Old Tyre Recycling

 Plastics, Recycling, Shopping  Comments Off on Old Tyre Recycling
Sep 272016
 

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 environmental and health and safety impacts
  • Developing Australia’s tyre recycling industry and markets for tyre derived products.

You can help support the scheme by dealing with Tyre Stewardship Accredited suppliers. This will ensure your old tyres are recycled in the most environmentally sustainable way.

Look for the logo or go to our website to find your nearest supplier:

www.tyrestewardship.org.au

Source: RoyalAuto, Aug-16, pg 39, TyreStewardship Australia http://www.tyrestewardship.org.au/

Supporting a Tyre Stewardship Accredited supplier is a good thing to do for our environment next time you need to replace your old tyres.

Many thanks

Lila

Resource Management Specialist,

Share
 Posted by at 1:43 pm

Green Message: “Ark of Taste”

 Community Gardens, Food, Shopping  Comments Off on Green Message: “Ark of Taste”
Sep 252016
 

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 diverse climate, culture and unique flora and fauna. In particular, the food from the diets of indigenous Australians and culture e.g. Finger Limes from Australia’s East Coast.

Currently, the Australian Ark has 23 products with more at the nomination stage. Anyone can nominate a food for the Ark of Taste.

The categories include:

Endangered – produced in limited quantities and may not be around in next one or two generations

Good – prized for their special taste or process

Clean – not engineered and can be grown, raised or produced without harm to the environment

Fair – food that anyone can champion, produce, sell or share – no commercial or trademark items

To nominate a food for the Ark of Taste, go to:

http://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/what-we-do/the-ark-of-taste/nominations-from-around-the-world/nominate-a-product/

For more information, go to:

http://slowfoodaustralia.com.au/what-we-do/ark-of-taste/

Source: Ark of Taste – Protecting Biodiversity, Slow Food in Australia, http://slowfoodaustralia.com.au/what-we-do/ark-of-taste/

 

Hop on board the Ark of Taste to protect our food biodiversity.

Many thanks

Lila

Resource Management Specialist,

Share
 Posted by at 1:39 pm

“Buy Nothing New” month – October

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on “Buy Nothing New” month – October
Sep 232016
 

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 challenge is asking you to stop shopping for JUST four weeks. This doesn’t mean you can’t buy anything.  Obviously you’ll still need to buy food, drink, medication and anything you need to maintain your health and wellbeing. During this time you can learn some new buying habits, reassess how much you really need, look at where our stuff comes from and make wiser decisions when you do head out to the shops.  It’s also a reaction to our “throwaway society” where we see precious resources turning into landfill all too quickly. No greater evidence of this is around my neighbourhood at this time of year as it’s the annual hard rubbish collection. Masses of stuff in good condition gets thrown out on the nature strip ready to be collected and taken to landfill.

Buy Nothing New month aims to extend the life and maximise the value of existing stuff by promoting recycled, free-cycled, up-cycled, second hand and eco-friendly alternatives to buying new. And, by not spending on stuff we don’t need, increasing our savings for the things we do need.

To make your pledge, go to:

http://www.buynothingnew.com.au/pledge/

Source: Buy Nothing New Month http://www.buynothingnew.com.au/

Pledge to Buy Nothing New during October and challenge over consumption.

Many thanks

Lila

Resource Management Specialist,

Share
 Posted by at 11:18 am

Spring Cleaning Naturally

 Shopping  Comments Off on Spring Cleaning Naturally
Sep 022016
 

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 without harming our environment.  I arm myself with some micro fibre cloths, spray bottles of water & vinegar and the most versatile cleaning agent of all bi-carb soda

Here’s some ideas for those big jobs:

Windows & Mirrors:

  • Remove dust with a broom or dry cloth then use undiluted vinegar in a spray bottle & wipe over with a micro fibre cloth, tissue paper or newspaper

Tip: It’s best to clean windows on a cloudy day to avoid streaks

Bathroom Tiles:

  • Make a paste using liquid castile soap and bi-carb soda and apply to tiles, leave overnight then rinse off

Tip: You should do a bit of a test on modern surfaces before going all out with the bi-carb just in case it doesn’t like it.

Oven Cleaning:

  • To clean the oven, mix bi-carb soda with water to make a paste then apply over racks, walls and base with a pastry brush. Turn oven on low and cook for 10 mins then turn off and allow to cool a little. Remove racks and take to sink area. Lightly buff bi-carb soda from racks while still dry with a stainless steel scourer then wash with soapy water. Scrape inside of the oven with a plastic spatula, then wipe over with warm soapy water

Washing glass:

  • To remove stains from flower vases & glass water bottles, soak them in warm water with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt for a few hours

Fridge Cleaning:

  • Wipe the inside of the fridge with a solution of 1 part bi-carb soda and 7 parts water. Wash removable parts in hot water and environment friendly detergent. To finish off, wipe over with a damp cloth and a few drops of vanilla essence

De-scale Kettles:

  • Cover the element with vinegar, top up with water. Bring to the boil and leave overnight then rinse. I’ve also used slices of lemon which works a treat

Carpet Cleaning:

  • To deodorise carpets, sprinkle with bi-carb soda  then vacuum

Furniture Polish:

  • Use 1 part lemon juice and 2 parts olive oil or beeswax. I used the lemon and olive oil option on some wooden stuff and it came up beautifully

Tip: You should test an area that can’t be seen first

Metal Polish:

  • To remove tarnish or rust from copper, brass or steel, make a paste of salt and lemon juice and apply with toothpaste

Tip: As per above, you should test an area that can’t be seen first

 

For more hints & tips from Planet Ark courtesy of the NSW DECCW, go to

http://www.planetark.org/documents/doc-258-natural-cleaning-guide.pdf

 

Source: Organic at home, Murdoch books, 2005, ACF GreenHome Guide, pg 50, 21 Ways to Spring Clean your Whole House Naturally http://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/21-ways-to-spring-clean-your-whole-house-naturally-47139/#.Vd-HniWqpBc

 

Let’s all spring around our homes naturally and do something really good for our environment.

Many thanks

Lila

Resource Management Specialist,

 

Spring Flowers By Anita Martinz from Klagenfurt, Austria (Colorful spring garden) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Share
 Posted by at 7:46 am