eco your coffee addiction

I have to admit that I'm a tea-drinker and don't like coffee much at all. But Tim can't start the day without his, and it used to result in an expensive daily purchase of take away coffee because he couldn't stand the crappy instant coffee he'd tried. A while ago he found a brand of tasty instant organic coffee at the supermarket, but it's pretty expensive at $8 for 100g.

Fortunately, when I went looking on the shelf for it at the supermarket yesterday there was none there, so I checked online. The Australian company, Nature's Cuppa, is having an online special on the coffee granules I was after, at $60 for 6 jars of 200g, including shipping. That's $5 per 100g instead of $8, so I saved $36. The coffee is certified under international codes for its organic and environmental protection of forests, birds and wildlife.


I thought a coffee-drinking reader or two out there might like to take advantage of the bargain as well. You could try some at the supermarket before buying 6 jars of it.

I also went looking for a good thermal cup, because the ones we bought in the past broke after a couple of months. I found the KeepCup. They're cute, environmentally-friendly and the company is based right here in Melbourne. It's designed to replace unrecycleable take-away cups when you visit a cafe with it, and is made from the most eco-friendly plastics they could use.

Tim's:
Mine:


Aw.

have you voted?

This week, the online voting lines are open for the national Australian climate change poll. I blogged about it here if you missed it. If you haven't voted yet, head over to YOUth Decide and do so! And tell your friends to vote as well. We've only got a few days left.

Aren't the flash mobs in the video cute? I'd never heard of flash mobs before this. If you haven't either, they're a form of art or activism (or both) where people in public, seemingly randomly, break into dance. This is the first one I saw and I was totally gobsmacked by it's awesomeness:



It was put on by the Australian Youth Climate Coalition a few months ago, with choreography by So You Think You Can Dance. I think it got some kind of global flash mob award? I'm really proud of Australia for getting together and putting on events like these.

franny armstrong and ethical living

I've been getting more and more inspired by the maker of The Age of Stupid Franny Armstrong. Here's a quick interview with her about how making the movie increased her carbon footprint and about her fulfillment in making a difference. I also really like this quote about her, from her Wikipedia page: "When, in a few years' time, Franny Armstrong is being discussed as one of the key documentary film-makers of our generation, you can say you were in there at the start."

I want to get a hold of her previous documentary, McLibel, because I don't know much about the ethics of McDonalds, except that they're probably non-existant. I'm going to try to forego my occasional french fries purchase, but without knowing compelling evidence it's sometimes easy to ignore that nagging feeling.

That's an idea that you're probably already familiar with, but I'm going to remind you about it anyway: positive purchasing. When you are a customer of a company, you sustain them and reinforce what they're doing, whether that's ethical or not. It's our job to find out which companies are aligned with our ethics (or which is the lesser evil, in some cases) and to support them. Looked at another way, it's also moral boycotting.

And it's not just at gift-giving time that we can choose handmade. It's a way of every day living, to try to ensure we're being kind to both the environment and people. It doesn't have to be expensive, often it's cheaper. If I eat before leaving home I won't have had to spend money on drive-through fries. A second-hand piece of furniture costs less than a new piece. If I buy less processed foods, I can afford to buy organic basics. Etc.

What have you bought this week? Could you have made more ethical choices instead?

the age of stupid

Australia & New Zealand Trailer HD from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.

Just found out about this movie, The Age of Stupid. It's about a man living alone in 2055, after the world has been ravaged by climate change. He looks at footage from 2008 and wonders why the hell we didn't stop it from happening.

The movie is screening all over the place except Australia, it seems. But it's launching online on 21/22 September, so I've happily signed up to the newsletter to be reminded. There's a 50 minute documentary here for the meantime though. I'm excited about it for two reasons. The first is because I'm really interested to see what it's like, and the second is that I'm hoping it will be a big step to people understanding just what is happening to our planet (and working to change it).

