Top 10 vegan & vegetarian recipe websites we love

Eating less meat and more plants is not only for compassionate and environmental reasons, it is also healthy and great for those trying to trim down a little.  (I have a confession that I am loving The Biggest Loser's Friday Masterclass and they encourage proteins from plant sources!).   I'm loving cooking with my Gastrolux non stick cookware too - no toxic emissions and no oil required!

Here's my top 10 online resources for scrumptious vegetarian and vegan dishes, with favourite recipes picked out for you.

http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/e-books/
Four e-books by vegan author Hannah Kaminsky to download for just US$5 each with amazing recipes for ice cream and sweet treats made with no eggs or dairy.    RECIPE PICK *  Buttered popcorn ice cream!  

http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com/
HUGE list of recipes from Bryanna Grogan, author of 8 vegan bookbooks and The Vegan Feast quarterly newsletter.   RECIPE PICK * Marinated tofu that's kinda like fetta
 

http://veganyumyum.com/ Lovely photos to accompany yumyum recipes and helpful "how to" section with how to Supreme an orange, how to slice a mango, etc.
RECIPE PICK * Avocado Wasabi Salad (pictured)  

Martha Goes Green vegetarian cookbook  Independently published in Melbourne, Australia, printed on recycled paper with vegetable inks, with over 50 vegetarian and health conscious recipes.   Available to buy from Biome with all our vegetarian recipe books.  RECIPE PICK * Chocolate Tofu Mousse

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47633560@N00/
Japan and the US have been crazy for Bento boxes long before the "waste-free" lunch box trend hit Australia.  SV Mama is a member of the Flikr Vegan Bento group that has lots of photos of Bento lunches.  Not actual recipes, but lots of ideas to fill up little boxes, like pictured here: Garlic Bread, Ravioli with Marinara Sauce, Pineapple Guavas and Sauteed Brussel Sprouts. Not sure I could get brussel sprouts past the kids!  
 
http://www.kurma.net Cooking with Australian Vegetarian Guru, Kurma Dasa.  Vegetarian and vegan recipes, invite Kurma to cook for you and follow his culinary adventures on his blog.  RECIPE PICK * Barbequed Haloumi with Chargrilled Asparagus and Salsa Verde

http://bokchoybohemia.com/ Everything Vegetarian and Kosher, gloriously humane comfort foods.  
RECIPE PICK * Vegan Thom Kha Tofu soup.   For those of us who usually miss out on this amazing Thai soup.

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/  Won the US Veg News Veggie Awards – Readers Favourite Bog in 2007 and 2009.  Lovely photos and recipes for wholefoods without a lot of processed fat and sugar.  RECIPE PICK * Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches

http://www.backyardbowls.com/acai_bowls.html
Not the exact recipes, but ideas you can try - you just need to track down some Acai pulp!  If you’re everin Santa Barbara, look up Backyard Bowls.  To make Acai bowls they blend the frozen pulp of the Acai berry with fruits and coconut milk into a thick smoothie. Put that blend in a bowl, top it with granola, fresh fruits, Goji berries and honey.
 
http://seitanismymotor.com/
German influenced, so some great gluten-free breads and vegan sausages.  The longest link list of other Vegan food blogs I’ve ever seen.  Learn to make Seitan, which is made from wheat gluten and when cooked looks a lot like meat. RECIPE PICK * Olive and Seitan Sausages

When you go shopping for supplies, don't forget your reusable shopping bag! 

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Meat Free Mondays gives different angle on vegetarian study

Thank you so much to one of our readers, Meg, for this referral to the Meat Free Monday website and the actual WWF report How Low Can We Go?

It is fascinating how there were several news angles that could have been taken from the WWF report, but the media picked up on the bad news/more sensationalist headline that "a vegetarian diet can harm the environment".  Actually, the report was looking at the greenhouse gas emissions involved in the UK food system, and the scope for reducing them by 70 per cent by 2050.  

The Meat Free Monday article gives a much more balanced assessment of the WWF report.  The report said that livestock rearing alone accounts for 57 per cent of harmful emissions from UK agriculture.  It indicates that a vegetarian diet (with dairy and eggs), a 66 per cent reduction in livestock production consumption, and technologies to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from soils and methane from ruminants, had the potential to reduce direct supply chain emissions by 15-20 per cent.

