Sustainability News Sydney

Plastic Free July

Fri, 23 Jun 2017 08:09:14 +1000

Hi everyone, Here’s a campaign that’s close to my heart. It’s Plastic Free July again this year! This campaign is all about raising awareness of the problems of single-use plastics and challenges us to do something about it by avoiding them for a month. I’ve been gradually reducing plastics in my life over a number of years. I can’t remember the last time we had plastic wrap in the house or I got…

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Green Skiing Tips

Mon, 12 Jun 2017 12:30:42 +1000

Hi everyone, The ski season officially opens this weekend. The keen skiing enthusiasts amongst us will be hoping for lots of snow and already thinking about heading off to do a bit of skiing, snowboarding or tobogganing. Some of us might even be thinking about a visit to simply check out the lovely snow covered scenery and no doubt many have already booked a trip. If you’re planning to hit the…

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Christmas Gift ideas

Sun, 11 Dec 2016 11:32:29 +1100

Christmas Gift ideas - The sustainable way

Hi everyone, Christmas is approaching at lightning speed and there’s still so much to do before the big day. Some of you have probably already exhausted your ideas of what to get some of your loved ones. How about something that hasn’t travelled thousands of miles to get here and supports our locals? Here’s some more gift ideas: Shout them a haircut at their local hair salon or barber For…

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GoodOnYou app for fashion brands and accessories

Fri, 21 Oct 2016 08:37:41 +1100

GoodOnYou app for fashion brands and accessories

Hi everyone, We’re more than half way through Buy Nothing New Month and a good time to take a look at the companies that make the fashion products we buy. The Good On You App has been developed to help us make better choices. The App rates brands using the three categories of people, the planet and animals. The rating are based on a set of principles and independent date sources. So far the App…

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Buy Nothing New Month and the Online Op Shop

Mon, 17 Oct 2016 12:23:29 +1100

Hi everyone, I think most of you know by now how much I love Op Shops. There is so much choice and I’ve found some really great stuff over the years. I’m a sucker for books and DVDs and have also found lots of really good quality clothes. I can’t remember the last time I went to a shopping mall or bought new clothing. That’s why I’m excited to let you know about a great web site called…

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Old Tyre Recycling

Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:13:54 +1000

Hi everyone, Can you believe Australia discards almost 48 million old tyres each year? Only 16 per cent are currently recycled. The rest end up in landfill, stockpiled, illegally dumped or shipped overseas. The good news is the Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme has been set up to tackle this huge issue. The main objectives of the scheme are: Increasing resource recovery and recycling Minimising the…

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Green Message: "Ark of Taste"

Sun, 25 Sep 2016 15:05:17 +1000

“Ark of Taste” the Slow food movement

Hi everyone, The Ark of Taste is an international project run by the Slow Food Movement that helps protect food products from becoming extinct. There are over 3000 products on the list so far that are at risk due to industrial agriculture, standardisation and large scale distribution of global food markets as well as environment issues. In Australia, the Slow Movement Ark of Taste focus on our…

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“Buy Nothing New” month - October

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 11:18:15 +1000

Hi everyone, I’m getting in early to let you know about “Buy Nothing New” month which kicks off on the 1st of October as there’s a public holiday in Melbourne next Friday and I didn’t want you to miss it. A month-long buying fast that makes a whole lot of sustainable sense. Beg, borrow, barter, swap, rent, share, repair or buy second hand to be a part of this great challenge. The Buy Nothing New…

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Spring Cleaning Naturally

Fri, 02 Sep 2016 07:46:47 +1000

Yippee! Spring is finally here. This is the time when many of us think about having a big clean-up. The weather is improving and we all start to get out of our Winter Hibernation mode. If you’ve caught the Spring Cleaning bug, instead of reaching for cleaning products made of a cocktail of stuff with long names there are many environmentally friendly alternatives that do just as good a job…

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A sustainable Father's Day

Fri, 26 Aug 2016 10:03:36 +1000

Hi everyone, It’s Father’s Day on Sunday 4 September. If you observe Father’s Day, here’s some ideas to give it a bit of a green theme. If ties, socks or clothing is on the list, look for organic cotton, bamboo or hemp items If giving shaving products is a preference, avoid synthetic and chemically based and choose items with organic and natural ingredients If your Dad enjoys a drink, choose…