I was watching Grey's Anatomy the other day and there was a woman on it with four broken limbs because she'd been bulldozed down from a old growth tree she'd been living in to save it. I was a bit offended by how ridiculous they made the character sound - she'd given the tree a name and talked about it like it was a person, she ranted about greedy corporations, and she'd changed her own name to 'Willow'. I get that it might have made the situation more believable, but couldn't they have represented the level-headed side of environmental activism, rather than implying it's for crazies?

vote for the world you want to inherit

Tim has started volunteering for YOUth Decide, which is run by World Vision and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. They're hosting an voting week in September that gives young Australians (from 12-29) the power to make significant positive change to help our futures.

The deal is this:
You vote by choosing one of three options online during 14-21 September (register to vote and get a reminder!). The results of our voting will be taken to the crucial United Nations climate change negotiations in Copenhagen this December. They need at least tens of thousands of us to vote for it to have an effect. They're campaigning like crazy, have enlisted celebrities, gotten some major sponsors and they're encouraging people all over Australia to host voting events.

I'm utterly excited.

Just voting isn't enough. Tell your friends, blog about it, add it to your website, tweet it, and post it in your Facebook updates! Attend an event in your area, or organise one yourself! The more people that vote and the more attention this gets, the bigger difference it will make.

To repost, you can use the banner at the top of my blog, or the image in this post, or use their other promo material.

Here's a video about it:

naturally hip cloth pad giveaway!

I'm super excited because I've got one of these adorable regular cloth pads to give away to one of you, made by Lindsay of Naturally Hip. Now's the time to try out cloth pads for the first time (they're awesome, let me tell you), or add to your existing collection.

To enter, just post a comment here describing your ideal cloth pad. You get an extra two entries if you make a blog post about the giveaway, and one extra entry if you post about it on Twitter or Facebook. Leave a second comment below with the link/s for the extra entries to count.

This competition has closed. Thanks to those who played along, you can see who won here.

dealing with periods, eco style

This is a post I've been meaning to make for ages, a follow-up to my post about cloth menstrual pads, which included an interview with the owner of Naturally Hip, a handmade cloth pad seller. If you don't know much about cloth pads I recommend you give the post a read because going cloth has both environmental and health benefits. (Disclaimer: If you are a boy, and/or squirmish about such things, this may be the point where you should click away.)


I bought pads from the lovely Lindsay of Naturally Hip several months ago. These are my thoughts:

• I was quite flawed by how much they absorb. They're like Mary Poppins' bag. I have no fears of leakage overnight, or any other time.
• They're made from a really soft flannel on the outside. Regular pads aren't uncomfortable, but you can generally feel them being all plasticky down there. These cloth pads are much nicer to wear.
• They're easy to wash. I'm a bit crap at getting housework done, and if I can manage, so can you. I mostly only use them when I'm at home, so I rinse them well as soon as I change them, then either put them straight into the wash (with other laundry), or put them in a bucket filled with some water until I put the next load on. There's also wet bags you can buy for storing used ones that have been changed while you're out.
• The only problem I had was that the liners without wings ended up where they shouldn't be. They don't have a sticky section like store bought ones and the listing says that they should stay in place with snug-fitting undies. A lot of my undies were one or two sizes too big (in terms of dress size), so I actually went out and bought more of my size undies, and the wingless liners still moved around as I walked. I'm not sure if it's because I'm small or something else, but I recommend you get the liners with wings. Trying to figure out how best to sew in wings so the ones I have don't go to waste.

Overall, totally star quality from Naturally Hip. Lindsay is easily contactable and more than happy to answer questions or make custom ones. Plus she's passionate about being eco-friendly - a total plus in my book.

After I made the initial blog post about cloth pads, I started a thread on the Etsy forums about it which got a lot more attention than I was expecting. Lots of responses were about the Diva Cup, an alternative to tampons and a new idea to me. At first I thought it was a gross idea: basically it's a reusable little cup that 'catches' your blood, and then you empty it periodically. As I read on further, I realised it's not much more gross than tampons and, really, that perspective was just because I wasn't used to the idea yet. If everybody was doing it I wouldn't give it a second thought.

Here are the benefits:

• You can leave it in for up 12 hours, so you can change it twice a day and not have to think about your period the rest of the time, because if it's in properly you can't feel it.
  
• It's reusable so you don't need to send tampons to landfill all the time.
• None of this toxic shock syndrome stuff to worry about.
• It makes activities like hiking, swimming, yoga or whatever else easy while you're perioding.
  