According to the Meat Free Monday article: the report pointed out that any change in meat consumption patterns would have to be managed carefully. Less animals would mean less animal feed, for example, freeing up arable land, but how we compensate for a diet lower in meat, eggs and dairy could also have an adverse effect in terms of emissions. A switch from beef and milk to tofu and quorn could mean we need more arable land, not less. Emissions could be reduced nine per cent with a switch from red to white meat, the report also said, but would see an increase in the import of soy meal for poultry feed.

The report warned that "careful assessment" would be needed to avoid "unintended consequences", however. If the livestock industry contracted and collapsed entirely then the UK would be dependent on low-cost exports from other countries - it might make us healthier, but the environmental problems associated with meat production would simply be shifted elsewhere.

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Vegetarian no longer eco. Who moved my cheese...?

Photo of Chocolate Tofu Mousse from Martha Goes Green Vegetarian Cookbook

In the world of eco-friendly, one thing is for certain... change!  Just when you think you have the goal posts lined up for what is the most eco-friendly choice, someone moves them.  This is not a criticism, we love the intellectual and ethical deliberations, but I'm not good at change.  When it comes to change, I turn like an ocean-liner...slowly.

It happened with palm oil and soy.  At first, it was virtuous to be replacing petrochemical oil with with a plant oil, for example producing a palm wax candle instead of a paraffin candle -- but then the environmental movement made us aware of the rainforest destruction being caused by palm and soy plantations.

Bamboo is the perfect eco-friendly material, a fast growing and self-renewing plant requiring no pesticides or fertilisers that can be used for food, clothing, paper and building -- but now we've learned that we need to look for "panda-friendly" bamboo.  This is bamboo that does not deprive pandas of a food source, like Moso bamboo, which has no leaf growth on the first five metres of the stem.

Recently, the WWF has released a report that shows a vegetarian diet is not necessarily better for the planet than meat.  The UK study found that many meat substitutes were produced from soy, chickpeas and lentils that were grown overseas and imported into Britain.  It found that switching from beef and lamb reared in Britain to meat substitutes would result in more foreign land being cultivated and raise the risk of forests being destroyed to create farmland. Meat substitutes also tended to be highly processed and involved energy-intensive production methods (quoted from the article at Times Online "Tofu can harm the environment..")

When I read this story, the first thought that came to mind was "who moved my cheese" again? One of our Biome team introduced me to this great change management concept.  Your "cheese" may be your career, a relationship, your neighbourhood peace and quiet, your environmental values.  For those of us who struggle with change, it may be worth a look.  Who Moved My Cheese? is about helping you to enjoy less stress and more success by learning to deal with the inevitable change.

The WWF study is not course-changing for us vegetarians, but it is a nudge to the bow.  It encourages everyone to think about where our food comes from and to eat more foods that are less packaged and less processed - the same principles for whatever diet you follow.

More reading and vegetarian recipe books at Biome.

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Is every stainless steel bottle created equal? The story of two bowls.

There are two stainless steel mixing bowls in my kitchen cupboard.  One feels more solid and has aged gracefully with use, the scratches seem to absorb into the worn smooth metal surface, which remains a dignified matt grayish colour.  The second, bought at a discount store (albeit under the brand name of a TV personality), has taken a distinct yellow tinge and is showing tarnish, its surface still artificially glossy.

We often talk to customers about choosing high quality stainless steel, but here I can actually see the difference.  Clearly, the quality affects how it wears and potentially the toxins that it may impart to food or liquids stored inside a water bottle.


There are important features to look for when choosing a reusable stainless steel bottle. Stainless steel is always made using chromium, because it is what makes steel "stainless".  Other elements used include nickel, nitrogen and molybdenum.   These elements can leach into liquids, so it is important that the bottle is made from high quality, 18/8 food-grade stainless steel – but, it is also important that you trust the manufacturer is telling the truth when they say what the bottle is made from.

Some will aim to make the bottle from the thinnest and cheapest stainless steel they can in order to reduce manufacturing costs and hence increase profits.

Other features are also important:
Are the lids made from a BPA-free plastic and are the leak proof?
Can you see sharp corners or joins where dirt and bacteria can build up?
Can you buy a replacement lid without buying a whole new bottle?
Does the manufacturer provide a guarantee?

