Shout Dad an Aussie organic beer

While at the Organic Expo in Sydney recently we were very happy to taste some of Australia's fine organic wines and even a beer!

We were particularly excited about the Burragumbilli Certified Organic Lager and thought it would be a great treat for Dad on Father's Day…without the hangover!

A boutique beer brewed in New South Wales, Burragumbilli is growing in popularity and reputation as a quality, clean tasting “green” choice for the thinking drinker. It has no added sugar, no preservatives and no harmful chemical residues.

The beer follows an organic processing chain from farm to malt house to brewery and bottling to achieve the high status Australian Certified Organic (ACO) certification.

Organic malts and hops have no chemical residues to interfere with fermentation producing a clean, unadulterated beer. Organic lager has exceptional clarity without the use of harmful chemical fining agents, and it has a clean, flavourful taste.



Would you like a cocktail with that beer?
If you are drinking a beer that is not certified organic you are likely to be imbibing a chemical cocktail at the same time.  It can include the residues from farming processes, storage and preservative requirements, several of which are carcinogenic, as well as residues of industrial cleaners and chemical additives to the brew such as flavours, colours, and preservatives.

The benefit of organic beverages is not only are they chemical free but they are also either preservative free or produced with low preservatives, which has a proven tendency to be gentler on your system with less headaches the next day.

Burragumbilli barley and hops are grown without industrial fertilizers, pesticides, weedicides or fungicides and therefore are without the common chemical residues of conventionally grown crops. Hops in particular are very susceptible to fungal diseases and conventionally grown crops generally require fungicidal applications. Organic hops must be grown with wider spaced plants and rigorous pruning to improve sunlight penetration and airflow to restrict fungal infections.

Where to buy a Burra 

Check the list of retail outlets for Burragumbilli organic beer here. If your local bottle shop doesn’t already, why not ask them to start stocking Burragumbilli. Plus, it now has the distinction of being the first organic beer offered on Virgin Australia international and some domestic flights.

Organic Wines

The 2009 Temple Bruer Thistle Hill Riesling was awarded the Best Wine of Show & Best White at the Australia / New Zealand Organic Wine Show, whilst the 2007 Temple Bruer Shiraz Malbec Preservative Free took the Best Red & Best Preservative Free trophy.

Temple Bruer is regarded as one of the pioneers in organic viticulture and oenological practices in Australia. David and Barbara Bruer established a small vineyard in the early 1970's on a property situated on the main road between the towns of Strathalbyn and Milang, in the grape growing district of Langhorne Creek in South Australia. David was in charge of Roseworthy College's Oenology Department before becoming a full-time vigneron, while Barbara also taught chemistry at Roseworthy College and Flinders University for ten years.

Today Temple Bruer is Australia's largest certified organic label and its reputation for quality wine is firmly established.

www.organicwine.com.au is an online wine retailer specialising in organic wine, biodynamic wine and preservative free wine.  Organic, biodynamic, and minimal interference practices when employed competently lead to a superior and unique quality product. The individual “personality” of each wine can be fully expressed for us all to savour.

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Women, wildflowers and hope

One of my favourite moments in the Biome store today was sharing with our customers an appreciation of these beautiful and intriguing greeting cards and the women who made them.

Handmade by women whose homes in El Salvador’s highland cloud forest were destroyed by a devastating earthquake and mudslides, these greeting cards represent a woman’s hope for the future.

Look closely as you may not realise that the pattern on these greeting cards is made from intricately placed dried wildflowers and leaves.

In 2001, massive mud slides and a devastating earthquake left many families in the highlands of El Salvador homeless and jobless. With their fields destroyed, many people began traveling long hours to low-paying factory jobs in the capital. A group of enterprising women, however, formed Arte Comasagua, an artisans’ organization that handcrafts stylish designs from native flowers and plants. These women now work locally, caring for their families and saving for their future.

These handmade wildflower cards are available online and at Biome Eco Stores at 2 Latrobe Tce, Paddington and 215 Adelaide Street, Brisbane CBD.


The cards are shared with the world through Hope for Women, a socially-responsible, for-profit organisation that provides retail opportunities for products made exclusively by women so they can take control of their lives and futures.  Learn more from this news story.

  

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Mr Harvey, can't you use your media power for good?

Photo from Greenpeace Australia Pacfic website

There is no doubt that Gerry Harvey is a very influential person in Australia due to the media air time that he commands - whether it be paid advertising, or as we saw when he spoke out against offshore online shopping, free editorial.

He recently gained so much free media time on the TV, radio and in print, trying to make the Government introduce a policy to discourage people from buying overseas.

Why then does
(a) Harvey Norman purchase furniture made overseas for sale in Australia?

(b) Harvey Norman allow furniture made from precious Australian native forest timbers to be sold in his stores?

(c) Mr Harvey not use his incredible media influence to be a true leader and speak out against this practice and urge the Government to establish an Australian labelling policy?