So I bought one. I've tried to use it a few times. More often than not, unsuccessfully. It's apparently something you need to get the hang of doing, and also, some people find certain brands don't work for them - everybody's shape is a bit different. I'm not sure what the others are called, but the Diva is the original, I believe. I know it does work for some, because of all the raving testimonials on the Etsy forum. I suppose I will keep trying, because if it works it would be an ideal option for me, combined with cloth liners and overnight pads.

plastic shopping

I ended up in Target the other day to look for some stationery for class, not really knowing what I was signing on for. I got clobbered in the brain by "Australia's biggest toy sale" marketing and almost run over by a woman with her trolley piled high with plastic fun for her children. The lay-by line was made about five times longer than it usually is, and there was red tape along the aisles marked 'toy sale line'. As I walked along I only spotted one item made of something other than plastic.

As well as making me annoyed with the consumerist state of the world, it got me thinking about the effects of plastic. And I did some research. I think we generally know that manufacturing plastic is a not-good for the environment. But here are some reasons to try to avoid buying or using plastic that you may not have thought about:

• Plastic is made from fossil fuel, which is rapidly depleting. What we're going to do when we've used it all up seriously scares me. There's more gone than left, in just the short time we've used it extensively, and our consumption of it is growing. We depend on fuel for things we don't really need, but we also depend on it for food and safety. Without power for agricultural machinery we can't feed our massive population. (Tim has been reading up on this a lot as he's interested in doing environmental law, and the reality of it is freaking me out.)
  
• In 2006 in the US alone, 30 million tonnes of plastic were disposed of, most of which was packaging.
  
• Degradeable plastics might not actually degrade upon disposal. They require appropriate conditions, like exposure to light for example. And if they do degrade, they release the greenhouse gas methane.
  

Check out this helpful link for what you can do about it. My advice (which you can probably guess from reading this blog) is to buy less, and what you do buy, try to find it second-hand first. Also check out the Life Less Plastic blog, it's a good read.

(As a side note, I got the stationery I needed from Tim's mum's unwanteds. Didn't have to buy a thing!)

6 days to madness

Compare the 6 days of the book of Genesis
to the 4 billion years of geologic time.
On this scale, 1 day equals about 666 billion years.

All day Monday, until Tuesday noon
creation was busy getting the earth going.
Life began on Tuesday noon
and the beautiful organic wholeness of it
developed over the next 4 days.

At 4 P.M. Saturday, the big reptiles came.
5 hours later, when the redwoods appeared
there were no longer big reptiles.

At 3 minutes before midnight, man appeared.
One-fourth of a second before midnight, Christ revolted.
One-fortieth of a second before midnight, the industrial revolution began.

We are surrounded by people who think
that what we have been doing for
one-fortieth of a second can go on indefinitely.
They are considered normal.
But they are stark. raving. mad

Found via the track 6 Days to Madness by Cloud Cult, which Tim showed me the other day. It is adapted from a speech given by the late David Brower, who founded Friends of the Earth and was a very big and important environmentalist. I love it. It always raises new questions in my head. It may be more powerful when you listen to the song. The words aren't lyrics; they're spoken above the music.

David Brower (image source)

I would like to study environmentalism more deeply. There's so much I don't know and so many ideas that would probably change my perspective a bit if I learned them. I suppose, though, I'll mostly have to be satisfied with occasionally coming across gems like this one, because I don't have the time, and probably the patience, to delve headfirst into it all. If only there were a Matrix-style plug in my head to download the information I want to be there...

a little update in the midst of chaos

Hello ladies, sorry for the infrequent posts lately, but it's crunch time at uni! I'm stealing a procrastinatey break right now, but I have an assignment due tomorrow (it's about the Melbourne-based zine called YOU, anyone heard of it?). My computer has also been infected with a sneaky, pesky virus so I'm in the process of backing up all my stuff so I can reformat. Fun times!

Anyway, I was delighted to find my Georgia dress in an Etsy Finds article about repurposing used items into fashion goodness. You can check it out here because there are some delightful finds included. I particularly loved the Wooly Baby shop - cosy woollen slippers and shoes for little ones! They are adorable, made from preloved materials and very reasonably priced.

