This app is specific to Australian seafood and features over 100 different types of seafood, including those from wild-caught fisheries, fish farms and imported species. Produced by the Australian Marine Conservation Society, it features an easy to use traffic light sustainability ranking system, with seafood as ‘better choice’, ‘think twice’ or ’say no’. It also enables you to search for seafood marketed under different names.

This makes it easy to quickly assess what to avoid at the fishmonger or when out to dinner and keeps you up to date with the latest advice.

The population of Australia is around 23 million, in the UK its around 63 million. These are massive numbers. When seen like this what on earth can one person do to have an impact on climate change? Well, one person’s efforts might seem insignificant, but one million people have the chance to do something much more substantial. That is why I love the Australian website 1Million Women whose aim it is to inspire one million Australian women to take practical action on climate change. Cutting a tonne of CO2 each through simple, easy to implement measures. Why not make that pledge?

1Million Women was set up by Natalie Isaacs and Michelle Grosvenor in 2009. The aim of the site is to bring together daughters, mothers, sisters and grandmothers who are committed to protecting our climate, our communities and our future, leading change for the better.

Once signed up, the site provides an activity centre with over 50 ways of cutting pollution in your life. I’ve signed up for a number of activities that can help me cut emissions. I do the majority of the carbon reducing activities anyway, but there are a few things on the list that I can have a go at. One is trying to grow some of my own veggies. Having tried this a couple of times I realised that my heart is green but my fingers are more of a dead brown. I have managed to keep the latest batch of herbs alive for just over 3 weeks, although that is more to do with the wet weather than any tending on my part. But its a start. There are lots of other little things that can be done that all add up…

I love the idea of being part of a community all making an effort to do something positive. I’m hoping in some little way that the information on the Green Beings website might help people make some more informed eco-friendly shopping choices and so helping with the one million tonnes goal.

Carbon footprint calculators were all the rage when we started up Green Beings back in 2007-8. You don’t get to hear so much about them these days and the links we had on our Footprint page were obselete. So I thought I’d do a little research to see how things have moved on and to compare my old footprint against my current one.

I’d previously tried out a few Australian calculators and got an interesting set of results. All making me feel a bit happy that my footprint was considerably smaller than the average Australian. However, things have changed since 2008. Our family has doubled in size (with kids rather than bodyweight) and our house has increased in size with an extension. So our household footprint will have gone up a bit surely?

Well, looking at the energy and gas bills our consumption is about the same as it was a few years back. But there is a significant increase in our water consumption. Not surprising really when you think about the fact the kids need a bath every night, they smear food and all sorts of matter all over their clothes, furniture and walls. So I’m not surprised by the results and quite happy that our energy conservation measures seem to have worked.

The new calculators that are available are a little more advanced, up to date and fun. Walking through the WWF footprint calculator and you might for a second think that you were in a computer game. So if you have five minutes check out our updated ‘Calculate your Footprint’ page.

Would you be more likely to buy something if it had a carbon label or is it information overload? There are dozens of things to consider when selecting products. So a carbon footprint symbol on the product does help. So what has happened and why aren’t we seeing more of them?

Putting carbon labels on groceries is a great way of displaying the impacts of everyday products. Over three years ago the UK supermarket chain ‘Tesco’ teamed up with the Carbon Trust to develop carbon labels for over 1,000 of their products. But it seems that more widespread uptake of carbon labels has been slower than expected. Carbon footprint calculations have brought up some interesting results, but have the costs and time required to prepare them been their downfall?

According to a Carbon Trust study, each person in the UK has an annual carbon footprint of 11 tonnes of CO2 and equivalent (CO2e). About a fifth of the average personal carbon footprint – comes from the food we eat. You might think that buying local fruit and veg is greener, but the footprint can become quite large if, for example, food grown locally had be to grown in a heated greenhouse. Meaning that imported products grown in the fresh air may have a comparably lower footprint despite being shipped for hundreds of miles. How would you know this unless you asked or it was printed on the label?

Despite the obvious benefits of carbon labels it is a laborious and costly process, as a result Tesco is currently reviewing its commitment to carbon labelling.

The main challenge Tesco has faced is to ‘effectively explain this often complex message in a meaningful way’ and that the effectiveness of carbon labels has been undermined by the absence of any requirement forcing other retailers to join in and adopt carbon labels.