An Australian non government group Markets for Change investigation has revealed (excerpt taken from noharveyno.net):
                   The journey of many of Harvey Norman’s Australian native forest wood products starts in the forests of Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia and New South Wales. These forests are logged, shipped overseas to China, made into furniture and then shipped back to Australia to be sold back to us in the showrooms of Harvey Norman around the country.
Harvey Norman has no publicly available procurement policy that ensures the piece of furniture you buy has not come from an Australian native forest.

Australia does need a labelling policy that empowers the consumer to make an informed choice.  The labelling must identify the species from which products are made, whether the trees have been harvested from certified plantations or native forests, and the country in which the products are manufactured.

Take action

Here you can find an excellent resource with a list of the retailers and timbers to avoid.
Who's selling our native forests?

See the full report at the Markets for Change website

Sign the GetUp! petition here

Take the Ethical Paper pledge here

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BPA Free news

Pictured here: LifeFactory glass bottles with silicone covers

As reported on Channel 10 news tonight, 5 July 2011

Channel Ten news tonight aired an informative story on the dangers of BPA and how to avoid BPA.   Read more about our Biome store and the choices featured in the Channel 10 news story.  Founder of Biome Eco Stores and environmentalist Tracey Bailey, spoke in the news piece.  Link to the Channel Ten story.
We have all heard about BPA in the media lately and know that this dangerous compound is found in some plastic containers and drink bottles.  Make a difference in your and your family's health by choosing the safest water bottles and drinking containers available on the market today.

At Biome Eco Stores we have only ever offered safe, non-toxic choices including BPA free, PVC free and also free from lead and phthalates.

This post contains some thoroughly researched, credible sources that we have found on BPA.

The quick summary?  Good old-fashioned glass is the safest choice for any form of drinking vessel, drink bottle, storage container or cooking vessel.  This may not seem the most practical choice, but Lifefactory glass bottles are made from toughened glass and come with a silicone cover to help protect them from breakage.
What is BPA?


Bisphenol A (BPA) is a plastic and resin ingredient used to line metal food and drink cans and to make hard and clear polycarbonate plastics.  Here is a summary of the Environmental Working Group study in 2007 which found BPA in over half of 97 cans of name-brand fruit, vegetables, soda, and other commonly eaten canned goods.

The use of BPA is widespread, as is its permeation into the environment around us including drinking water and human breast milk.  BPA can leach into food from the protective internal lining of canned foods and from consumer products such as baby bottles and water bottles, polycarbonate tableware and food storage containers.  The degree to which BPA leaches from polycarbonate bottles into liquid may depend more on the temperature of the liquid or bottle, than the age of the container.  (Source: National Toxicology Program).

This Z recommends article explains the great advances made away from unsafe polycarbonate bottles that contained high levels of BPA, but calls for putting BPA-free into perspective.  Canada was the first country to ban BPA from baby products, followed by several US States.  It is still allowed to be used in Australia.

How do you limit exposure to BPA?

• Avoid polycarbonate #7 and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) #3 plastics, especially for children’s food or containers used for heating.  Plastics with the recycling labels #1, #2 and #4 on the bottom are safer choices and do not contain BPA.  Some #7 plastics are now free from BPA, so look for the packaging that also clearly states BPA free.
• Do not heat or microwave food in any type of plastic container – use glass or ceramic instead. Heating plastics to high temperatures promotes the leaching of chemicals.
• Reduce your use of canned foods – canned pasta and soups contain the highest levels of BPA
• Use glass baby bottles and glass bottles for drink bottles.
• Use high quality reusable bottles from trusted brands that publish results of quality control and testing.

Which water bottles and containers are safest to use?

In most cases, the old rule “you get what you pay for” is a good starting point.  There are many cheap metal water bottles in stores to meet the consumer demand for moving away from plastics.  We recommend only choosing an established drink bottle brand that you know and trust, that openly publishes independent test results, and that can be held accountable should there be a problem.

Metal bottles can still leach toxins, whether an aluminium bottle with no lining at all or an unsafe lining, or a stainless steel bottle leaching nickel – particularly if there has not been a tightly controlled and monitored approach to the manufacturing.

At the end of the day, you and your family are the ones who drink from the bottles and need to feel comfortable with whichever choice you make.

Biome offers only choices that are the best quality, reputable and free from all harmful things!

Glass water bottles
Lunch boxes
Sandwich wraps
BPA free baby bottles
Stainless steel bottle
Water bottle

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Who's feeling crafty?

Dark, chilly and blustery nights mean lots more time spent indoors focussed on the art of "gentle pursuits" like listening to music, cooking, reading, painting, knitting or your favourite craft.

Biome has gathered some special ingredients and equipment for knitting and crafting.

Organic, Australian-grown, non-mulesing wool
** 25% OFF this week **
Organic wool growers must not use any synthetic inputs - dips, drenches, backlines or antibiotics. Instead sustainable farming practices are used such as clean pasture management, attention to soil health, environmentally sound stock ratios, good nutrition, and herbal and homeopathic treatments.

In conventional wool processing a cocktail of chemicals are used to clean or scour the wool. Organic wool is washed in certified organic biodegradable detergent. For conventional wool, chemical treatments are used to make wool un-shrinkable, moth-proof and softer. This organic wool is naturally soft because they select fine micron Australian Merino fleece to begin with and it is not subject to coarsening chemical treatments.