Mountain Laurel slippers by wooly baby

Purple mist baby slippers by wooly baby

Since it has been a month, here's a little hair update, following my shampoo-free post:

• My hair still feels and looks much better than before.
  
• On the second day after washing, my hair still looks clean, but gets flat after I brush it. I suppose that's a little inevitable and something that I could address with some hair product if I could be bothered, but I don't think it's worth the trouble. So I just tie it up in a ponytail, as I often do anyway, and it looks good as new.
• On the third day after washing, my hair kind of does the sticky-together thing in the fringe, which I don't like, so I wash it. It's still not as bad as the second day after washing with shampoo.
  
• It doesn't make a difference to my hair cleanliness if I use as little baking soda as possible to cover my scalp. Same with the apple cider vinegar - I just pour a little in the cup and then add water. I found that I was getting through my supplies too quickly and it was unnecessary. Less is more!
• I am enjoying making use of my shower cap.

If you've tried it too, do let us know how it's going and leave a comment!

Shampoo: Not the best way to clean hair? How to go poo-free

"In recent years, "no poo" has become something of an underground beauty trend... that's split into two camps: beauty mavens who believe they've found hair care's dirty little secret, and environmentally minded folks who want to use fewer plastic products and products with fewer chemicals." (Source: Today)

I've recently discovered the 'no-poo' movement, in which people replace shampoo with a natural alternative like baking soda or clay or or nothing at all. It seems like a crazy idea to not use shampoo. It's something that we just accept as absolutely necessary, almost as much as toilet paper (which, by the way, I won't be giving up any time soon). But it's not necessary. I've avoided shampoo for the last week and my hair looks and feels much better than before, plus I'm no longer having product build-up problems that made me obsessive-compulsive about washing my hair every day. Thanks to Lucy and I, I found the solution.

Why go poo-free?

Your health

• Shampoo contains chemicals that strip your hair of healthy natural oils, replacing them with artificial oils that don't absorb into the skin very well and don't allow much release of your natural oils. This makes your hair weaker and requring more frequent washes.
• It can eliminate problems such as dandruff, itchy scalp and product build-up.
• It makes your hair look and feel better, if not at first, then after your head has gotten over its shampoo addiction and returns to a state of balance.
  
• Most shampoos contain mineral oil, which is what's left over when crude oil is turned to gasoline.
• Other common chemicals in shampoo may have additional unhealthy effects on your body. Since chemicals are absorbed by the skin, these enter your body, too. There's a (scary) list of them here.

It's very inexpensive

• All you need to replace shampoo and conditioner is baking soda and apple cider vinegar (more on that below). Both are very cheap compared with some shampoos and conditioners.

It's more eco-friendly

• Cut down on frequent fancy bottle packaging and buy the things you need in bulk instead - usually with very minimal packaging.
• Avoid supporting the production of harmful plastics and chemicals.
  

Avoid animal testing

I posted about animal testing in the cosmetics/personal care industry (and how unnecessary it is) last year.

• The use of chemicals in shampoo, such as those above, mean that these products will probably have to be tested on animals.
• Most shampoos and conditioners purchased are tested on animals. This makes it easier to avoid supporting these companies.

How to do it (my way)

You can check the below links for alternative and trouble shooting ideas if this doesn't work for you. There's no 'right' way. This is just what I like.

You need:

• Baking soda
• Apple cider vinegar
• Two small plastic cups. One should be shallow enough for you to easily reach your fingers into the bottom. You could cut off the bottom of a plastic bottle due for recycling. I used a cup and bottle of Ellie's that weren't being used.
  
• A big everyday hairbrush that's comfortable to use

Optional:

• A bottle of an essential oil like lavender or jojoba, depending on what remedy you want (check this link for ideas)

Instructions:

1. Put about a heaped tablespoon of baking soda into the shallow cup.
2. Turn the tap on as little as possible and put a tiny amount in the cup, and mix. I like using a thick paste (but it shouldn't be gritty), but some people like a more watery mixture. Include more water if you want.
   