Consider who the manufacturer is.  Do they have a long history of quality, who are the real people behind the company and what is their story?  In 2004, Klean Kanteen was the first company to make a water bottle from stainless steel.  They have continued to lead the way constantly innovating with the range they offer.  Nathan is a top sports hydration company making high quality stainless steel bottles with a clever straw drinking mechanism.  Perhaps the grandparent of all stainless steel is Thermos, whose name has become synonymous with insulated bottles for hot water.  Many of us grew up taking “the thermos” on a picnic.

From an environmental point of view, is a stainless steel bottle more eco friendly than a plastic bottle?

A Life Cycle assessment study published in the New York Times in 2009, considered the environmental and health impact of stainless steel water bottle from the extraction and processing of its ingredients, to its manufacture, distribution, use and final disposal.  It found that if your stainless steel water bottle takes the place of 50 plastic bottles, the climate is better off.    So when you buy a bottle, make sure it is one that will last hundreds of uses.  ‘Buy quality less often’ we always suggest at Biome.

From a human point of view, who made the bottle and was that person treated fairly and compensated for their time?  This is the hardest criteria to judge because few of us can actually visit the factories in China where most of the bottles are made.  We can at least always go to the manufacturer’s website and ensure they have published a statement about their factory and worker conditions.  If the bottle has a unique shape, such as Klean Kanteen or Nathan, it is more likely to be made at factory that the company directly oversees.

I treasure my well-aged stainless steel bowl.  We use it every day for washing fruit and vegetables, mixing recipes, whipping cream, bathing injuries.  So much so, that I thought a second bowl would be a handy addition.  Sadly, I did not repeat the luck with the quality of our first bowl and the newer, yellow tinged compatriot sits idle in the cupboard.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Replacing throw-away takeaway cups with reusable coffee cups

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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Cheers and tears... Captain Paul Watson's message

Recently in Brisbane, the Biome team was privileged to hear a rousing presentation by Captain Paul Watson, the Founder and President of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

I did not realise the incredible 30 year journey of Captain Watson and Sea Shepherd.  He acts on the belief that the passions of individuals change the world, not governments.

Sea Shepherd will soon depart on it’s sixth Whale Defense Campaign Operation Waltzing Matilda. Sea Shepherd’s flagship Steve Irwin, will be accompanied to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary by the menacing looking and fast Ady Gil.   Previously known as Earthrace, the Ady Gil is the futuristic looking trimaran that set the world record for global circumnavigation.  Captain Watson says the Ady Gil gives them the speed to stay with the Japanese whaling fleet and physically block the harpoon ships from slaughtering whales.

He explained that the hit reality TV series, Whale Wars, has helped raise the funds to ensure they are well equipped, including acquiring the Ady Gil.

Says Captain Watson, “With these two ships, we will mount the most ambitious and aggressive effort to date to obstruct the slaughter of the whales in the Southern Ocean.”

Another of his interesting themes was that Sea Shepherd is vegan.  As defenders of all ocean wildlife and habitats, they do not eat meat or fish.  He had strong messages about depleting fish supplies.  Did you know that the pigs farmed for human consumption world-wide eat more fish than all the sharks in the ocean?

He believes you can measure intelligence by the ability of a species to know how to live in harmony...which makes many animal species much smarter that mere humans.

To help support Sea Shepherd we quickly arranged to stock these in time for Christmas gifts:
Whale Wars DVD
Whale Warriors book

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Green Christmas elves set up store

See our beautiful green Christmas and Australian Christmas shopping guides.

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Christmas train is a coming...

We have been madly preparing for Christmas and hence no posts for a while.  This is our sixth Christmas trading season at Biome and we have not worked out the magic formula for making it a breeze.  A healthy sense of humour, tolerant and compassionate work mates and plenty of sleep are a great start.

Christmas is like a fast and heavy freight train barrelling down the track towards us and if you don't leap on and ride it, you miss it...and it is not on the schedule for another 12 months.   Being able to leap on takes a tremendous amount of preparation and energy!

Of course with our eco hats on, we do think alot about encouraging consumption at Christmas.  Yet, the reality of operating in retail is that we must make Christmas work for us.  We offer our customers alternative choices for gifts and celebrations that have integrity and meaning - products where great care has been taken to consider the environmental and social impacts.

