new clock and diy pyramid pouch

I was just looking at an Etsy shop that said something like, "we only use the finest quality cow skin. You'll never want to stop touching it!" I'm not sure if I found it gross because I'm a vegetarian or because it is actually gross. I'm suddenly really uninterested in leather now, even vintage/sustainable leather. Almost all of my shoes are leather, but I'm not going to replace them all. I guess I'm used to them and I'll try not to think about it. But I won't be buying anything leather any time soon, new or second-hand. This makes it even more difficult to find a backpack, because the ones on Etsy that I did like were in leather, and the sellers aren't interested in making them in anything else. Back to the drawing board...

Here is my first attempt at making something bag-like. (Baby-steps.)


It's squashed from being at the bottom of my bag and because I forgot to put interfacing in it, but let's just ignore that. I'm vaguely happy with the sewing, despite the fact that my machine is completely uninterested in sewing zippers (I broke two needles in the process). Looking for a decent second-hand Bernina. Also not so impressed with the colours I chose. I looked at it as a test piece and didn't want to waste especially cool fabric if I buggered it up. I found the tutorial here at LivingCreatively.com.au, which is such a great site. They have a bunch more quality DIY tutorials there.

I'm going to use it for Heidi & Seek petty cash and receipts, because I'm currently horrendous at keeping my money and business money separate.



By the way, I adore my new upcycled clock from pretty green. I used to have to keep my mobile phone in this corner to check the time and I still sometimes forget that I can just look at the wall now!

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.

Animal testing for cosmetics

Due to lab testing, "one animal dies every second in the US, in Japan every 2 seconds, and in the UK every 12 seconds" (source: Choose Cruelty Free). Over six million animals were experimented on in Australia in 2004 (source: AAHR). Although this figure doesn't address the severity of the experiments, it's still a staggering amount. Shouldn't animals have the right to live without this kind of exploitation, as we do?

The animals used for testing are: dogs, preferably beagles for their docility and easily maintained hair, cats, monkeys, mice, rats, rabbits, sheep and pigs.

image credit: quetxal

Animal rights organisations argue with those in the medical field about whether the testing is necessary. One one hand, humans and animals are biologically different, so the animal testing results can be irrelevant to us, and many of the testing results gathered have been ineffective. However, drugs have the potential to be harmful to humans if not tested first.

I'm not a scientist. I don't know who's right. But I do know that cosmetics are tested on animals as well as drugs. Animal testing for cosmetics is unnecessary, and proof of that is simply that vegan cosmetics are on the market, and nobody's died. Although cruelty-free drug options don't exist, cruelty-free cosmetics definitely do. I prefer to purchase those products and I encourage you to do the same. Here's why:

• They're available at a number of different price points and some brands are very inexpensive.
• For most items of cosmetics you buy, there is a vegan alternative.
• If you care about animals, take a stand and show it by choosing not to endorse unnecessary animal testing for cosmetics.
• They aren't necessarily hard to find. You can find cruelty-free cosmetics at your local supermarket.
• The products not tested on animals aren't in any way inferior. I love my Nature's Organics shampoo a lot more than the Sunsilk and Pantene I previously used.

It's a simple way to make an ethical difference. Visit http://www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au (AU) or search.caringconsumer.com (INT) for lists of accredited cruelty-free cosmetics. Another thing to note is that although product might state 'This product is not tested on animals', they may be sneakily hiding the fact that the ingredients were tested on animals. Check it on one of those sites first.

Here's a short list of Australian, widely-available cruelty-free make up brands:
Innoxa
Face of Australia
Jurlique

And cruelty-free hair care:
De Lorenzo
Organic Care
Nature's Organics

Body care:
Thursday Plantation
Alchemy
Nature's Organics

I also have to mention that, despite their reputation, The Body Shop lost its CCF accreditation: something to do with the L'Oreal takeover in 2006, perhaps. It seems they follow the animal-testing practices of their parent company now.

If you can't find a particular product in a cruelty-free version, Google it. There's a wealth more information available. I found a lot of the answers to my questions by searching the Vegetarian and Vegan Society of Queensland forum.

For more info:
Choose Cruelty Free
Caring Consumer
AAHR Medical research fact sheet

And if you're interested, I use:
Nature's Organics shampoo and conditioner - available at most supermarkets
Innoxa Satin Sheen Natural Finish Makeup - I love how light it is. Gives me a smoother complexion and looks like I'm wearing nothing at all.
Innoxa eye liner pencil - from a pharmacy
Thursday Plantation roll-on deoderant - I got this from a pharmacy, I think
Red Seal Natural toothpaste - available at supermarkets
Nature's Organics sorbolene cream - available at most supermarkets or pharmacies

Vegetarianism and the environment

World Vegan Day is next weekend in Melbourne. I have to admit that I'm not vegan. In fact, I'm a pretty poor vegetarian, given that I eat seafood on occasion. I really should label myself a pescatarian if I want to be accurate, but then I have to launch into an explanation and feel like a bit of a chump for using a relatively unknown word in the first place.

However, since the beginning of the year I have avoided all other types of meat, unless it was snuck into my food without my knowing. And there are the little things that crumble my ethic. Like cheese. I previously thought it was all vegetarian. I even stupidly scoffed along with Tim at the 'vegetarian cheese' at the supermarket, because all cheese is vegetarian, isn't it? Then I learned about rennet, a cheese ingredient which is made from calf stomach, and ate my words. Fortunately there are resources like the Vegetarian Network Victoria, which, as part of it's vast wealth of veggie information, includes a page on brands and types of rennet-free cheese.

I understand that not everyone wants to change their eating habits based on animal ethics, and that's certainly fair enough. But I also think that we should make informed decisions, and most people aren't aware of the environmental effects of eating meat.

Raising pigs, chickens, cows and other animals for food is "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." (source: UN report: Livestock's Long Shadow) Avoiding meat is the most effective thing we can do to help climate change, even before switching our car to a hybrid. Why?

• Every kilogram of beef uses up to 16,000 litres of water to make.
  
• Our rainforests are being destroyed for cattle grazing land at a rate of one football field per second. We need rainforests to supply oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide and moderate our climates.
  
• Livestock produces 130 times more waste than we do and it's poisoning water, air and land.
• One third of all fossil fuel in the US is used to raise animals for food.
• Cattle produces one fifth of methane emissions, which is 24 times more damaging then carbon dioxide to the environment.

Eating less meat is good for the planet as well as your health, if you do it right. Even changing one of your restaurant orders to a vegetarian one has a decent impact on the environment. Making a few dinners each week meat-free helps even more. It'll save you money, too.

There is an incredible amount of other ethical reasons to decrease your meat intake, but I think I've exhausted my preaching allowance for today. If you're interested, you can find out more at these great sites:
Vegetarian Network Victoria
GoVeg.com