3. You can add a few drops of your essential oil to this mix, if you like.
4. Put about a couple of table spoons of apple cider vinegar in the other cup, and fill it up with water.
5. Head into the shower with your two cups.
6. Spread some of the baking soda paste onto your fingers and rub into your roots. Keep going back to the cup until it's finished. I usually start with the areas around the hair line - front, sides, then back, and then do the middle by parting the hair horizontally at intervals.
7. Leave it in for a minute and clean the rest of your fine self.
8. To get rid of any existing product buildup (especially this first time) give your head a good massage. It also stimulates growth and natural oil production (no, this won't make your hair oily!). Use your fingertips and rub back and forth in short strokes, gently but firmly. Concentrate on the area around your parting, because that's where the roots mostly show.
9. Rinse the mixture out of your hair.
10. Use the other cup's contents on the lengths of your hair. (I promise the vinegar smell won't stick around forever.)
11. Rinse it out.
12. When your hair is dry, brush your hair. (Use a wide-toothed comb when wet if you need to). Brush it at least twice a day, regardless of when you wash it. This will distribute the natural oils along the length of your hair and make it nice and shiny.
    

For convenience, I usually estimate the amounts without using a measuring thing, then mix the baking soda with my fingers in the shower, and just swirl the apple cider vinegar cup.

How it's worked for me

I had given up on my hair a little, because in my teens I started getting a lot of product built up on my scalp. I didn't use much, if any, styling products, so it was the shampoo and conditioner. I stopped using conditioner. I didn't use a hairbrush because my hair didn't get knotty. I washed my hair every day because otherwise it got greasy and awful.

The first day I tried this my hair and head felt lighter, due to the lack of chemicals and product in my hair. It felt softer, too, and very clean. When I brushed my hair it had a really nice shine that wasn't there before.


I've been doing this for two weeks so far. I've been washing my hair mostly every two days. It gets a little flatter on the second day, but not oily like before. Once I left it three days and it looked a bit greasy by the third. This might stop happening in time, when my hair is used to the new routine.

If you try this, let me know how it goes!

Links

No poo community on LiveJournal
Skin problems TV programme on ABC.net.au
Shampoo-free on Babyslime at Livejournal
No Shampoo Experiment
Why you should go no 'poo'
Shampoo-free: Healthy hair, naturally

Tasmania and Gunns pulp mill

We're headed to Tasmania next Thursday, so all orders received between the 9th and the 19th will be shipped on Monday the 20th.

Tasmania is such a beautiful, nature-filled place. We would love to live down there, but I don't want to be so far away from our families. And the way things are going, there won't be much beautiful nature there anymore. Over 75% of the rainforest has already been consumed.



From The Wilderness Society:

"Gunns Ltd, Australia’s largest logging company, is proposing to build a chlorine bleaching, native forest fed pulp mill in Tasmania. Stopping the pulp mill is crucial because it will be a disaster for climate change. It will be 80 per cent native forest-based, consuming an area of forest equivalent to 100,000 MCGs. Marine life, human health and other industries, including tourism, agriculture and fisheries are also threatened by this polluting development. The pulp mill has been approved for construction via inadequate, fast tracked approval processes that have ignored many of the key issues that concern the public. Funding has not been secured for the project, and public opposition continues to grow - it can still be stopped."

Despite Gunns' attempts to ensure the public that they are an environmentally considerate logging company (don't make me laugh), it seems that they're basing their statements on faulty research or deliberately overlooking many of the other effects of their practices. Besides, it's obviously all about the money, hence the suing protesters for millions and their history of strong-arming the government.


Flex your cyberactivist muscles and sign a pledge to help here.

Organic produce delivery in Melbourne

Is it weird for me to be excited about a box of fruit and veg?


I finally got around to ordering from The Green Line. I just got a box of produce this time, but next time I'll probably add on other groceries. Hopefully in time we can cut out supermarket shopping altogether.

Check out their website for some benefits of eating organic.

The Story of Stuff

I really encourage you to watch this online animation called The Story of Stuff. It's about the lifecycle of the things we buy and the inherent problem with the processes involved: that natural resources will run out, that people are exploited along the way, and that it's actually worsening our quality of life. It's really easy to watch.

Some of the things learned:

• Only 1% of the things we buy are still in use in 6 months. 99% is trashed within 6 months.
  