We truly appreciate all the wonderful comments about how beautiful the stores are looking.    Here are some photos of our Green Christmas displays taken by hjimagery.com

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Thirsty Shingleback lizard drinks from reusable bottle

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

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

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Brisbane to have largest solar powered green Christmas tree

A sneak peek of Biome's City store Christmas window

Good on Brisvegas for laying claim to the world's largest solar powered green Christmas tree!

This year, the Christmas tree returns to the newly refurbished King George Square, where it will come alight on Friday, 27 November from 6:30pm.

The 18 metre green tree is solely powered by the sun.  The solar panel will generate 50 amps per hour, stored in five heavy duty dry cell gel batteries located inside the base of the tree.  The tree previously used 5,000 watts of power each hour.

The green Christmas Tree has a sophisticated solar powered lighting system featuring 16,000 bulbs, 250 red opaque baubles, a multi-coloured twinkling light system and a giant star made up of solar panels for the tree’s top.  

Everyone is invited to attend the free event to light the tree, with entertainment including celebrated Brisbane singer, Katie Noonan, theatre legend, Bille Brown, and Christmas Elves from Flipside Circus.

Catch some public transport to see the tree before 26 December - and while you're there, please pop by the Biome City store just down the road at 215 Adelaide Street to enjoy our beautiful green Christmas display and Australian Christmas decorations.

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Interesting update on recycling Coltan from mobile phones

We received the below informative response from Mobile Muster to explain the situation with recycling Coltan from mobile phones. Plus, it is a chance to publish another gorgeous Gorilla photo (you can download this photo as a screen saver from National Geographic).

Coltan cannot be recovered during the recycling process of circuit boards. This is because it exists in such minute quantities and is in a non-metallic form making it extremely difficult to extract.

Recently there has been some misleading information published about the widespread use of coltan in mobile phones.

Firstly, handset manufacturers require suppliers of coltan/tantalum, which is used in some handset capacitors, to verify and certify that it was not obtained from the Congo.

Secondly, many handsets do not use coltan. Some manufacturers have eliminated the use of coltan altogether and in those handsets that contain coltan its use has been significantly reduced. In a handset containing coltan, typically only one capacitor out of more than 100 would contain coltan. In such a phone, this equates to less than 0.04g of coltan, which is about 0.04% of the phone’s weight.

Although the use of coltan is being phased out, when it is used (from non-illegal sources), coltan capacitors provide superior voice quality for users, such as those with a hearing impairment

Thirdly, Tantalum (from Coltan) is used in a wide range of products, including computer motherboards, computer disc drivers, video camcorders, engine control units, surgical equipment, turbine blades in jet engines and lining chemical reactors. It was estimated that the mobile telecommunications industry used less than 2% of the yearly worldwide production (not from Africa) of tantalum.

Fourthly, the mobile telecommunications industry is working with the environmental movement and consumers to explore any other measures that could effectively safeguard the gorillas’ habitat in the DRC. Our members are involved in the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), which is a global partnership of ICT companies supported by the United Nations Environment Program and International Telecommunications Union. It promotes technologies for sustainable development and it addresses issues including: supply chains, climate change and e-waste.

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How to clean SIGG, Klean Kanteen and water bottles

Whether your bottle is a Klean Kanteen, or other stainless steel bottle , SIGG aluminium bottle with lining or a BPA free plastic water bottle, it is important to stop mould and other deposits forming inside the bottle.  Any material kept constantly wet will breed bacteria.

Wash your bottles with warm, soapy water at the end of every day and let the bottle air dry upside down with the top off.   We of course recommend eco friendly mild dishwashing detergent!

Should any mineral deposits or lime scale form inside, fill your clean bottle with Distilled White Vinegar (no other kind) and let soak for 24 hours. Then rinse the bottle with warm water and one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda and let dry.   Spots inside that look like "corrosion" are most likely a mineral deposit.

We recommend using filtered water where possible.   It tastes so much better--but also because water contains different minerals in every area and this may affect what happens inside your bottle.

You can also try SIGG cleaning tablets and specially-designed SIGG cleaning brush on all drink bottles.  Please only ever use a soft brush on SIGG so as not to damage the lining.  Stainless Steel bottles can handle a hard brush.  There is also a nifty thin straw cleaning brush that works for straws and sippy tops.

While all bottles are technically dishwasher-safe, we recommend not putting them in a dishwasher.  The dishwasher can damage the external paint coating and because most dishwasher powders are caustic, they will eat into the metal.  Tops should also not be put through the dishwasher because extreme heat expands and deteriorates the plastic.

