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Confronted with the absence of a toy library after the birth of her first child, Larissa envisioned a service that would enable families to access high-quality, educational toys. Green Leaf Toys was born, catering to families across Australia irrespective of their location.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGreen Leaf Toys serves children from newborns to five years old, a crucial developmental phase marked by rapid growth and evolving interests. This service allows parents to hire age-appropriate, quality, wooden, and sustainably sourced toys as their children grow. Beyond its zero-waste ethos, Green Leaf Toys offers several additional benefits, which I will detail in this review.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMy Experience with Australia’s First Zero Waste Toy Subscription Service:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe user interface of the Green Leaf Toys website is easy to use. The entire process, from initial selection to the return of toys, is designed to be effortless, precisely what every parent desires.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECustomers commence by selecting one of three subscription boxes, determining the number of toys they wish to receive. They provide the ages of their children, prompting a curated selection of toys tailored to the specified age group. If uncertain about the options, customers can shuffle the selection until they find a satisfactory assortment. Finalising the order is simple, followed by an eager wait for the toys' arrival.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThe arrival of the toy box was a moment of excitement. True to their sustainability commitment, the toys are shipped plastic-free, including the tape.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjMHg3C_c7vPtK4GIR31wEtqf48-5ffAV1k0qQyDBGJklYknf0HptavPxsyPBnaDPUuB4XYGZB5b4dzgThghyONPbwalqe8-YMhaY_VFCy8VF8jglvgcf8Sd3agAsvX9MvWqTqWkoWuc4VRsjTWJAKU1K04EgHr0Wx2AYQBKSbIsFRJlH1Q0V9S5Yd-heU\/s1400\/greenleaftoys%20zero%20waste%20eco%20toy%20service%20australia%2002_therogueginger%20sustainable%20living%20zero%20waste%20plastic%20free%20blog.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"GreenLeafToys, Australia’s first Zero Waste Toy Subscription Service\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1050\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjMHg3C_c7vPtK4GIR31wEtqf48-5ffAV1k0qQyDBGJklYknf0HptavPxsyPBnaDPUuB4XYGZB5b4dzgThghyONPbwalqe8-YMhaY_VFCy8VF8jglvgcf8Sd3agAsvX9MvWqTqWkoWuc4VRsjTWJAKU1K04EgHr0Wx2AYQBKSbIsFRJlH1Q0V9S5Yd-heU\/w640-h480\/greenleaftoys%20zero%20waste%20eco%20toy%20service%20australia%2002_therogueginger%20sustainable%20living%20zero%20waste%20plastic%20free%20blog.jpg\" title=\"GreenLeafToys, Australia’s first Zero Waste Toy Subscription Service\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjEe-NxDVJ8n3zNb-oT-b9HwhUfmm3fCVxY-042e_6Au2dv65ahdcJzFsSUKv1mlwFrFAm6pKFzj9dg6007f-NiXvrwio3YkRVEmAWP8h3tnV_8ypSwgxTfnm5_crvQDJ3IOKabGPw_W2wIyRGcQCG69voR2j_S-WMkwgFslYy0_7w4hJ5DzvEiYUmzyTg\/s1400\/greenleaftoys%20zero%20waste%20eco%20toy%20service%20australia%2004_therogueginger%20sustainable%20living%20zero%20waste%20plastic%20free%20blog.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"GreenLeafToys, Australia’s first Zero Waste Toy Subscription Service\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1050\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjEe-NxDVJ8n3zNb-oT-b9HwhUfmm3fCVxY-042e_6Au2dv65ahdcJzFsSUKv1mlwFrFAm6pKFzj9dg6007f-NiXvrwio3YkRVEmAWP8h3tnV_8ypSwgxTfnm5_crvQDJ3IOKabGPw_W2wIyRGcQCG69voR2j_S-WMkwgFslYy0_7w4hJ5DzvEiYUmzyTg\/w640-h480\/greenleaftoys%20zero%20waste%20eco%20toy%20service%20australia%2004_therogueginger%20sustainable%20living%20zero%20waste%20plastic%20free%20blog.jpg\" title=\"GreenLeafToys, Australia’s first Zero Waste Toy Subscription Service\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EEach toy is individually packed in reusable cloth bags. Prior to playtime, I photographed each toy and its components, storing the images in a folder on my phone. This practice, which I also apply to toy library rentals, simplifies the process of ensuring all parts are accounted for upon return.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccompanying the toys are detailed instructions, packing tape, and a shipping label for an easy return.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEikt4fAwSg_gOtqCxQMBVyYSnI1fyjpm7mpIuPMhMrByCZX117VG-tlu31tAPSH4lVkzwKcgDja2tGLm-iqiv6-LHV87D1wD0CEazYbKIxURwX_XR1hDIY8vEGtD3kQHfMfrM96_VG_BzSPu7C8M8fNjh4AI_Vr4adjRGp0tIPNqffAmBXi49dy5hLXO7k\/s1400\/greenleaftoys%20zero%20waste%20eco%20toy%20service%20australia%2006_therogueginger%20sustainable%20living%20zero%20waste%20plastic%20free%20blog.