• In just the past 30 years, one third of the world's natural resources were used up.
• There are 100,000 different chemicals used in commercial products, and only a handful of them have been tested for health effects.
• For every 1 garbage can that we put out on the curb, 70 cans worth of garbage were produced in making the amount we used up.
  

Quips appreciated:

• The little guy representing the government shining the shoes of the fat corporation guy.
• "We'll start with extraction, which is a fancy word for 'natural resource exploitation', which is a fancy word for 'trashing the planet'."
• "We take our pillows, we douse them in a neuro-toxin [a flame retardant chemical], then we bring them home and put our heads on them for 8 hours a night to sleep? I don't know, but it seems to me in this country with so much potential, we could think of a better way to keep our heads from catching on fire at night."

To be honest though, watching this made me angry. I know I'm a part of the consumer cycle so I'm partly angry at myself. But mostly I'm angry at those capitalists who make a dedicated effort to increase consumption and disposal at the expense of the planet and people. I'm angry at computer companies for purposely changing the pieces of new computers so they don't fit into old ones, in order for us to throw the whole thing away and buy a new one. I'm angry at the guy quoted in the video, who after WW2 stated that high levels of consumption and disposal is in our best interests to better the economy. I'm angry that companies purposely design things to break.

I suppose that the high stats per person of waste and consumption means that if we buy less and try not to support the 'buy disposable' system, then we're doing a lot of good. If one can of the garbage we put out each week actually represents 71 cans, then by cutting that down to a quarter of a can, we'd save about 50 cans per week. That's a lot.

It's easy to conform to the idea that new is better, given it's blasted into our heads with advertising everywhere we turn and it seems to be what others are doing. It's great that there are videos like this to renew my dedication to a sustainable lifestyle.

We have lift-off: awareness badges on Etsy

I've finally got these pictured and listed! Don't they look cute, all lined up in this picture? You can check 'em out on Etsy here. I'm really pleased with the concept of these. I love that they're innocent and cute looking but they purport big ideas. My favourites are this and this.

Also, photos from the fashion show are up on Style Melbourne here! Four of the seven or so outfits I showcased are there. Awesome.

Splurge

Ahh, I just splurged on this top and will henceforth blame it on being an early birthday present (my birthday is two months away).

Emerald Grey Blue by Replicca

I'm starting to wonder if signing up to her mailing list was such a good idea after all.

I'm aware of the fact that this is not, as far as I can tell, made using eco-friendly or recycled fabrics. But I guess the most important thing to me with fashion is that I'm not rewarding (paying) a company to keep exploiting garment workers. This hoodie does not. I think that ethical fashion is about having the knowledge to choose what issues important for you, and then reducing what you buy to select pieces that you will treasure and adore for a long time to come.

I'm quite unhappy with the extent of my wardrobe at the moment (although that may have something to do with the washing that's been piling up since before the fashion show). I guess everybody goes through that stage once in a while, where our wardrobe just feels old and a rejuvination is desired. I'll be reconstructing my own things when I have spare time, and largely keep my clothing to second-hand or self-made. This 'spare time' does not seem promising, as I just started back at uni, but we'll see how I go.

If you're interested in peeking at others' refashioned clothing, check out this inventive blog: Wardrobe Refashion.

"Participants of the blog pledge to abstain from the purchase of new manufactured clothing for the period of 2, 4, 6 months or LIFE. They pledge to refashion, renovate, and recycle preloved items with their own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium or make their own from scratch."

I really appreciate the values behind this idea. Huge props to Nichola for creating and maintaining this.

Also! I was interviewed in depth over at the modernemotive blog. I think that this is my favourite interview so far, the questions were fun to answer and the post ended up so pretty!

Why care about the envrionment?

In my last post, I should have mentioned that the responses to the government's recommendations about the fashion industry weren't all one-sided. Oxfam, Brotherhood of St. Laurence, and Fair Wear all responded as well and had their say about the issues with worker welfare and the environment in mind. Anyway, we'll see what happens.

I was interviewed over at a new fashion blog called The Clothing Menu. Click here to check it out.

This is what I wore the other day.

Vintage dress
Random jewellery

Ellie picked up my strand of pearls while I was putting my jewellery on, then proceeded to wander around the house, putting it on and taking it off and putting it on. I caught her in the hall with the flash.