Lastly, the wool is grown on a property that does not practice mulesing.

Handmade wooden knitting needles
As you knit, the natural oils in your hands are absorbed into the wood making them non-stick and beautiful to knit with.  Handcrafted knitting needles made from sustainably-harvested Tasmanian Oak, lightly finished with natural, organic oils. Available in a variety of colours with white polka dots.

Craft and knitting books
Craft books for kids and adults, knitting patterns, sewing


Wooden buttons & beads
In our Paddington and Brisbane City stores, find beautiful hand made wooden & resin buttons and beads, incorporating Australian native flora - every one is unique.

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Recycling at holiday accommodation

This Easter, join our campaign to get your holiday accommodation to recycle!

Next time you stay at a caravan park, unit or hotel, can you find any mention in the room of separating your recycling?

On a driving holiday from Brisbane to Coffin Bay in South Australia, we've stayed at all manner of accommodation venues.   At nearly every place, there was nothing in the rooms or guest information about what to do with paper, bottles, cans and plastics.  There was generally just one all-in bin in the room.  At each place, we saved our paper and bottles and took them to the reception on checkout.  Most of the hosts were bemused, but happy to take them and promised to put them into the correct recycling.

What worried us, was that many guests would simply put all their rubbish into the one waste bin.  Imagine how much recycling is lost to landfill across all the holiday accommodation in Australia??  Perhaps the venues do separate the waste out the back somewhere - but I'm guessing that would be unlikely, plus it would be too late for paper that had since been mixed up with food scraps in the bin ...

We found only two places that did encourage the guests to separate bottles, and they were small operations in South Australia.  I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that South Australia has a bottle deposit refund scheme? If so, good on the venues for taking advantage of some additional income.  It is interesting how some financial reward is a great incentive -- one that is long overdue in the other States of Australia.

That said, at the "eco-certified" Wilpena Pound Resort in South Australia there was nothing in the rooms about what to do with paper, bottles and cans etc.  Again, just one bin in the room.

So this Easter, how about separating your recycling and taking it to reception on checkout?  And while you're there encourage them to put recycling bins in the rooms or information on where to put the recyclables.

The above picture shows the bottle recycling bins at Southern Blue Apartments, Port Lincoln.  There were bins under the sink in the room as well as outside in the car park.  And on arrival we were asked to recycle - awesome.

Don't forget to take your water bottle and KeepCup on holiday too, so you can reduce the amount of recycling and waste in any case!

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Easter gift ideas

Painting Easter Eggs with Natural Paints
GLOB arts and crafts paints are made from fruits, vegetables, flowers and spices with natural food-grade ingredients - like Berry Blue, Pomegranate, Basil Green and Plum Purple. They even smell fresh & fruity!
Art pigments (colors) are commonly made from petrochemicals and ingredients are rarely listed on the packaging.  Arts and crafts paints often contain lead, cadmium, and other toxic ingredients like formaldehyde, one of the most common paint preservatives.

Here's a quick recipe for using GLOB paints to colour Easter Eggs.
Mix 1/4 tsp of GLOB powder with a 1/4 tsp of water using a brush.  Brush on eggs with a thin layer of paint. Dab off excess with a tissue. Set to dry.
For darker colors apply a second coat. Or, repaint over with a different color to make interesting hues.

Dyeing eggs using fruit, vegetables and spices
Boil eggs in a mixture of fruits, vegetables and spices found around the home to create lovely natural coloured eggs.  Adding vinegar to the water produces a deeper colour.

Dyeing eggs red has a special religious significance at Easter.  Create red using one of these:
Lots of Red Onions Skins
Canned Cherries with Juice
Pomegranate Juice
Raspberries

This About.com website has a great table with ideas on how to create different dye colours like yellow, blue, green and pink with all sorts of natural ingredients.  Some ingredients can just be soaked in cold water, but some need to be boiled to bring out the colour.

Fairtrade chocolate
 
What are you thinking of for an Easter gift? A little indulgence can go a long way by supporting Fair trade chocolate.    Choose from fairtrade, organic, Australian-made and vegan chocolate bars, chocolate eggs and bunnies!
 
Organic Cotton Maud n Lil Bunny

Velvety soft delicious organic cotton bunnies that are beautifully made from certified organic cotton with a natural filling.  They are designed in Australia and hand made in a socially compliance audited factory to the highest quality, health and safety standards.

Chicken love

Book: Zen and the Art of Raising Chickens

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Natural repellent - where did they do?

Have been looking for your favourite natural mosquito repellent but can't find it on the shelf anymore?

All manufacturers of products making claims about their "mosquito repellent" properties have been targeted by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medecines Authority (APVMA).

As a result some natural repellants have been re-labelled without reference to their repellent properties or they have been withdrawn from sale until they go through registration.

Before an agricultural or veterinary chemical product can be legally supplied, sold, or used in Australia it must be registered by the APVMA.
This is the same role the Therapeutic Goods Administration has for pharmaceutical and health products.