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"GreenLeafToys, Australia’s first Zero Waste Toy Subscription Service\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1050\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEikt4fAwSg_gOtqCxQMBVyYSnI1fyjpm7mpIuPMhMrByCZX117VG-tlu31tAPSH4lVkzwKcgDja2tGLm-iqiv6-LHV87D1wD0CEazYbKIxURwX_XR1hDIY8vEGtD3kQHfMfrM96_VG_BzSPu7C8M8fNjh4AI_Vr4adjRGp0tIPNqffAmBXi49dy5hLXO7k\/w640-h480\/greenleaftoys%20zero%20waste%20eco%20toy%20service%20australia%2006_therogueginger%20sustainable%20living%20zero%20waste%20plastic%20free%20blog.jpg\" title=\"GreenLeafToys, Australia’s first Zero Waste Toy Subscription Service\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjAHRhm64I1M9ETeH1LpS9UldXPkThkHK3G6cCnKjzr7K28q7A33Ip_ulPrBp9sbGI12bZw5dypQIHrtJGCh-nIXq7t35BnkStM7-wQvHfD8S-FNrR5xFfZ0yHM_p76a2sOgwH-e2GMsfEW7bXQEeG9wdKGea4sg7__PlDSNfddcrWsjjITs4oQZT5I8TQ\/s1400\/greenleaftoys%20zero%20waste%20eco%20toy%20service%20australia%2003_therogueginger%20sustainable%20living%20zero%20waste%20plastic%20free%20blog.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"GreenLeafToys, Australia’s first Zero Waste Toy Subscription Service\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1050\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjAHRhm64I1M9ETeH1LpS9UldXPkThkHK3G6cCnKjzr7K28q7A33Ip_ulPrBp9sbGI12bZw5dypQIHrtJGCh-nIXq7t35BnkStM7-wQvHfD8S-FNrR5xFfZ0yHM_p76a2sOgwH-e2GMsfEW7bXQEeG9wdKGea4sg7__PlDSNfddcrWsjjITs4oQZT5I8TQ\/w640-h480\/greenleaftoys%20zero%20waste%20eco%20toy%20service%20australia%2003_therogueginger%20sustainable%20living%20zero%20waste%20plastic%20free%20blog.jpg\" title=\"GreenLeafToys, Australia’s first Zero Waste Toy Subscription Service\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy children were immediately captivated by the toy selection and continued to engage with them throughout the eight-week rental period. Although the box was curated for my 2.5-year-old, his older brother, aged 7, enjoyed the toys alot.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E6 benefits to hire toys for babies and children:\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReduced Waste and Pollution:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003EOpting to borrow rather than buy new significantly diminishes environmental pollution and waste associated with toy manufacturing, packaging, and shipping. Alarmingly, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/assets.sustainability.vic.gov.au\/susvic\/Circular-Economy-Action-Plan-and-Roadmap-for-Toys-Australian-Toy-Association-and-Sustainability-Victoria.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E87,400 tonnes of toys are discarded into Australian landfills annually\u003C\/a\u003E. Borrowing presents a viable solution to the pervasive issue of overconsumption.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESave Time and Money:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003EDuring the early childhood years, toys are typically utilised for a brief period before being discarded or passed on. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/assets.sustainability.vic.gov.au\/susvic\/Circular-Economy-Action-Plan-and-Roadmap-for-Toys-Australian-Toy-Association-and-Sustainability-Victoria.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThis age group consumes the most toys\u003C\/a\u003E. Green Leaf Toys eliminates the hassle of sourcing eco-friendly toys secondhand and alleviates concerns about greenwashing, saving both time and money.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReduced Clutter and Post-Use Management:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003EThe perpetual cycle of tidying up toys can be overwhelming. With Green Leaf Toys, toys are easily returned when no longer needed, cutting down on the need to find time to sell or donate them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESimplified Replacement and Repairs:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003EIn the rare event that a toy breaks or a part is lost, Green Leaf Toys will provide a replacement or repair it. As a seasoned Toy Library user, I have observed that children tend to treat borrowed toys with greater respect, minimising loss and damage compared to toys we have picked up from the Op Shop or gifted to us. When i have needed a replacement part it has generally been hard to come by too.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAn Ideal Gift:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003EGreen Leaf Toys subscriptions make excellent gifts, especially for family members who insist on buying gifts despite requests to not. This service is also perfect for young children’s birthdays and Christmas. Often, children under three do not fully grasp the significance of these occasions, while there is social pressure to purchase gifts for them. A Green Leaf Toys box would be a delightful and sustainable gift for such occasions while allowing them to unwrap a present.