Never freeze bottles as metal can split even with only a little water inside.   Trust us, we have seen many bottles that expanded and split.  Water does not always expand in a predictable direction!  Even stainless steel bottles are not suitable to freeze. 

If you want to keep your liquid extra cool, buy a wide mouth bottle from Klean Kanteen or SIGG that has an opening big enough for ice cubes - and actually makes the bottle easier to clean also.  I recently heard there are water bottle ice cube trays to make long skinny ice blocks for putting into your water bottle.

See the new SIGG water bottle range.

• safe, non-toxic, BPA free lining; no leaching, metal migration or taste transfer
• every water bottle is an international work of art
• aluminium is lightweight, durable & eco-friendly because it recycles without degrading
• leak proof, interchangeable tops
• made in Switzerland for 100 years; member of 1% for The Planet

See the new Klean Kanteen stainless steel bottle range.

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More about BPA and SIGG

This is our third post on the issue of reusable water bottles and BPA. The two earlier articles explain more about SIGG & BPA and the exchange program.

Are SIGG bottles safe?
While SIGG should have been more transparent about the fact its bottles prior to August 2008 contained BPA in the manufacturing, the bottles are still safe based on independent tests that show no leaching of BPA or other toxins.

When most people purchased their bottles in 2008 and before, it was on the understanding that the bottles did not leach BPA or any toxins--and that has not changed.  It was only in 2009 that SIGG said the new bottles were BPA free.

Is this a product recall? 
The exchange program being offered by SIGG and retailers is not a recall, because the bottles are not unsafe.   SIGG promoted the bottles as not leaching BPA or other toxins, and this is still the case.

SIGG has explained that while BPA was an ingredient in the lining, it was manufactured in such a way that it was polymerised, essentially locking in the ingredients.

See more details on the exhange program below.  The program will end soon, as SIGG worldwide has already ended the program.

What is BPA & how is it used?
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.

Its use 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 polycarbonate tableware, food storage containers, water bottles, and baby bottles.  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.

How to limit exposure to BPA?

• 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
• Avoid polycarbonate #7 and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) #3 plastics, especially for children's food. Plastics with the recycling labels #1, #2 and #4 on the bottom are safer choices and do not contain BPA. 
• Use glass baby bottles.
• Use high quality reusable bottles from trusted brands that publish results of quality control and testing.

Which bottles 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 bottles in stores to meet the consumer demand for moving away from plastics.  We recommend only choosing an established 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 manfacturing.

Klean Kanteen and Nathan and Thermos are long standing, high quality stainless steel bottle brands.

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.  More about SIGG on this blog.

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Year of the Gorilla

Mountain Gorilla Silverback Titus and Family, Virungas National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo (Picture by Ian Redmond, GRASP).

Article updated 4 November 2009
When we first published this post, we said that recycling mobile phones helps relieve pressure on Gorilla habitat due to the recycling of a metal called Coltan, as reported on Channel 7's Sunday Night program.  Mobile Muster has advised that is not actually the case because Coltan is not recovered.  Coltan is only used in a small number of phones that are specifically for people with hearing impairments.  They say it would be too expensive to have a system for recovering such a tiny amount of metal.

Channel 7's Sunday Night program ran a story by Grant Denyer on the Mountain Gorillas of Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Grant showed the complex threats facing the gorillas from armed conflict, habitat loss, the bushmeat trade, diseases and the mining of coltan used in electronics and mobile phones.

2009 is actually the Year of the Gorilla.  It is difficult to understand how the catastrophy in these regions can ever be solved for the people and animals.  Most of us can only take solace from knowing about the amazing partnerships of organisations working to save the gorillas.

The Year of the Gorilla is a collaboration between the UNEP/UNESCO Great Apes Survival Partnership and other incredible groups.  This excerpt from the Year of the Gorilla website explains:

Why are gorillas so important?
Great Apes, and especially the largest of all, gorillas, have always been a source of inspiration and fascination for humans. Their close kinship to humans makes them stand out in the animal kingdom. Gorillas have been shown to possess self-awareness, remarkable intelligence and an ability to communicate with signs and symbols as well as use some basic tools. They express emotions such as joy and distress in a way similar to humans.