According to the APVMA, an "Agricultural chemical product" includes any substance or organism used to: destroy, stupefy, repel, inhibit the feeding of, or prevent pests on plants or other things.  And "other things" includes humans!

So products that make claims such as "A botanical blend of powerful herbal oils to deter insects naturally" are not allowed to say that unless they have been registered - which I imagine involves proving the claim and the safety of all ingredients. 

What happened to your favourite?
Bugger Off personal insect repellant -- withdrawn from sale while it is re-labelled or registered
Lemon Myrtle natural insect protection -- now called an 'antiseptic topical spray'
Mozzie F.O. natural insect repellent -- is still for sale, so must be registered
Scatter Bugs insect repellant -- re-labelled and is now called 'Skin Guard'

What are the ingredients in a natural mozzie repellent
All natural repellants that we know of are simply a combination of essential oils that mozzies don't like in a solution such as water and palm kernel alcohol.  Some add Glycerine and Aloe Vera for added thickness and feel.

The types of essential oils that deter mosquitos include Citronella, Tea Tree Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Lavender, Lemon Myrtle, Sage and Rosemary.

Natural repellent for babies and sensitive skins are the same ingredients but the oils are much more diluted so as to be less likely to irritate.

Take care
As with all essential oils, even though they are natural, people can be very sensitive to specific oils.  Always test a tiny bit first.  Pregnant women should always consult a medical practitioner before applying essential oils to the skin.

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Thermos :: 25% off sale

The weather is cooling down (in Australia at least!) - so think about warming up with a reusable thermos insulated bottle, cup or container.   For a limited time, they are all 25% off at Biome online and instore (Biome Paddington and Biome City stores - only when you mention this offer).

Biome has the best quality insulated water bottle choices - food grade stainless steel, double wall insulation, manufacturer guarantee for peace of mind.

Choose from:

• Kids Konserve insulated container - perfect for noodles, soup, pasta or cold choices like yoghurt
• SIGG sleek metro mugs - coffee thermo to toss in your hand bag without leaks
• SIGG insulated thermo mug - handle and sipper top for drinking on the go in the car
• Thermos - traditional Thermos quality. Straw sipper Thermos Funtainer bottles for cold drinks only, or insulated containers for hot meals likes noodles, soup & pasta.
• Klean Kanteen insulated water bottle - for hot or cold food or drinks. Add a cafe cap to turn your insulated bottle into a reusable coffee cup.

See all thermos insulated choices on sale now >>

Replacement parts / spare parts for insulated water bottles

Part of Biome's eco philosophy is to think about prolonging the life of a product and often a bit of a water bottle or drinking mechanism will break or wear out long before the actual metal or BPA free plastic bottle.  That is why Biome encourages all our suppliers to offer replacement parts.  We offer Thermos plastic straw and Thermos silicone mouth pieces for the Thermos insulated Funtainers.  You can find the Thermos Spare Parts here.
 

Thermos spare parts

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Storm in a Ziploc bag

As storms so often do, it began with some huffing and puffing of moist air and grew into a tempest of opposing forces.  A Quebec father blogged about his six year old son's experience of being banned from a contest at school because he brought lunch in a plastic Ziploc bag.  Within a few days it developed into an international debate on how to teach our children environmentally-friendly values and eco-fascism.

Many of us no doubt agree that penalising children for "environmental misdemeanours" is a negative learning experience -- but where does that differ from providing an incentive that they may miss out on?  In this case, I take issue with a young child being judged by the actions of his parents when he has so little control over the household budget and choices.  I liked the arguments that education is about providing children with the scientific facts and allowing them to form their own opinions.

The original blog post was written in French, but there has been plenty said in English!

Here is one interesting opinion from a blogger on simpatico.ca news

On his blog, [the father] accused the school of "propaganda" and pondered what was next. Disciplining school children who wore clothes made in China?  Across the board from editors, to bloggers, to general public, the school in Laval is being lambasted and accused of "Eco-fascism."

Dare I say I commend them. Granted it's true that children don't pack their own lunches so there's a disconnect between the lesson and real life, but the idea that a 6-year old be against plastic bags can't be detrimental.

Perhaps in this case Felix didn't quite understand why plastic bags were bad. All he understood was that he couldn't win a teddy bear if his mother used one in his lunch. The better thing to do would have been to educate both the children and the parents so that they could pack lunches together and decide on the most eco-friendly choices.

Was this situation Eco-fascism? Hardly. The school was simply trying to teach a lesson - a little misguided perhaps but memorable nonetheless. I'm sure the boy is discouraged from using the bags in the future, which is what we should be aiming for in the end. There's no better way to teach proactive environmentalism than to the young, who have yet to form their plastic, gas-guzzling habits.

And, as quoted in a National Post news article,

Schools tread into dangerous territory when they start enforcing environmental messages without understanding the complex scientific arguments behind them, said Jane Shaw, president of the John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy in North Carolina, and co-author of the book "Facts, Not Fear: Teaching Children about the Environment"... For instance, she said, the debate still rages over whether reusable dishes are really more environmentally friendly than disposable ones, taking into account the water and energy used to wash them.