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Next week it’s Keep Australia Beautiful Week

Fri, 19 Aug 2016 10:36:59 +1000

Next week it’s Keep Australia Beautiful Week

Hi everyone, Nearly every day is Keep Australia Beautiful for me. I pick up bottles, cans, plastic bags and other rubbish while I’m out and about walking to the train station, around the park and along the beach etc. I find it really hard to walk by knowing that it could end up in our beautiful waterways. Next week it’s Keep Australia Beautiful Week. The campaign is a great reminder of the…

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The Shop Ethical! App - From Lila

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 09:57:32 +1000

Hi everyone, Going to the supermarket is mind boggling these days. The shelves are packed full of so many choices. If you’re like me and want to choose products from companies that are socially responsible and doing the right thing for the environment then you’re going to love the Shop Ethical! App. The App provides us with access to over 5000 products with related company information to help us…

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National Tree Day happening this Sunday 31 July

Fri, 29 Jul 2016 10:15:15 +1000

Hi everyone, I’m back from holidays just in time to remind you about National Tree Day happening this Sunday 31 July. National Tree Day is Australia’s biggest community tree planting event held every year around this time. Thousands of people get together at numerous sites around the country. We plant truckloads and truckloads of native trees and shrubs which goes a long way in helping to offset…

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Plastic Free July

Fri, 01 Jul 2016 10:12:11 +1000

Hi everyone, Here’s a campaign that’s close to my heart. Plastic Free July wants us to avoid single-use plastic for a month. I’ve been gradually reducing plastic in my life over a number of years. I can’t remember the last time we had plastic wrap in the house or I got a plastic bag from the supermarket and I’m always on the lookout for alternatives to plastic when out shopping. Last year, I…

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An app to check your "free range" eggs from CSIRO

Wed, 22 Jun 2016 08:57:04 +1000

Hi everyone, Free range eggs are pretty much available everywhere these days, which is a good thing. What you may not realise is that there is a vast difference between the CSIRO definition of free range and the one fixed by the government. The draft CSIRO code, which is endorsed by the RSPCA, states free-range hens should be stocked at no more than 1500 a hectare unless regularly rotated. This…

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Sustainable Skiing

Tue, 21 Jun 2016 11:15:04 +1000

Sustainable Skiing tips

Hi everyone, The ski season is officially open. The keen skiing enthusiasts amongst us will be hoping for lots of snow and already thinking about heading off to do a bit of skiing, snowboarding or tobogganing. Some of us might even be thinking about a visit to simply check out the lovely snow covered scenery and no doubt many have already booked a trip. If you’re planning to hit the slopes this…

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It’s World Environment Day this Sunday!

Fri, 03 Jun 2016 11:10:44 +1000

Hi everyone It’s World Environment Day this Sunday! World Environment Day was established by the United Nations in 1972 and is celebrated on the 5 June each year. The theme for this year’s World Environment Day is “Go Wild for Life” which encourages you to celebrate all those species under threat and take action of your own to help safeguard them for future generations. The illegal trade of our…

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Save energy and keep warm this winter

Fri, 27 May 2016 09:16:38 +1000

Hi everyone, It’s officially Winter next Wednesday and that time of the year when I let you know a few simple things you can do that can help save a bit of energy and keep you warm too: Wear more clothes instead of cranking up the heat – putting on a jumper makes more sense than having heating up so high that you can mooch around in a T-shirt Drag out those really warm blankets you’ve got packed…

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Autumn - time for green manure

Mon, 23 May 2016 10:47:57 +1000

Green manure to add life back into your soil

Hi everyone, Autumn is a great time of year to get out in the garden. It’s when good organisation can set you up for a successful growing season. For the veggie growers amongst us we will be busy clearing our plots from the spent crops and thinking about what to do next. If you’ve decided to opt out of planting a Winter crop and leave the veggie patch empty then planting green manure is a good…

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Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™

Sat, 14 May 2016 10:05:19 +1000

Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™

Hi everyone, In the recently released 2016 “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™”, conventional strawberries top the list as the produce most contaminated by chemical pesticides. Apples, nectarines and peaches were also high on the list. Avocado, sweet corn and pineapple had the least pesticide residues. While these findings are based on US produce, it’s the best guide currently available.…

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