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EEducational Value of Borrowing\u003C\/b\u003E:\u003C\/p\u003EBorrowing instills valuable lessons in children, expanding their understanding of responsible consumption. My eldest explained to his younger brother how Green Leaf Toys operates, emphasising that the toys are shared and must be cared for. This fosters a sense of responsibility and respect for shared resources.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI frequently wanted to describe Green Leaf Toys as “easy” in my review– because it truly is. As a busy parent, I value ease and simplicity, and know for low waste sustainable actions to truly take off they need to be easy. I have been a big fan of Larissa's work over the years, especially her community work with Plastic Free Gold Coast. She has developed a meaningful and practical service, enabling families to be more sustainable and mindful of their consumption habits. I look forward to recommending this service to other parents and carers in the future.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor more information about Green Leaf Toys, Australia’s first Zero Waste Toy Subscription Service, visit their website \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/greenleaftoys.com\"\u003Egreenleaftoys.com\u003C\/a\u003E and follow them on \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/greenleaf.toys\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EInstagram @greenleaf.toys\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/greeenleaftoys\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Efacebook @ greenleaftoys\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ci style=\"background-color: #fcfaf8; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Raleway, serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003E#trgcollab: Our toy rental was a gift by Green Leaf Toys. I use the hashtag #trgcollab to help readers identify items or services that were gifted to me or are a paid post. All views are my own. I only accept gifted items or services I would use personally and believe are helpful to you.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/6443939533774849432\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2024\/07\/GreenLeafToys-Australia-ZeroWaste-Toy-Subscription-Service.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/6443939533774849432"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/6443939533774849432"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2024\/07\/GreenLeafToys-Australia-ZeroWaste-Toy-Subscription-Service.html","title":"Green Leaf Toys, Australia’s first Zero Waste Toy Subscription Service"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhk4u59_CJojgy6iIPKM6e-6xTj0me-eGzN0MHWqLVVfk2GuzRfYf4hmkTm8QxgXpOXhndJJS9u4VtLUM_THTUgAmmodrlq3A7LoM6s92k8rLj4GzDya8_uklLLsqMrWWNVNKpCZhZ59mSdWSJzUNjo_HP7Czm7iIkQnW2FgTZThvfNZfHbya-m_5Cvr4o\/s72-w640-h480-c\/greenleaftoys%20zero%20waste%20eco%20toy%20service%20australia%2000_therogueginger%20sustainable%20living%20zero%20waste%20plastic%20free%20blog.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-3993020192515820581"},"published":{"$t":"2022-11-21T13:09:00.001+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-11-21T13:09:13.997+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Turning 5! a zero waste kids birthday party"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg676iCnq8yNPFF2Jd4Q12vDkcBIHEDlNpaNJzV3RltT81yNNOOlO0I1QHu2p6yl8qW0DRF5IXKt71sA3IWJlxtUoB1KznzQv12vtidwlXMsuh476N1drGQ731Q4MSp40N56INKvEYdMdpuNfrmFeqMc1hLJYQ1CpWmisIWsBX21WntPj0XxoudaV25\/s637\/therogueginger_kids%20zero%20waste%20birthday%20party%20ideas.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Turning 5! a zero waste kids birthday party\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"435\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg676iCnq8yNPFF2Jd4Q12vDkcBIHEDlNpaNJzV3RltT81yNNOOlO0I1QHu2p6yl8qW0DRF5IXKt71sA3IWJlxtUoB1KznzQv12vtidwlXMsuh476N1drGQ731Q4MSp40N56INKvEYdMdpuNfrmFeqMc1hLJYQ1CpWmisIWsBX21WntPj0XxoudaV25\/s16000\/therogueginger_kids%20zero%20waste%20birthday%20party%20ideas.jpg\" title=\"Turning 5! a zero waste kids birthday party\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOur eldest turned five this year and we were very excited to host a party for him. A zero waste party of course. It was a great day - the weather was perfect, his friends from the co-op had fun and we ate too much cake. On top of all of that the little zero waste eco swaps we made started conversations with many of the parents there, with many of them exclaiming “i could do that!”.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe only other birthday party was his 1st birthday which was celebrated in zero-waste style too - you can \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2019\/01\/our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eread about his 1st birthday here\u003C\/a\u003E. I think the 1st birthday was more more of a congratulatory party for us getting through that first year. But this party was all about him and seeing him make memories with his little mates.