Gorillas are endangered and continue to face severe threats. All the great ape species of Africa - the bonobos, chimpanzees and gorillas- and the orangutans of Southeast Asia are in steep decline, and the rate of loss is increasing virtually everywhere. The conservation of viable wild populations of each species, necessary to prevent their extinction, represents a difficult challenge to humanity. Not only are these species humankind’s closest relatives, they also play a key role in their forest homes, which in turn regulate the global climate.

Read more at the Year of the Gorilla Blog

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Lunch time talk - "Eco Angels & Demons" on Friday, 23 October at the Biome City Store

Help celebrate National Organic Week.
Join Biome founder, Tracey Bailey for an inspiring, informative talk from personal perspectives on companies who behave badly, and those that shine in the field of organics and eco friendly alternatives.

Join from 12:30pm for the whole session, or feel free to drop in any time until 1:30pm to listen in on various case studies.   It will be a casual affair and we welcome your questions.

As we have limited space, we would greatly appreciate your RSVP should you be thinking of attending.

Where: Biome's Brisbane City Store, 215 Adelaide Street

When: Friday, 23 October 2009 ~ 12:30pm - 1:30pm

More info about the Biome Brisbane City Store and how to get there

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Zaishu: art function eco

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

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

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Recipe: Lemon Myrtle baked cheesecake with Finger Lime marmalade

From Briony, our Biome City Store Manager
After the hectic week of a working eco-Mum, including one too many take-away meals, I needed some good, old fashioned home baking therapy!  It was also the weekend of a visit from my mother and sister so I intended to dazzle them with my cooking skills in the hope they would not notice the unmade beds or piles of ironing.

Well, the outcome was an AMAZING Lemon Myrtle baked cheesecake drizzled with Finger Lime Marmalade.  Biome's Australian native food corner was the inspiration for the Oz Tukka Lemon Myrtle and Finger Lime marmalade.  Did it do the job you ask? Oh yes...

Lemon Myrtle baked cheesecake drizzled with Finger Lime marmalade

150g plain sweet biscuits, crushed (I use half gingernuts - half digestives)
75g Butter, melted
500g Cream Cheese
3/4 cup castor sugar
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground Oz tukka Lemon Myrtle
3 eggs
300ml cream
Finger Lime Marmalade

Combine biscuits and butter. Press firmly into springform pan. Refrigerate until firm.

Beat cheese and sugar together until smooth.
Thoroughly beat in lemon rind, juice and eggs. Gently blend in cream then Lemon myrtle.
Pour into pan. Drizzle with warmed Marmalade.

Bake at 160 for 45 minutes. Turn oven off. Leave to cool in oven undisturbed for further 1/2 hour.
Cool and serve with double cream if you dare!

Wild Hibiscus Flowers and other Australian native foods

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Pure and Green - achieving "real" organic skin care

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

World leading packaging

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

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

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

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

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Achieving a truly 100% biodegradable nappy is possible : Eenees has done it

The disposable nappy market is another that has been green-washed so many times it has surely turned black.  The fact is that there is no 100% plant-based disposable and biodegradable nappy on the market...until now.

Despite what an “eco nappy” may claim, they all contain some amount of plastic parts.  The greatest problem is, however, that irrespective of what they are made from, none of them “biodegrade” once they are sent to landfill. Once something goes to landfill it is essentially mummified for ever.

Many years ago, the Tasmanian company Eenees invented a 100% plant nappy pad and incontinence pad system that is flushable (and compostable, except for the hygiene issue).   That Eenees nappy pouch pants and pad system still has a very loyal following.  Excitingly, they have just launched a zero-waste Eenees disposable nappy that is accepted by commercial composters.

Even when a nappy claims it can be composted, it is unacceptable public hygiene to compost a soiled nappy in your backyard. The only real solution is commercial composting, which diverts the nappies from landfill and deals with the hygiene problem of composting in your backyard.

Eenees is endorsed by Compost Australia as the first and only disposable acceptable for commercial composting. There are already several areas in Australia where commercial composting is underway.

Even if you are not able to send the nappies to compost, they are absolutely the best choice for the environment because they use no petrochemicals and they are made right here in Australia – Eenees should be congratulated by the Prime Minister of Australia for this achievement. Most nappies are made overseas.  Disposable nappies take up so much volume, imagine the green house emissions alone in shipping them here.

