Aisle 12 - Rubbish Challenges: Composting, Wormeries and magic microbes

* Challenge 35: Is composting the answer?
* Challenge 36: Worms: charming or alarming?
* Challenge 37: Do Bokashis and magic microbes do the business?

Compost, compost, compost! If only the kitchen collection bin would take itself outside automatically, I might say this word a lot less! Kieran is in charge of emptying our indoor receptacles into their outdoor partners and our never-ending compost bucket is part of that process. We compost all kitchen waste, with a bog-standard plastic compost bin down the back garden. The pace of decomposition is usually just that little bit behind our consumption, so it is usually full to the brim! Eventually, it all returns back into the garden.

I am quite intrigued by worm farming and each time it is shown on the gardening programs, I start thinking of starting one. If the children were still children, if life was less busy, then this is something I could see working well. But I am realistic enough to know that it would be my project and mine alone, and I can't promise said worms the lifestyle they need. So, for now, no worm farm.

But a Bokashi has potential. I have stumbled upon them at various community events and would like to investigate further. At least responsibility for the life-cycle of bacteria would cause me less angst than that of worms!

But for now, it is compost, compost, compost!!!

Aisle 11 - Checkout Challenges: Bags, Packaging and Recycling

* Challenge 32: Kicking the plastic bag habit
* Challenge 33: Packaging: can we get radical?
* Challenge 34: Can the "Three Rs" solve the rubbish crisis?

It is very rare for me to ask for, or accept, plastic or other store bags anymore. We have gradually evolved away from considering this acceptable. Our household collection of reusable shopping bags is quite extensive and the stash in the boot of my car meets our needs. I also have some wonderful eco silk bags that scrunch up small into my handbag, so I am rarely "caught short". I was pleased recently, when we returned to online grocery shopping, to discover they now use biodegradable "non plastic" bags for the delivery - this was one area I felt needed improvement. If I do find myself shopping without a bag, I 'punish' myself by buying another reusable bag from the store, which really works as an incentive to remember!

Packaging is the bane of my life. Wherever possible, I choose products with the least packaging, however some things - printer ink, for example, go overboard (no - I tried refillable ink cartridges and they didn't work for me!) While I can return the cartridges to the office store for recycling, there is still unnecessary plastic and paper around the product.

In my controlled workplace, I am able to completely separate my rubbish at my desk and the one main offender is that thermal, shrink-wrap cellophane they plaster on everything, as well as those awful "clam-shell" packages that encase products and need scissors to remove!

At home, although I choose a lot of packaging that is recyclable card or paper, there are still too many foodstuffs sealed into plastic bags, trays and the like. You cannot always avoid these, especially when shopping for others!

I often think that "waste management" should be added to my paid work job description, let alone my unpaid one! At home, we have three wheely bins provided by local government: general waste; recyclable waste and green waste. As the recyclables are co-mingled, it means we do not need to separate into different mixes - all our steel, aluminium, paper, glass and many plastics end up in the one bin. (I saw on TV recently how they sort this at the other end - quite reassured me!). Green waste is for garden refuse (we compost kitchen waste) and anything else goes into the general bin. We took part in a trial a couple of years ago to use a smaller bin and halve the pick up frequency (from weekly to fortnightly) however at that time our household was too large to cope and we had to revert to the standard. At work, I have general waste and co-mingled recycled, which we have to pay to have collected - sometimes wish I could have a compost option there too, however that pushes my dedication too far!

I also try to "close the loop" as much as possible and buy products containing recycled materials. Even though I strive for a paperless office, we still do need some for handouts etc, so I always look for the 100% recycled printer paper.

Aisle10 - Material challenges: clothes, cotton, swapping and shoes

* Challenge 28: Can a girl be eco-smart and still be stylish?
* Challenge 29: Can you find out where your fabrics come from?
* Challenge 30: Handmade and hand-me-downs
* Challenge 31: Shoes and handbags: can a girl ever have enough?

From the time I "grew up", I have not been a slave to fashion. Like everyone else in the 80s, I had my "Colours Done" and that changed the way I looked at clothes. I no longer bought what one must have, but focused on what I believed looked best on me.

As a child, I was dressed by an op-shopping mum who was way before her time and therefore, very daggy and embarrassing. So once I started earning my own money, I ran like mad from the concept of hand-me-downs and secondhand anything.

However, times changed, my income did too and I changed my life perspective on Reduce, Reuse, Recyle.And I embraced the world of good quality, used goods.

These days, my only concern when it comes to clothing is - do I like it?
That means it needs to be comfortable, colourful and ethical.