Is the task of compiling a footprint for each product too great? Is it what customers really want? Another major UK retailer Marks and Spencers has, despite working with the Carbon Trust, chosen a different route. Instead, with their ambitions Plan A, M&S want to offer simple brand reassurance, that they are doing the vast majority on the behalf of the customers, so customers can be assured that fish comes from a sustainable source, eggs are free range, working conditions are acceptable and measures to minimise waste, energy etc are being implemented. It is not to say that carbon labelling is dead. There are several ways to skin a cat, however, until the process becomes more efficient or regulations are changed, carbon labelling is unlikely to be taken up as widely as first hoped. Having said that Planet Ark and the Carbon Trust UK have launched the Carbon Reduction Label in Australia. In October 2010, ALDI became the first retailer in Australia to launch a carbon footprint label in its stores with the everydayolive oil range now featuring a Carbon Reduction label.

Eco-labels are a pet-favourite at Green Beings, so we will keep our ear to the ground and follow the lifespan of carbon labels with interest. We will keep you posted.

Because the boxes are hard plastic, items packed in them won’t get damaged or crushed. Stefan Wobking, the owner of the company says “The main reason that I chose to start Eco Move was because I noticed a lack of an environmentally friendly alternatives to cardboard boxes. I couldn’t believe no one had done it before.”

The benefits of using Eco Move boxes for your next house move are numerous:

• Convenience – Eco Move boxes are stackable. They nest into each other and stack neatly once filled.

• Design – The unique saw tooth lid design means that the boxes do not require taping or assembly.

• Durability – Eco Move boxes are made from durable plastic with a hinged, attached lid. The boxes have a 30 kilogram load rating and can be reused up to 300 times.

• Safety – Your belongings remain safe as the lids lock into each other and can be secured with cable ties or padlocks.

• Affordability – Eco Move’s range of moving box packages are comparable to similar cardboard box packages whilst offering all the above benefits.

• Environmentally friendly – the boxes are 100% recyclable

Did you know that nearly 50% of cardboard boxes in Australia are not recycled? They go into landfill and when breaking down, they emit methane, a greenhouse gas with a global warming capacity 21 times more powerful than carbon monoxide. A good reason to change to 100% recyclable plastic boxes.

Eco Move provide different packages depending on your household needs – from 1 bed homes to large family homes, you just need to pick the package that suits you. They even provide a moving dolly and labels to make it easier for you!

Prices range from $60 – $180 for a package including delivery and collection within a 50km radius of Melbourne CBD. Take a look at www.ecomove.com.au for more information.

So, a few things that have come across my desk over the last couple of weeks:

For anyone looking to sell sustainable products www.ethicalcommunity.com might be the answer. It is a fast growing eco-friendly and natural marketplace. The site allows you to create your own on-line shop and become an on-line seller of eco-friendly goodies.

Www.greenbizcheck.com – the ‘worlds first online Green Certification Company’ offering environmental certification for offices, retail, IT, food and beverage and recruitment.

Looking for a present for Grandma? Fun hand-made hot water bottle covers http://hot-water-bottle-covers-etc.blogspot.com.au/

What she did really want over the Christmas holidays, was entertainment. Getting outside, drawing, making and baking things. Thanks to the crappy weather we spent quite a bit of time inside, so finding things to do to entertain her was quite a challenge. Luckily there are websites like http://www.lovelytrash.com/ to go to for inspiration. Lovelytrash takes recycling to a new level with creative ideas for making great toys, decorations, furniture and all sorts using the contents of your recycling bin.

Phthalates are softening agents added to many toys, lotions and creams for all age groups especially in industrialised countries. Recent studies have shown that when a baby is exposed to these chemicals, even in topical products, that the phthalates and their derivatives are absorbed into the blood stream and also present in the urine. One of the better known effects of phthalate exposure in babies is an underdeveloped male reproductive system. There is an indisputable link between high phthalate exposure either in utero or after birth, and several developmental abnormalities such as those listed below.

Some Recognised Symptoms of Moderate to Severe Phthalate exposure in Babies

• incomplete dropping of the testicles
• reductions in the masculinsing hormone dihydrotestosterone
• reduced distance between the anus and the base of the penis (AGD) – which is used to predict abnormalities in adult reproductive development. The AGD should normally be twice as long in males as it is in females, however studies have shown that significant phthalate exposure to male infants may shorten this measure. The shorter the anogenital distance the more feminised the body in question.
• the development of proliferative lesions in Leydig cells, which are located in the testicles

Mineral oil is a by-product of commercial processes involving crude oil, and when applied to the skin will produce an oily coating. As a moisturiser it is barely effective, because it is so poorly absorbed and does not allow the skin to breathe. This hasn’t stopped many commercial manufacturers from using it in their baby ranges though because it is cheap to produce. Natural emulsions such as beeswax, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and sesame oil are a much better alternative. Knowing that just about anything that sits on a babys skin, is likely at some stage to enter their mouths via the fingers also should discourage one from purchasing products containing mineral oil.. On ingredient lists you will find mineral oil listed also as petroleum, paraffin or paraffin oil.