Can you imagine the hurdles that Eenees had to clear to make this dream a reality. Yes, they are a little more expensive than supermarket brand disposables. But don’t they deserve to be? The supermarkets sell nappies at ridiculously low margins to get parents into their stores, distorting the perception of what a disposable nappy should cost (plus, there's no accounting in the price for the environmental cost).

Eenees are made in Australia, they are made from 100% plants, and they can truly be composted with ZERO waste. In fact, the Prime Minister should mandate their use!

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Diverting shower water to the garden in Brisbane

For a small patch of sloping earth, our native garden brings me a disproportionate amount of pleasure. While I wonder how a simple flowering shrub can bring such joy, I suspect most gardeners would be well-acquainted with this emotion – one that keeps us coming back for more digging, planting and fussing.

Several years of occasional efforts have produced a mediocre result in our garden, certainly when compared with others I have seen flourish in the same time. So I called upon Satya the organic gardening expert (and fellow Paddington Green Precinct member). His analysis? A lack of water. That should not have been a surprise given the drought that Brisbane has endured in recent years.

Satya encouraged a revamp of our bathroom water diversion. Our previous attempt failed because the water kept coming back up the pipe into the bathroom. It was simply because the pipe was too narrow for the volume of water Satya said, so he showed me how to fit a larger diameter pipe into the downpipe diverter.

He also discovered a dry white fungus under most of our mulch layer. This was actually stopping any water that did fall from soaking through the mulch into the soil. Fixing this will take a lot of digging the mulch into the soil layer and applying water (from the shower diverter), so that the natural soil organisms are able to go to work and take back their territory. We use minimal soap and only natural shampoo, so our water from the shower is safe for the native plants.

As we investigated some sooty pest problems on the Grevillea bushes, I was fascinated to learn from Satya about a company called Bugs for Bugs that supplies good bugs to eat bad bugs – via mail order! Imagine, to combat red scale in citrus trees you can buy "a cup" of Aphytis wasps (that's 10,000 wasps in a cup!) for $44. Having never heard of this before, just a few days later Bugs for Bugs was mentioned again when discussing organic lettuce growing with a stallholder at the Kelvin Grove Village Markets.

We can also help the garden by using our Bokashi compost bin more often and digging in the compost scraps (the Bokashi micro-organisms turn the scraps into highly enriching soil conditioner).

Forty metres of grey water pipe winding through our yard is not particularly pretty (photo above), but I’m happy. Not only can we enjoy the flowers in passing each morning, we can take extra pleasure from a shower, knowing that the water is on its way to those thirsty plants.

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Parking Day at Paddington Green Precinct

What a great sight this morning as people chatted over coffee, reclaiming some road space for people.

Bliss Ecowear and Sol Breads organic cafe set up parks opposite each other on Latrobe Terrace, the epicentre of the Paddington Green Precinct! We were just two of hundreds of parks taking place across Brisbane and the world as part of the movement that began in 2005 in San Francisco.  Sol Breads and the street were buzzing with people drawn to the community created by the parks.

Brisbane PARK(ing) Day is all about –

1. Calling attention to the importance for urban public spaces
2. Rethinking the way we use our streets
3. Creating diverse conversations about how we can make sustainable cities

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SIGG CEO says sorry

Saying "sorry" does not solve all the problems, but it is a significant step in the healing process.  We are happy that conscious consumers are being heard and not treated as pawns in a chess game.

Since hearing of this issue we have questioned SIGG to fully understand why.    Here is the link to our first post What did SIGG say about BPA? with information about the Exchange Program for bottles with the old lining.  You can check which lining your bottle has by looking inside - the new liner has a dull, pale yellow appearance while the old liner is a shiny, copper bronze.

While SIGG was not fully transparent, prior to 2009 SIGG only ever said that its bottles did not leach BPA or other toxins, as the independent test results show--and that remains the case.

Along with many others we have expressed our deep disappointment and we were pleased to see SIGG's recognition of those sentiments in the sorry statement.  Biome continues to support SIGG, selling only water bottles with the new BPA free lining.   We feel let down for everyone who chose to do the right thing for their health and the environment.  We are still stocking SIGG because:

• We appreciate SIGG's acceptance of what they have done wrong and their commitment to the "no questions" exchange program.
• We have always relied on SIGG's statement that the bottles did not leach BPA and the independent tests still show this.
• We believe that the bottles with the new lining are genuinely free from BPA and harmful chemicals (there is now Government regulation relating to BPA in some countries, so it would be dangerous to mess with that).
• SIGG's safe, high quality reusable bottles are still a far better alternative for health and the environment than cheap plastic or metal bottles.
• While they made a big mistake in not being transparent, we have faith in the 100 year history of this reputable Swiss company and the other aspects of their operations that are environmentally-responsible.