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere is how it went...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EInvitations\u003C\/h4\u003EI used to work as a graphic designer so I have fun putting together an invitation for birthday parties. For his 1st birthday we sent out the invite as an image via a phone message. This time I printed the invites on 100% recycled paper and these were handed to his friends at school as we didn't have all of the parents phone numbers. I could print the exact amount and did't need to waste any paper.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOther options are GreenInvite, creating a private Facebook event if you have everyone’s details, a handwritten homemade invite, or look on Facebook marketplace for left over or unused birthday invitation packs. Some schools have apps with parents groups accessible for messaging.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI did suggest to the almost 5 year old we could have fun creating our own at home using secondhand materials and making our own paper, but the idea got a firm no.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ELocation\u003C\/h4\u003EWeather permitting, parks are a great place to host a birthday party. Plus they are free! There is a local skate park near us suitable for younger children with scooters\/bikes and we thought that would be the perfect spot while providing free entertainment for the kids. The only down side was a single table with cover. Grandad volunteered to go early (like early EARLY) with the birthday boy to claim the table.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe had our trestle table and picnic rugs ready as a back up. If we didn't have our own trestle table or enough picnic rugs I would have conducted a call out in my local neighbourhood group.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI did find this awesome Facebook group called \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/1037869216403560\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBayside Party Share\u003C\/a\u003E. The group shares a range of items for parties helping Bayside locals reduce waste and not rely on single-use items. Wouldn't it be cool if each suburb\/town had one.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgQ-exfTfBg3Q9sDJ4tu5bLF8YZY1GyRe-h2ud_lQdlphQ2gZBIIrZuuLwEvtjTLdQVcQx16Q6Qyr-B-maOPzR_XBj2401B7AKL9sRZXwgG6ecVKBHQ7AjkBDGIP7cFMcdKTieeqSe9JDLCY_OZpmj53pRxJuP_pNx8TfEAofUxN8fbMfRVQiw9FCuB\/s637\/therogueginger_kids%20zero%20waste%20birthday%20party%20ideas_party%20kit.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"zero waste kids party\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"435\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgQ-exfTfBg3Q9sDJ4tu5bLF8YZY1GyRe-h2ud_lQdlphQ2gZBIIrZuuLwEvtjTLdQVcQx16Q6Qyr-B-maOPzR_XBj2401B7AKL9sRZXwgG6ecVKBHQ7AjkBDGIP7cFMcdKTieeqSe9JDLCY_OZpmj53pRxJuP_pNx8TfEAofUxN8fbMfRVQiw9FCuB\/s16000\/therogueginger_kids%20zero%20waste%20birthday%20party%20ideas_party%20kit.jpg\" title=\"zero waste kids party\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EFood and Drink\u003C\/h4\u003EWe kept food simple and easy to grab. 5 year olds are not keen to sit down to have a meal when they are with their friends. They want to take a few quick bites and keep playing. This is the food we had:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESnacks like grain chips, lollies, popcorn and coconut ice bought package-free from The Source Bulk Foods\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESandwiches, cut into triangles of course\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECupcakes\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFalafels and carrots with hummus\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBirthday cake\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELebanese pies and baklava for the adults\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETwo litres homemade lemonade concentrate to mix with water as needed\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWater dispensed from a water cooler\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe borrowed a water cooler, cake carriers, and pipping\/cake decorating set from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/carltonkitchenlibrary.myturn.com\/library\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECarlton Kitchen Library\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe food was purchased in our own reusable containers, jars and bags or in paper bags that we could compost at home.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh57LLHzKTjEwcppRUbq23Bh3AbM1bUXqZLl4R0kE8QKybpKjWF3JKiip2o3Ds2aNRmWhAt514enSlyfRnHAuKgSSvckyc00NX4605Fbm3g8gtWQSnOxXh83IAdOUSM0fhWF6r_CGxPpoLVcplCP4PvLOt8oQFGD_XbVNRZYRuTirxK-5G67cWqgQRy\/s637\/therogueginger_kids%20zero%20waste%20birthday%20party%20ideas_compost.