"In the background to this is the idea that somehow we -- meaning teachers and textbook writers -- know what the environmental impact of something really is,” she said. “Studies have shown it’s very difficult to know whether it’s better to use a china cup or a disposable plastic cup.”  Instead, she said, schools should focus on teaching kids the fundamentals of science so that they can explore environmental issues themselves and draw their own informed conclusions as they get older.

“They’re getting a lot of pabulum about recycling and what is green and that kind of thing,” she said. “They’re not learning the basics of science, which in the long run is much more important.”

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/Sandwich+gets+excluded+from+class+contest/4199546/story.html#ixzz1DQLKuMHS

Inspired to make some eco-friendly choices when packing lunch?  See Biome's range of lunch boxes

We'd love your opinion either here on on our Facebook page.

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Get rid of mould with clove oil

Why clove oil for mould?

The City Council inspector that visited my cousin's inundated house after the 2011 Brisbane flood, gave some advice that inspired this blog post.  He advised to keep away from chlorine bleaches to clean mould as it only 'bleaches' the colour out and does not kill the mould. "It'll be back in a few weeks," he said. "CLOVE OIL is the best!" 

Clove has powerful antiseptic properties and should be used with care. Clove oil actually inhibits mould by attacking and killing the spores.

Shannon Lush, co-author of Spotless, is an expert on cleaning after wet weather. 

Remove mould from hard surfaces
If you can, first clean the surfaces 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 Oil of Cloves (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.

Remove mould from soft furnishings and items
Mix one kilo of uniodised salt into 9 litre bucket of water. Wash the affected surface, wait until the salt crust forms and brush off with a soft broom.   Please take care that the salt does not end up in the garden.

Cleaning smell out of carpets
Use half the amount of soap recommended in the instructions for your steam cleaner plus add: half a cup each of of bi-carb soda, white vinegar and methylated spirits and two teaspoons each of eucalyptus oil and glycerine.
Steam clean your carpet as usual.
Thank you to ABC local radio and Shannon Lush for the references on cleaning. 


 

Clove oil and many other essential oils to use in cleaning, such as Lavender and Eucalytpus, are available from Biome Eco Stores online or in our stores.

Tinderbox clove oil made from the clove bud.  Tinderbox is a great Western Australian small business

UPDATE January 2015
Read our latest post 6 things to know about using clove oil for mould removal
Includes safety advice about using clove -- although it’s natural, it can still cause skin irritations and some people may have an allergic reaction. It should be kept away from children and those on blood thinning medication shouldn’t use it.  We also have advice from Nicole Bijlsma: while clove oil has been long recommended for killing mould spores, Nicole says she doesn’t recommend it because the focus should be on the cause of the mould growth which is moisture.

UPDATE October 2012
Read how mould causes allergy and asthma in some people and the importance of a clove oil room sanitiser that kills airborne mould spores. You can make your own as described below with a piece of jumbo chalk or use the new Australian product mould aroma gel.

UPDATE February 2012
Another tip from our readers, heard on ABC local radio:
To counter mould in homes, put a few drops of pure clove oil on jumbo sticks of blackboard chalk then place them in cupboards around the house and allow the scent to waft around killing mould spores. Replace with a few more drops of oil every month or so once the scent has disappeared. Particularly good idea because you are not spraying any more moisture in an already moist house.
 
UPDATE February 2011
Since our first post, we have had so many questions about how to use clove oil for removing mould from so many different situations - including a whole house!  Some houses that were flooded have been gutted back to the wood frame and people are spraying the water & clove oil mixture all over the wood frame before new plasterboard is affixed.

Another common problem is mould on clothes, shoes and linen.  Take the clothes outside and brush off so that the mould spores do not spread around the house.  Hang them in the sun, as sunlight can kill some forms of mould.  If necessary, spray the affected area lightly with a mixture of quarter teaspoon of clove oil to one litre of water.  *Always patch test in a discrete spot first.

If the mould has stained the fabric, Shannon Lush suggests: Use one kilo of salt per bucket of water and soak overnight. Hang the clothes on the clothesline without rinsing.  Once it dries, a salt crust forms on the fabric.  Brush it off.

What other uses does clove oil have?

Clove has a calming effect.  Put a few drops in an oil burner to spread a calm essence through your room.
Clove is also a scent associated with the festive season.  Did you ever make clove spiked orange pomanders as a child? A pomander was traditionally made to mask odours using citrus fruits spiked with clove heads.  For your own green Christmas scent, drop some clove oil into an oil burner or one of our Banksia scent pots. 

Clove can also be used as an anaesthetic for tooth pain! Put some clove oil on a cotton bud and rub on the painful area to numb the pain.

How to make clove oil?

Source: Wikihow  The recipe to make clove oil at home starts with grinding whole cloves in a spice or coffee grinder. Wrap in cotton or coffee filter paper and submerge in jar of olive oil  that you then heat for 45 minutes using a double boiler of water. Allow clove package to steep for another week or so.  Makes a weak form of clove oil suitable for human application.  Professionally made clove oil is best for cleaning as it is stronger and may have better analgesic (pain killing) properties. 