I source my clothing from second-hand stores, shops which stock fair trade goods from communities who need the income, markets and small online retailers and the like. The only "mainstream" brand I buy new is Motto, which is Australian made and owned - the fabrics are man made and I don't know where or buy whom, which I will now investigate. I love it because it is designed for women, not girls!

Because my daughter works at Savers, a recycled department store, some of my clothes that are purchased there or elsewhere will end their life returning there (if items are unsaleable, they are "ragged" which brings in additional income for the charities who profit.) I also look here for furniture and household items and, of course, books!

There are three things I have learned a woman needs to invest in well - bras, shoes and handbags! I am into quality, not quantity and mourn the end of life of my favourites.That doesn't mean designer rubbish, it means stuff that fits me and won't fall apart in five mins. My bra brands are Intimo and Body Wise, I like Dianna Ferrari shoes and Louenhide bags. And I love my Crocs :)

Aisle 9 - Baby Challenges: Nappies, Milk and Toys

* Challenge 25: Do real nappies do the business
* Challenge 26: Mothers milk or formula?
* Challenge 27: Which toys pass the toddler test?

I hope you aren't expecting anything surprising from this one! LOL! When I turned to this chapter in the book, I read it with even greater interest than the others.

Nappies - diapers for those who don't speak the language - should be far from my mind with children in their early 20s! Except, in my line of work, I get to see and discuss them an awful lot! And in the case of disposables, I am I get to deal with their "disposal" a lot too!

Back in the olden days, when I had babies, this was a hot topic. Cloth meant terry toweling squares, folded into shape and covered with some sort of over-pant. Disposables became mainstream in the 80s and I could watch their design and usage evolve of my years at the front line of nappy changing.

Melissa was wholly cloth-clad, except the occasional outing. Kaitlyn was mostly-cloth, with disposables in the toddler years and Kieran was cloth to begin and then disposables (his skin coped better this way). I used "plastic pants" until Fluffies were invented.

From start to weary end, I had nappies in my life for most of a ten year period!

So, if I was starting now, what would I do? Well, I am in love with what Australia calls Modern Cloth Nappies (MCH) and I hope my children will be too when they have babies, as I would love to start collecting them now! They are so beautifully designed and so much improved on the proto-types I remember. However, I also accept that disposables have a place in the early days (I would rather the focus was on feeding, not washing) and also to use MCH in Melbourne's winter, you would need good drying options.

So - to feeding the baby! Well, no surprise here! I have been an advocate of breastfeeding for all of my adult life and there is no doubt in my mind that it is a health issue, not a lifestyle choice. Any parent who considers it to be a choice that is their's to make must make that an informed choice, fully aware of the risks of formula feeding. However, I also believe that women do not fail to breastfeed, rather society fails to support them to do so. except for a very small minority, most bottle feeding mothers would dearly have loved to establish or continue breastfeeding and I will do all I can to help reduce their numbers.

Now toys should also be relics of nostalgia, except I trip over them three days a week at work AND get to organise them and pack them up! I agree with the book author that wooden toys tend to appeal to adults and plastic ones appeal to children. I did some photography work for a friend who worked at a toy chain wholesalers a few years ago and got to photograph just about EVERY toy in their product range! That gave me a lot of time to ponder what children are offered and what adults pretend they are buying for the children.

I can safely say that, dollar per hour use, Lego and Duplo were the most used toys in our household - used until Kieran was approaching high school and still squirreled in his room! I look forward to grandchildren oohing and ahing over their parents old Lego. And probably their children as well. So even though it is plastic, it is a much better option for the environment in the long term.

From what I see, the toys children love most are the ones they haven't played with before, so perhaps the best bet is joining the Toy Library!

Yoga and Babies - what a wonderful combination!

I have been practicing yoga since the mid 1990s and my only regret is that I didn't take it up early, when I was growing babies - I am sure my body would have been much better now if I had!

So I am really keen to share the following with you, from my yoga teacher Julia at Symphisis Yoga in Mornington:

Mums and Bubs
A new Mums and Bubs class starts on Thursdays from 12.30pm with the first class on Thursday September 16.

This class is to help mums recover from the toll that giving birth takes on bodies and to help deepen the connection mums have with their new babies. Babies can participate with mums or snooze their way through class and bask in the peaceful, relaxed and nurturing energy. You are welcome to stay and have a chat and a cuppa afterwards. The special price for this class is $120 for 10 class pass or $16 casual. The pass will be valid for 6 months (we know it’s not always easy to plan your day when there’s a young baby in the house). When you come to your first Mums and Bubs class you will also receive a freebie class to pass along to someone else.