..which she was a little wary of. She is learning something new every day and constantly surprising me. Amazing. Something I've been thinking about lately is how many people begin to care about being environmentally friendly after they have a child. Maybe because they realise that it's their child's future at stake, or there's something about babies that makes us want everything natural and fresh, like the little one? Maybe both.

For me, the caring did come after Ellie was born, but I'm not sure if it was because of her. I feel like I would have had the same reaction if I'd learned about the issues before she was born, but who knows. I'm still not entirely sure what my main reason for caring is, or maybe I just don't know how to word it. I just know that the world's current level of consumption is fundamentally not good and don't want to participate when alternatives are often easier, cheaper and more fulfilling.

What's your reason? Why do you care about the environment?

Eco-find: Naturally Hip cloth menstrual pads

Most people know about the cloth versus disposable nappy debate. But how many of you have thought about cloth menstrual pads? Not me, I have to admit. But now that I've looked into it a little, I'm going to give it a try. Here's why:

• In the US alone, 7 million tampons and 12 billion pads are sent to landfill every year - not to mention the packaging each disposable comes in. If I never buy disposables again for the rest of my life, that's going to make a significant waste reduction.
  
• It's cheaper
• No nasty, chemical-laden plastics against your skin. I imagine it just feels nicer, and you're less likely to have irritation issues 'down there'. Some women's privates react to the chemicals and they mistake the problem for 'just that time of the month'.
  
• It can help reduce period pain, and it commonly makes periods shorter and lighter.
• Support the little (and eco-friendly) guys - most cloth pads are made by self-employed, work-from-home women.
  
• Many cloth pads are made from natural materials, which means you won't be supporting the production of plastics and chemicals, which adds to pollution.
  

I spoke to the lovely Lindsay of Naturally Hip, who makes cloth pads both gorgeous and functional.


Tell us about yourself and what you make.

My name is Lindsay. I live in Burlington, Ontario, in Canada, with my wonderful husband and two adorable children ages 6 months and 2 and a half years. Naturally Hip is my line of handmade cloth menstrual pads and wet bags. I am a one-woman show. Everything I create is made by me from start to finish (right up to dropping it in the mailbox)! Down the road I would love to expand my business to include nursing pads and cloth baby items as well.

Tell us a bit about the cloth versus disposable pad debate.

Disposable hygiene products have become so mainstream in the last few decades that we forget they haven’t existed for long! Cloth pads have come a long way, but have been around for ages. There are lots of opinions but the key issues of the debate are health benefits, cost, environmental impact, and comfort.

The absorbent material in disposable pads and tampons is bleached with the chemical dioxin, a known carcinogen. Research suggests that continuous exposure to this chemical can lead to increased chance of cervical and ovarian cancer. Unbleached pads are available, but are more expensive and still end up in the landfill. Many women report irritation caused by disposable products which disappears after making the switch to cloth (I hear this over and over). Some even experience shorter and less painful periods!

There is definitely an initial investment with cloth pads. However, since they’re made to last several years, the cost is quite a bit lower in the long run. I calculated it out a little while back and the savings were close to 50%!

Every disposable product ends up in a landfill – and women go through thousands in a lifetime – while cloth pads can be washed and used over and over. There is a small increase in water consumption for washing cloth pads, but the environmental impact is less overall. Sanitary waste in landfill sites is also a valid concern.

Cloth pads are wonderfully soft and comfortable - like your favorite flannel pajamas! There is just no comparison with the sticky, plasticky feeling of disposable ones.


What's the difference between cloth and disposable pads in terms of absorption, convenience and ease of use?

Like disposable pads, cloth pads are available in all different levels of absorbency. They typically have an absorbent core of natural fibers such as cotton or bamboo with a soft fabric top layer. Disposable products have a combination of cotton batting and absorbent gel inside and often have a perforated plastic top sheet.

Although the convenience of disposable products seems hard to beat, using cloth pads is pretty simple too! Away from home they can be carried in a wet bag (a washable pouch with waterproof lining) or zipper-seal plastic bag. They are easy to wash and dry, and - maybe the best part - they’re always there when you need them!