See clove oil and green cleaning recipes on our Pinterest.




About the clove plant

Image & text from www.plantguide.org
The clove-tree was native in the Moluccas, or Clove Islands, and the southern Philippines. Now cloves are extensively cultivated in Sumatra, the Moluccas, West Indies, Penang, Mauritius, Bourbon, Amboyne, Guiana, Brazil, and Zanzibar -in fact, throughout the tropical world. Zanzibar is said to supply most of the cloves of the market.

 The clove-tree may attain an age of from sixty to seventy years, and some have been noted which were ninety years old and over. The average life of the plantation clove-trees is, however, perhaps not more than twenty years. The trees begin to yield in about five years after planting. The picking of the immature flowers with the red calyx is begun in August and lasts for about four months. From two to four crops are harvested each year.

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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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Lunch boxes - easy & healthy

Biome loves gathering great ideas from our customers and we also love giving them a little prize for their help. Our last Facebook promotion was to post three unique ideas for food to pack in healthy lunch boxes & we'll include two free Kids Konserve Kozy sandwich wraps with your next online order or in-store purchase.

Here are some of the ideas for lunch boxes we received.
Savoury

• Rice Paper Rolls filled with vermicelli, bean shoots, grilled chicken and coriander
• Salad Pita Pockets
• Vegie sticks with Homemade Coconut Dip
• Cold toasted sandwiches with cream cheese and tuna
• Leftover cold quiche shapes (cut using shape cutters)
• Homemade mini meatballs
• Antipasto selection
• Rice Balls rolled in Turmeric
• Rissotto cakes
• Popcorn
• Wholemeal lavash wraps with chicken, avocado, lettuce and tomato
• Sandwich with marinated tofu and lightlty fried pumpkin slices
• Leftover meal in a thermos lunch jar for lunch
• Tuna, avocado or vegetable sushi
• Rolypolies (flat bread rolled up and cut like pinwheels with any smooth simple filling - like vegemite, hommus, cream cheese)
• Homemade yoghurt with crushed berries swirled through
• BBQ sauce or fruit chutney on a wholegrain roll
  
• Seaweed strips
• Cucumber and hommus
• Red capsicum and snow peas
• Homemade pizza slices cold 
• Raw kale chips

Sweet

• Snowy Fruit Balls - dried apricots, dried peaches dried apple rings, sunflower seeds, raisins blended then rolled in coconut
• Apricot Fruit Bars covered with Rice Paper
• Dates spread with peanut butter, rolled in coconut and chilled
• Pumpkin & yoghurt muffins
• Sugarless date, rolled oat and banana slice
• Organic dried sultanas and apricots bought in bulk and divided into reusable snack containers
• Fruit kebabs
• Homemade iced tea
• Melon balls - a mix of watermelon, cantelope and honeydew scooped with a melon baller
• In summer, frozen banana, grapes and orange pieces
• Dried banana chips and dehydrated pineapple
• Sweet pistachio Lara bar

Thank you to all the great biome Facebookers that provided us with these great lunch box ideas.

Now, what to pack the lunch in? 
All of the kids lunch box available at Biome are safe, from BPA, lead, PVC and other toxins.  We also help make it easy to pack a waste free or 'wrapper-free' lunch with reusable lunch box containers.  Try a stainless steel lunch box.

The all-in-one Goodbyn lunch box with 5 leak-proof compartments and one lid has been trialled by us and makes it so easy to pack a waste free lunch.

Reusable sandwich wraps are a great way to reduce plastic wrap waste and avoid toxins in some plastic wraps - and even save money.

And one that has been very popular with the adults are the Bento boxes this great company also have a recipe book available for more ideas.

Find all these options on our website or you can come see us at the Biome eco stores.

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Biome newsletter - All new for Spring

Our stores and online are blossoming with

the colour and liveliness of Spring.

Revive your skin, your home, your passion for the planet.

 

View our latest newsletter online >>

Highlights

• New products: Effervescent bath cupcakes, Porcelain mortar & pestle, Ask Alice postcards, Makedo find & make kits, Baby memory book, single Ecococoon stainless steel cups, Wooden branch crayons, Tortellini baby feeding cushion
• Order Personalised Kylie Johnson stars by 15 October
• Corporate Christmas cards & gifts
• Biome rewards
• On Sale: Botani, Kosmea, Escapulario beads & more

View more of our newsletter online >>

Threatened species & Wipe for Wildlife
There was a whole lotta love last month for the creatures that share our planet. With our threatened species giveaway we looked at the Snub fin Dolphin (northern WA &Townsville), Long nosed Potoroo (East Gippsland), Clouded Leopard (Nepal to Borneo), Bonobo (Congo) and Albatross (Macquarie Island).

They all face the same main threats: foremost is habitat loss from land clearing for houses, agriculture and logging; and secondly, predators introduced to their environment.

Each of us can help by reducing pressure for land clearing and logging by choosing paper products made from post consumer waste recycled, pre-loved furniture, plantation timber, avoiding palm oil, supporting people working directly with your favourite animals, and using recycled toilet paper!