If you know someone who may be interested in this class please share the information.

Julia
Symphisis Yoga with Julia Symington
15/1140 Nepean Highway Mornington 3931
Mob 0419 305 762 Studio (03) 5976 4675
W www.symphisisyoga.com.au
E: julias@symphisisyoga.com.au


And on a final note, have to share again my favourite yoga with baby video :)

Why mothers can't do yoga @ Yahoo! Video

Aisle 8 - Liquid challenges 2: cold drinks

* Challenge 22: Does organic booze beat the hangover?
* Challenge 23: Juicy fruit: squashing your own
* Challenge 24: water: what's the best?

As I am barely even an occasional alcohol drinker nowadays (not compatible with my medication) I will have to take a pass on the first issue.

Now juicing, there's a funny thing. I was quite the avid juicer several years agao, with a (then) state of the art juice extractor and all. But dealing with the pulp got to me in the end, life got too busy and the machine was pushed to the back of the cupboard. I continued juicing citrus though, occasionally and not as regularly as I could.

However, even before reading this section of the book, I have been intending to return to the juicing habit - if nothing else, as a way of dealing with some of that fruit and veg! I got as far as putting the old extractor into storage and making plans to update to a new one soon.

So push has come to shove - I am now researching improved technology (I want one with a separate pulp collector!) and in the meantime, have hauled the old one out of storage AND started today with fresh apple juice! I have also borrowed a book from the library to inspire me and look forward to stocking up on extra goodies next time I shop.

I am back on the juicing thing!

Water - my aunt once commented on the modern phenomenon of carrying water bottles as we go through life. In the past, life was slower and days were punctuated by breaks for tea from a pot. You tended to be at home most of the time, where perfectly good (maybe even from a tank!) water was drunk from the tap, via a glass.

Picnics and excursions included The Thermos - maybe even two! - filled with hot water or cold drinks. If soft drinks were around, they came in a crate directly to your home, delivered by a friendly man and rationed out by parents.

In my youth, nobody drank water unless they were forced to (unless it came from the drinking taps at school!) and drinks away from home were mostly Coke and other soft drinks. I cannot even imagine us asking for a bottle of water, let alone lugging a bottle of the stuff in our bags!

Then we all got conscious of needing to drink less soft drink and more water. Days out became everyday and it was easiest to just buy the bottled water the shops now stocked. Plastic drink bottles were for cyclists - or school kids. But we were not to bask in that rosy haze for long - no sooner had we all started buying bottled water, than we began to be told we shouldn't! So everyone starting buying plastic drink bottles and kitchen cupboards exploded with them. Now, we are told, those plastic bottles are more harmful than the tap water and we should use metal ones - we have gone full circle and I should have kept my old canteen from Girl Guides!!!!

So, my current status is this:
* I avoid buying bottled water unless I have not planned well and brought my own.
* I use water from the tap - except at work where we have a water dispenser
* I mainly use Tupperware Eco bottles, but intend buying a stainless steel one.

And my primary focus is to spend less time lugging it all around and more time remembering to drink it!

Infant feeding and emergencies

The safety of infant feeding is a topic most people associate with emergencies such as the Pakistan floods or the Haiti earthquake - situations where access to a safe water supply, refrigeration and clean equipment are challenged and babies health put at risk.

You know - in those third world countries.

Not in "safe" places like Australia and New Zealand.

Well, think again. Right now, the Australian State of Victoria is awash with flood water and many homes have lost power and access to drinking water. Across "the ditch", the New Zealand city of Christchurch is in disarray after an earthquake, which has led to sewerage contaminating drinking water supplies, loss of electricity and water and displacement of many people.

Natural disasters have no respect of affluence or sophistication. Right now, in both these situations, formula feeding parents are struggling to find shops that are operating, clean water to mix feeds and refrigeration for storage. Families living in evacuation centres are without feeding equipment and supplies and babies are at risk of gastro-intestinal infection.

It is easy to dismiss the risks of bottle feeding when you live in the modern world. Some people even believe the WHO Code really only applies in Third World countries. But right now, in our own backyards, babies are at risk.

Helpful people are probably already thinking of sending artificial baby milk and bottles to these areas, not realising that without power and water, they are only adding to the risk. Far better is to ensure food and water and shelter for the breastfeeding mothers - NOT to encourage weaning in such risky circumstances.

For more, you can read In Emergencies Breastfeeding Can Save Lives