Cloth and disposable pads are worn the same way. While disposable pads have a sticky plastic backing, cloth pads with wings fasten with a simple snap or other closure (wingless pads stay in place nicely when worn with close-fitting cotton underwear). After use, cloth pads are rinsed or soaked until wash day. From there, they go right in the washing machine and usually through the dryer too. The process takes no longer than wrapping and throwing away each disposable pad and taking out the garbage.

How many pads do you recommend to start?

This is a tough question since everyone’s body is different. I usually suggest starting with a couple of pantyliners, some daytime pads and a couple of larger pads for overnight, and go from there. The ideal collection for you depends on how frequently you do laundry, the length of your period, absorbency needs, your body size, etc.


How did you start making cloth pads?

I discovered cloth pads while researching cloth diapering options for my first child. It was intriguing to me (though of course not a new idea by any means!) and curiosity took over. I drafted some patterns and started trying out various designs and materials. A few months later I started selling them online and Naturally Hip was born.

What aspects of your business are eco-friendly, other than the obvious?

Behind the scenes I try to be as green as possible. I reduce waste by using every last scrap of fabric – my 2-year old crafts beside me gluing teeny fabric scraps to paper - and by using recyclable and reusable packaging materials. I buy fabric locally and in bulk, walk to the mailbox whenever possible, and compost dryer lint from pre-washing fabrics. Being a stay-at-home mom saves a lot in gas consumption too - I commute on foot to my downstairs studio!


What's your best eco-tip (besides switching to cloth)?

Reduce! In everything I do or buy, I first try to think “how can this be more earth friendly?” For example, cutting down on the amount of plastic we use and throw away, buying products with less packaging, purchasing used items at second-hand stores, conserving energy, composting. In addition to helping the earth, we’re often saving money too!

Thanks so much, Lindsay, for the informative and thought-provoking responses. I really love finding people running businesses who have the same concern for the environment that I do. I love that her first eco-tip was 'reduce!' because I really think that's the key. We can recycle absolutely everything and still be doing bad things for the environment because the initial high consumption is still there. I won't be buying my cloth pads from anywhere else, because I think it's important to support like-minded people. Plus, after reading my previous blog posts about the Bushfire Appeal, Lindsay has decided to donate some of her items to the Oz Bushfire Appeal shop. So kind of her.

Visit the Naturally Hip online shop

Neco Melbourne

For the Melbourne readers, I have some exciting news.

Well, it says now open, but the opening is tomorrow. Neco is an amazing store that has pretty much every eco-friendly thing you could possibly want. We've shopped at their online store before (for nappies, I think), but it's a bit of a hassle waiting for everyday things to arrive and paying for shipping when sometimes the things are available in local shops. But now that they'll have a physical shop I won't need to worry about it.

And I'd much prefer to shop somewhere that's dedicated to to being green. Their range is far larger than the eco-friendly items you'd find elsewhere. They sell a huge range, including car offsets, homewares, office supplies, insulation and even Kara Smith's lovely handmade handbags.

We'll be making our way to the Neco superstore soon, especially since it's only a few minutes away from our home.

Pretty posters and a pretty dress

I found this awesome RightBrainTerrain.com poster via the lovely Fiona who mentioned that she got one of their other alternative motivational posters. Titled 'Planet', this one is perfect if you need that extra reminder sometimes to think about whether what you're buying is earth-friendly, or necessary at all. And it's nice to look at, too. I have to say, these motivational posters are a lot more appealing than the traditional black bordered ones with pictures of landscapes on them. I don't usually need help remembering eco-friendliness, but I'd love to get this one for my studio:

For inspiring me back into action when I'm feeling particularly uninspired and lazy-like.

I spent today designing a new business card and making patterns for my new collections. Grading (making patterns into different sizes) can be such a pain. It's nice to have them nearly completed though. The patterns are basic so I can do lots of cool creative things with them. I haven't decided on all my final designs yet, but I have a good idea of several items.

I also had time to list one item in my Etsy shop this evening. It's cute cute cute. I wanted to keep it because it's comfy, too, but I have to discipline myself or I won't end up making much money from this Heidi & Seek shindig at all.

S or M temperate dress

It fits a size small with a relaxed fit or a size medium with a snug fit. Yay for versatility!