Oestrogenic chemicals and derivates in the environment, processed foods and in skin care products are part of the phthalate controversy. So when purchasing any products, be sure to choose those that use natural organic and biodynamic ingredients. These are less likely to contain environmental hormones.

With a better understanding of the ‘baddies’ in commercial baby products you can reduce the risk of toxicity, allergy and discomfort for your baby. In summary, here are some tips to help you select better and healthier products for you and your baby:

• Read labels
• Choose natural skin care products that use organic and biodynamic ingredients, ensuring top quality raw materials that are free of nasty chemicals
• Avoid mineral oils and petrochemicals
• Avoid any products that contain artificial fragrances. Most naturally derived fragrances from flowers and herbs are fine.
• Look for organic and pure products that may also contain the label “Phthalate-free”. Also avoid placing plastic bottles in the microwave, as transmigration of plastics under heat leads to chemicals being passed into the contents of the bottle.
• Patch test new products for potential allergic reactions by dabbing a small amount on the inside of your baby’s elbows.
• Live an organic lifestyle. A recent study showed changing to a biodynamic, organic diet can virtually eliminate all traces of phthalates in the body!

References
1. Norman J. Barlow, Barry S. Mcintyre and Paul M.D. Foster 2004,
Male Reproductive Tract Lesions at 6, 12, and 18 Months of Age Following in Utero Exposure to Di(n-butyl) Phthalate , 32; 79 Toxicol Pathol
2. Sharpe RM., 2001, Hormones and testis development and the possible adverse effects of environmental chemicals, Toxicol Lett. Mar 31;120(1-3):221-32
3. Chensheng Lu,1 Kathryn Toepel,2 Rene Irish,2 Richard A. Fenske,2 Dana B. Barr,3 and Roberto Bravo3 2006, Organic Diets Significantly Lower Children’s Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides, Environ Health Perspect. February; 114(2): 260–263.
4. Wasmuth HE, Kolb H, 2000, Cow’s milk and immune-mediated diabetes, Proc Nutr Soc. 2000 Nov;59(4):573-9.
5. Harrison LC, Honeyman MC. 1999, Diabetes. Cow’s milk and type 1 diabetes: the real debate is about mucosal immune function, Aug;48(8):1501-7
6. Berthold Koletzko, MD, 2000, Complementary Foods and the Development of Food Allergy, PEDIATRICS Vol. 106 No. 5 pp. 1285
7. AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, (1997), “Inactive” Ingredients in Pharmaceutical Products, PEDIATRICS Vol. 99 No. 2, pp. 268-278
8. Burks, W, (2003), Skin Manifestations of Food Allergy, PEDIATRICS Vol. 111 No. 6, pp. 1617-1624.

By Su-lin Sze, 2011, Naturopath and Consultant to Weleda, manufacturer of holistic products for mother and baby.

Just how free are free range chickens? Well, now you can see for yourself. For fans of reality TV, SunnyQueen has a surprise in store… now you can watch the chooks from Sunny Queen’s Free Range farms living the good life – live and unedited. Talk about compulsive viewing!

“We want our customers to see first-hand the life led by the happy, healthy hens who produce our free range eggs,” Julie Proctor from Sunny Queen said.

“Until now, some free range egg customers have been unsure about what “free range” means. We can’t speak for all Free Range but we’re proud of our Sunny Queen Free Range Farms, and what better way to show off our pampered chooks than to give everyone a bird’s eye view with our new, live action webcam.

“It’s no wonder our hens think they’re something special – they are!”

From Thursday 28th April, Sunny Queen is encouraging all their free range egg customers to get an eye full of their frolicking free range hens via their live Eggcam at: www.sunnyqueen.com.au/eggcam

“The live EggCam has been set up so people can see everything that the girls get up to when they are out and about – from the moment they hit the paddock and  start foraging until they’re brought back into the barn at dusk to get their beauty sleep.”

“We cater to their every whim, open fields by day, great food and service, nests to lay their eggs in, plus warm, safe barns to rest in at night. Our girls are truly happy, contented hens who live and eat well,” Julie said. “And now our customers can see that for themselves.”

No editing. No special effects. Just a camera constantly filming the pasture during daylight hours, showing the hens as they go about their day.

If you want to grab yourself some they can be found at the following stores:

o   Online at www.littletakas.com

o   Baby Kingdom stores in NSW and online nationally at www.babykingdom.com.au

o   Progressive Supa IGA stores in Western Australia.

o   Farmer Jacks Foodworks stores in Western Australia.

o   Drakes Supermarkets in South Australia and Queensland

o   Foodland supermarkets in South Australia

o   IGA supermarkets Nationally

o   Romeos chain of IGA and foodland stores

o   SA commercial group