  Are you a tree flusher? We love the Wipe for Wildlife promotion by Zoos Victoria to get people thinking about saving wildlife by using recycled toilet paper.

You can even download a poster for your toilet door!

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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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Gardens make me smile

Our cuddling carrots.  Seems we planted the seedlings too close together, but we loved them all the same...  Do you have a photo of something in your garden, or someone else's, that makes you smile?

The clever Linky list below allows you to upload a photo and, if you wish, include a link back to your own blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc.  (Just upload a smallish image for speed and it gives you the chance to crop it to size.)

And, for more edible gardening inspiration, please come along to meet David of Productive Gardens this weekend Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 August at Biome Paddington or Biome City store on Thursday, 2 September.  More info about times and location 

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Talking rubbish with like-minded friends

Photo credit: winning poster in the World Industrial Design Day competition

Do you have anxieties about throwing things "away"?  Do people putting food scraps into recycling make you edgy?  Do you break out in a sweat when there's no recycling bin to dispose of your drink bottle?

During our recent visit to Melbourne for the retail trade fairs, I had a hurried and animated chat with Wasteman.  What fun to gabble with a like-minded soul about rubbish -- rubbish of the wasteful kind that is.  Wasteman devotes a blog to problems with waste and loves to take photos of rubbish bins and odd rubbishy things.  He introduced me to the waste pyramid and thinking about recycling being the last resort. 

Could it be that because we find recycling so easy we are actually likely to generate more recycling and waste, rather than first trying to avoid, reduce or reuse?

At home we have just ordered a larger recycling bin being offered by the Brisbane City Council.  Ours is always overflowing each fortnight, but maybe that's not such a good measure of our eco-performance. Seems we should actually be trying to downsize our recycling bin by generating less "stuff" to be recycled.

Things to make me feel less-wasteful:

• Buy in bulk
• Choose items with little or no packaging
• Pack a wrapper-free lunch using Goodbyn or Kids Konserve
• Grow our own vegetables
• Use shopping bags that last forever.  Wasteman has more to say on this!
• Stop the Junk Mail, but what about the newspapers?
• And my daily buzz, BYO my KeepCup reusable coffee cup - and save 50cents in the process (1 coffee per day x 50 cents saved = $182 dollars a year!)

We just received a lovely letter from the Salvos Stores about their Buy Nothing New Month in October.  They say this national 'conscientious consumuption' campaign is about reducing the community's impact on the environment by encouraging reusing and recycling.  It's a fantastic concept.

I love to send things to the Salvos or Reverse Garbage....I've blogged before about my hoarding tendencies because I can't bear to throw things away (Continuous loop of Reverse Garbage).  

Are there any other friends out there with strange anxieties about waste?  Tell us here or please pop on over to our Facebook page and tell us there...

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Cooloola Great Walk opens: 5 day trek from Noosa to Rainbow Beach

The new Cooloola Great Walk is set to become one of Australia's iconic long distance walking tracks attracting international and local bush walkers to Queensland.

The 102km Cooloola Great Walk links the Noosa North Shore to Rainbow Beach via the eastern high dunes, the upper Noosa River, Poona Lake and Carlo Sand Blow, with an optional route via Double Island Point.

Showcasing the outstanding natural attractions of the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park, the track winds through rainforest, tall eucalypt forest, dry coastal woodland and heath plains.

You can undertake the full 5 day trek or a shorter walk by joining at several entry points.  The designated overnight camp sites must be booked. A lovely two day walk can be undertaken from Rainbow Beach to Freshwater, where you camp overnight and then walk back.  If you love cool, fresh water when bush walking, you won't be disappointed by the upper Noosa River, Lake Cooloomera, Freshwater Lake and Poona Lake along the way.

From Rainbow Beach, keen walkers can hike another 13km to Inskip Point and catch the barge across to link up with the Fraser Island Great Walk!

We recently explored the Carlo Sand Blow, which is at the Rainbow Beach end of the Great Walk.  Here's just a glimpse of the beautiful wildflowers and plants you can expect to see along the way.

Coastal bush sculpted by the wind.  View looking across Carlo Sand Blow. On the opposite hill you can see a track where people slide down the dune and tiny specks of people!

Interesting links
All the Great Walks of Queensland
Construction of the Cooloola Great Walk
More about Rainbow Beach

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Win $500 'mind, body & sole' shopping day in Brissie

We've joined forces with our friends at the exceptional shoe store Children of the Revolution and mind-expanding The American Bookstore to give one lucky Biome customer a fabulous day out in Brisbane.

To enter ~ simply visit Biome Eco Store at 215 Adelaide Street, City and fill out an entry form. Customers who are already on our e-newsletter list automatically receive an entry ++ plus you can get bonus entries by filling out an entry in store.

The prize ~ an awesome day out to soothe mind, body and sole.

Three people - one from each store's customers - will each win a $500 prize.  Read below how to enter with the other stores too*.  Drawn on 30 June 2010.  The Biome winner will be notified by email and on this blog.  Vouchers are for use in the Brisbane City stores only.