As an alternative to SIGG, we have also been offering for some time, high quality stainless steel bottles from Nathan, Klean Kanteen and SIGG.

Statement by SIGG CEO, Steve Wasik, as appeared in The Huffington Post on 7 September 2009
"I am writing to apologize.
As Chief Executive Officer of SIGG, a leading maker of reusable water bottles, I made a mistake when I decided not to announce that our old bottle liner contained trace amounts of bisphenol A. I learned about the liner's content in 2006, when there was debate in the scientific community about the effects of BPA. Scientists lined up on both sides of the issue: Some said BPA posed potential health risks, others said BPA was perfectly safe.
With the issue still very much undecided, SIGG decided to develop a BPA-free liner to eliminate consumer concern about our products. To be sure that BPA did not leach from our bottle liners, we commissioned independent scientific studies and asked the labs to rigorously test our bottles and bottles made by other companies. We urged them to put all bottles through tortuous conditions. Those tests reassured us because they showed SIGG liners leached no BPA. We posted those studies on our web site to provide consumers the information about product performance that seemed to me relevant at the time.
Today, the debate continues. Scientists are still split on the issue. But the consumer environment has changed. Because of the all the conflicting data, a growing number of people have decided to eliminate the concern from their lives by avoiding BPA. Given the situation, I recently decided that we had to tell everyone that bottles manufactured with our former liner (prior to August 2008) contained trace amounts of BPA.
We were right to make the announcement. But I was wrong to have waited this long. One of our primary goals at SIGG has been to help reduce unnecessary waste and to educate people on the environmental benefits of using a reusable bottle. With that objective in mind, SIGG has been labeled a "green" company.
Unfortunately, I am still learning to be a green CEO. When I took this position, I naively assumed that "green" meant being a steward of the environment. In 2007, SIGG became a member of 1% For The Planet and we have donated 1% of all of our sales to environmental organizations like The Sierra Club and Stop Global Warming. However, being a green company also means being held to the highest degree of corporate transparency.
Some executives learn this because they have grown up within the green movement. I have learned this by reading hundreds of emails from SIGG consumers. Some feel angry. Some feel betrayed. All feel disappointed because they were passionate advocates of our bottles.
People have written to explain why they are concerned about BPA. They have written about their personal stories, their intimate worries and their very honest anger. I have personally responded to hundreds of these notes, apologizing for my mistake, offering new bottles to make amends, realizing that my decision caused people real discomfort.
SIGG has been around for 100 years. Yet, we are still a small company with 127 employees worldwide -- about 90 of those working in our Frauenfeld Switzerland operation. SIGG is not a typical modern corporation and it doesn't have a typical relationship with its customers. People have trusted SIGG and my decision breached that trust. I wish I could turn back the clock and fully disclose the BPA content in our liners. What I can do is make sure that I personally never again compromise SIGG's good name and proud Swiss heritage.
In the next few days, we will announce the first steps in our path to full transparency. These will include some very specific things we will do to make sure we are the honest, green company that our customers expect us to be. We will:

• Post details about the contents of our bottles: the new liner, the cap, the bottle itself. And we will make the information as transparent and understandable as possible.
• Make it easy for consumers to exchange their old bottles for new, BPA-free SIGGs.  

[Biome customers can contact Tracey on info@biome.com.au for details on how to exchange your bottles with old lining.  The program will only be offered for a short period of time.  Read our first post on this issue What did SIGG say about BPA?]

• Unveil an independently managed grant program to help fund BPA and chemical research that will help eliminate confusion and concern about this issue. While we have moved away from BPA in SIGG products, it continues to be used in countless products that we all use each day. If it poses a real threat, we want to help curb its use.

When people buy "Swiss made" products, they are buying quality and peace of mind. I realize that my actions compromised SIGG's relationship with our loyal customers. I pledge to try to rebuild the hard-earned trust you have had in SIGG. I sincerely hope you will allow me to prove myself."  Statement ends.

SIGG also offer stainless steel water bottles made from high quality stainless steel.

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Mineral makeup and natural skin care favourites

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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