is the tale of a synthetic fluropolymer called Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) - most well known by the DuPont brand name Teflon - along with its stablemate PFOA.  Among the many uses for PTFE is making non stick cookware.  PFOA, which is cancer causing and lethal to birds, is used in the manufacture of PTFE.  It is also used to make oil and water-repellent coatings on carpet, textiles, leather and paper, like microwave popcorn bags.

PTFE was invented accidentally in 1938 by a scientist who was attempting to make a new CFC refrigerant. In the early 60's Marion A. Trozzolo, who had been using the substance on scientific utensils, marketed the first US-made Teflon coated frying pan, "The Happy Pan." (Wikipedia)

In 2004, DuPont (who still uses PFOA in the manufacture of PTFE) paid US$300 million to 50,000 residents living near one of its US plants.  The residents had brought a class action claiming it was responsible for contaminating local water supplies with PFOA, causing birth defects and other health hazards.

In 2006, a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientific advisory board recommended PFOA be labelled a 'likely carcinogen' (cancer-causing) in humans.  The EPA asked DuPont, and seven other companies that use PFOA in manufacturing processes, to phase out its use. DuPont has agreed to take steps to make sure that by the year 2015, the chemical would not be released into the environment from its manufacturing plants, though it has not agreed to stop using it, or to stop making Teflon. The problem for Dupont is, as it stands now, it cannot make Teflon without this chemical, though it says it is looking for a substitute.  Quoted from an excellent article by Peter Lavelle on the Australian ABC website The Pulse.

It further transpires that DuPont had known for several decades that PFOA is harmful and kept quiet about it!  The EPA did at least fine DuPont for this behaviour (ref: The Washington Post) .

Are Teflon and other PTFE containing non stick pans safe?

The Peter Lavelle article summarises: 
...non-stick fry pans can release toxins. At high temperatures Teflon is known to give off a cocktail of 15 types of toxic particles and gases, including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and phosgene. These chemicals are known to be poisonous to birds. And in humans they cause headaches, chills, backache, and fever - a condition known as 'Teflon flu'.
DuPont admits this, but it says in humans the condition is reversible, and in any case it only occurs at high temperatures, not during normal cooking use.

Government authorities and DuPont say that Teflon and other PTFE non stick pans and cookware are safe as long as you cook at low to medium heat, do not heat the pan empty, don't allow oils to smoke, etc etc.

I would be particularly cautious about cheap "no name" brands of non stick pans.  I imagine the quality of the coating would be questionable and more easily broken down into toxins, plus there is little accountability from the manufacturer. 

Wikipedia explains:
At 200 °C PTFE is detectable and it evolves several fluorocarbon gases. It begins to deteriorate after the temperature of cookware reaches about 260 °C, and decomposes above 350 °C (662 °F). These degradation by-products can be lethal to birds, and can cause flu-like symptoms in humans.

Meat is usually fried between 200 and 230 °C, and most oils will start to smoke before a temperature of 260 °C is reached - although refined safflower oil and avocado oil have a higher smoke point than 260 °C so you wouldn't know. Empty cookware can also exceed this temperature upon heating.

Safe non stick cookware alternatives

Biome simply supports the precautionary principle - better safe than sorry.  We also aim to question any use of synthetic chemicals and whether there is a safe, more natural alternative.  I also have no idea how you would tell what temperature your non stick pan had reached?

All cookware uses some form of metal and synthetic process to manufacture the pan, unless we're going to cook over an open fire on sticks, or use the sun to cook an egg on a rock!  Unless you can think of other methods...?

Glass is the safest of materials, but it is certainly not non-stick, as proven by hours of scrubbing lasagne of my glass Pyrex dish.

We have chosen the Neoflam non-stick cookware range that is now stocked in both our stores and online.

Neoflam is a cast aluminum cookware coated with Ecolon™ non-stick coating. Ecolon is a ceramic based coating which is mostly made of silicon dioxide (also known as silica or SiO₂), a material most commonly found in nature such as stone and sand. No emissions are released at any temperature and there are no heavy metals such as Cadmium, Lead and Mercury in the coating.

Aside from the great features below, I love cooking with Neoflam!  The fry pan is a joy to use - lightweight and easy to clean.  I've tried other safe non-stick cookware that is much heavier and unweildy.  I love that it is ovenproof also.  A friend who is a Chinese chef was delighted with his Neoflam wok. He said the "fried rice was dancing"!

• Highly durable and scratch resistant - non stick coating lasts longer than conventional non stick
• Oven safe
• Has the benefits of cast iron thick base cookware, but is actually lightweight
• Great value prices compared with other brands marketed as premium options
• Ecolon coated cookware uses less energy and achieves faster cooking times due to better thermal conductivity
• Less C02 emissions than Teflon manufacturing

According to Neoflam, most PTFE coating can only withstand up to 4H pencil testing. PTFE coating releases chemicals at 240°C. On the contrary, Ecolon can withstand 8H hardness testing and will not melt up to 450°C.

Ecolon coated cookware can cook an egg without using any oil. And clean up is a breeze too, both inside and outside.  Ecolon's non-stick coating performance may appear to be slightly less than a PTFE-based non-stick coating. However, Ecolon's advantage comes from its durability, maintaining the same non-stick performance even after repeated use.

See the full range of Neoflam non stick cookware at Biome Eco Stores.

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