First up, a visit to Children of the Revolution across the road from Biome at 204 Adelaide Street with a $200 gift voucher.  Children of the Revolution specialise in great shoes that are great for you.  They have divine boots to see you through winter and heaps of other spunky things.  Campers, Birkenstock Earth, Think!, El Naturalista.  (PS. there's now a store in Sydney too at 637 Darling St, Rozelle).

After that, a visit to one of Brisbane's most wonderful bookstores. The American Bookstore is a 100% Australian owned and operated family business at 197 Elizabeth Street in Brisbane City.

A great place to go for hard to get titles and special orders - and you can now buy books on line. American Bookstore is giving you $100 to spend on any books in store.

Then stop by Biome Eco Stores in the City with a $200 gift voucher in your pocket.   You know what we offer and this is your chance to buy something special you've had your eye on.

*How to score more bonus entries ~ one customer from each of three stores will win a fabulous day in Brisbane, so to increase your chances even more please visit:

* Children of the Revolution's Facebook and contribute a post on how you look after mind, body & sole

* American Bookstore's website and subscribe to their newsletter

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Kids Konserve raises the safe lunch bar

Like many of our customers, we're always on the search for reusable, waste-free lunch packaging that is free from toxins too.  Our team are "wrapped" with Kids Konserve for both adults and children. 

Ainsley says: "Kids Konserve is a brand I am so excited about. It's an aesthetically pleasing eco friendly product that is fantastic quality and free of all the yucky stuff."

"It's not only a great range for children but something any young at heart adult would find just as useful when packing your own lunch from home."

"A great plus with this range that I don't see in too many other brands is the containers with safe-plastic lids are leak proof so you can take salads with dressing or dips and not be concerned about a big mess."

"The Food Kozy that's perfect for sandwiches is also a fantastic reusable alternative to plastic wrap, foil and snap lock bags."

Tracey says: "the kids have already given Kids Konserve a great work out.  The insulated thermos jar has opened up a whole new set of lunch option - banana smoothies are the top request at the moment."

"I'm pleased with the bottles for the kids too because they are the only leak-proof stainless steel bottle for kids with a pull top spout we know of."

Customers are also loving the new lunch packs which include a beautiful recycled cotton sack, cloth napkin, stainless steel bottle, Food Kozy and two leak proof stainless steel food containers.

FREE ONLINE SHIPPING OFFER

To celebrate the launch of the full Kids Konserve range in Australia, we are offering free shipping when you include any Kids Konserve item valued over $10 in your order.

Offer expires, midnight Friday 25 June 2010.  Excludes shipping of Bokashi and over-size items.

Green Goods by Biome distributes Kids Konserve in Australia.  We welcome wholesale inquiries.   Please see Kids Konserve Wholesale 

Kids Konserve is also stocked by Eco Essentials, Everything Free.  For more stockists see Kids Konserve stockists

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Waste update: Foodbank will be in every Australian State

As reported on Australian Food News

Foodbank has received its license to commence operations in Tasmania, meaning that Foodbank Australia will be providing food assistance in every State of Australia.

The Australian Food News article says:

"More than two million Australians, including one million children, rely on food relief each year.

 

The Foodbank Tasmanian office is set to open at the former Chickenfeed distribution centre at Cambridge, near Hobart, with the aim of providing up to 66,000 Tasmanians with food support donated by supermarket chains, retailers, manufacturers, producers and growers. The site itself is also a donation, with a 10-year lease on the centre given to Foodbank by philanthropist Jan Cameron of Retail Adventures.

Chairman of Foodbank Tasmania Michael Kent said Foodbank Tasmania’s aim was to provide nutritious meals to Tasmanian families when they could not afford to purchase food.

The 2001 census found that Tasmanian families had the lowest average weekly income compared to those of other states, and according to the Department of Health and Human Services, a lack of money is the main cause of hunger in Tasmania, resulting in more than 6000 people going without meals in the past 12 months. In times of hardship, food is often compromised to pay household bills.

The opportunity is now available for food retailers, processors and primary producers in Tasmania to donate food. Foodbank will accept all food that is fit for consumption - surplus to commercial demand, slow moving, short dated or unable to be sold."

Read more about food waste and organisations like Foodbank in our previous post on Freegans and food waste.

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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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Travel advice

if you do not change direction,

you will end up

where you are going. - Lao Tzu

Thank you to Kate Knapp of Twigseeds who features this quote on her inspirational cards.

I have been reflecting on this quote today, wondering whether I am interpreting it the correct way.  It seems to me that it is reassuring one that either choice will be fine, so relax -- either you change direction and perhaps end up in a better place, or maintain your course and you'll end up in a good place anyway...

Or is it suggesting that if you feel like you are headed in a negative direction, you will likely end up in a negative place?  I do think it is giving one the courage to accept that only you can chart your direction. 

I think it struck a chord because we spend a lot of time asking ourselves whether we are making the right decisions in terms of what is an "environmentally friendly" product and what we need to do to grow a sustainable, ethical and viable business.  For example, with palm oil, so many discussions and points of view.   The planet certainly needs those who are prepared to change the direction...

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