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"zero waste kids party compost\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"435\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh57LLHzKTjEwcppRUbq23Bh3AbM1bUXqZLl4R0kE8QKybpKjWF3JKiip2o3Ds2aNRmWhAt514enSlyfRnHAuKgSSvckyc00NX4605Fbm3g8gtWQSnOxXh83IAdOUSM0fhWF6r_CGxPpoLVcplCP4PvLOt8oQFGD_XbVNRZYRuTirxK-5G67cWqgQRy\/s16000\/therogueginger_kids%20zero%20waste%20birthday%20party%20ideas_compost.jpg\" title=\"zero waste kids party compost\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ECompost bin\u003C\/h4\u003EI found a large container at the Op Shop to collect uneaten food. We didn't need a container this large as there wasn't that much food waste, but I chose it to get peoples attention and to make sure it wouldn't be missed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EReusable Cloth wipes\u003C\/h4\u003ESetting up reusable cloth wipes next to the water cooler is a simple swap to single-use paper serviettes or wet wipes. Used wipes had a designated container clearly labeled for people to see and use.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy party kit has cloth wipes were by \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/hereandafter.eco\/products\/reusable-cloth-wipes\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHere \u0026amp; After\u003C\/a\u003E. Used flannel cot sheets cut up into squares are a homemade alternative.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgWqhEb18PcKABDc6RAgXeuXOQhg5jQ4S8zE3-dWQ_5R65_es7tBQ-UvoohqbE6ddatKY6lAyOUHW3vJAJpxC1aDs9b7VP426-ezBY0w1Wv1p6v2PLXDFrA9DxJl4I88VVjHDRQOCg6uxqTUrXqAKdQoEjAJUrEBOEzPHELlX399GRY3S6ZWzku743M\/s637\/therogueginger_kids%20zero%20waste%20birthday%20party%20ideas_reusable%20wipes.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"zero waste kids party reusable cloth wipes\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"435\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgWqhEb18PcKABDc6RAgXeuXOQhg5jQ4S8zE3-dWQ_5R65_es7tBQ-UvoohqbE6ddatKY6lAyOUHW3vJAJpxC1aDs9b7VP426-ezBY0w1Wv1p6v2PLXDFrA9DxJl4I88VVjHDRQOCg6uxqTUrXqAKdQoEjAJUrEBOEzPHELlX399GRY3S6ZWzku743M\/s16000\/therogueginger_kids%20zero%20waste%20birthday%20party%20ideas_reusable%20wipes.jpg\" title=\"zero waste kids party reusable cloth wipes\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EPlates, bowls, cups and cutlery\u003C\/h4\u003EOwning and hiring out a reusable party kit box in my spare time meant we were all set for plates, cups and cutlery, and more. The box includes a jug and bunting decorations.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELast year I helped save over 5,242 of single-use party items by lending my kit to other families. You can find my reusable party kit and others for hire on the Party Kit Network or you can read my blog post on how I set one up.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERelated blog posts:\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2018\/03\/my-newborn-zero-waste-essentials-list.html\"\u003EMy newborn essentials list\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2017\/08\/zero-waste-baby-shower-gift-ideas.html\"\u003EBaby shower gift ideas\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2016\/10\/zero-waste-wedding.html\"\u003EOur Zero Waste Wedding\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EGifts\u003C\/h4\u003EWe decided to try a fiver present in lieu of presents. A fiver present is where parents ask guests to bring $5 instead of a physical gift. The idea is the birthday kid can pool the money for a larger gift they really want. For parents it's also a great way to reduce the 10-20 new toys from making their way into your home. We have enough toys and I thought this would be an interesting way to approach it. Here is the line we used on the invitation:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E“Your presence is the only present that we need, but should you want to give something to the birthday boy, please consider giving $5 that he can put towards a monster truck.”\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe didn't have any pushback from anyone. Most parents said that it made life less stressful too.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlong with the $5, each of the kids made handmade cards, decorated envelopes or drew pictures. The birthday boy loved this. For the next month he'd pull them out and look at each one, talk about the person who gave it. These were so special and I've kept each one.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEirhz96CrAVp03XAFrQtZlRVqm4Dz_i5OrMBByyCZ49F3HfCavaL2JFkdMqTAKBjdSDvX-vWFEUe07q2Mps9RE1H4FZKe5PDxcGQrNv_J-i9CND_MT07LOCKIv-lYs4a6sS3jH_YeH4uv5J5VUiakwFaYTZ777k1lPzMThw7V8AUN0JVfWzzoycIP_h\/s637\/therogueginger_kids%20zero%20waste%20birthday%20party%20ideas_fiver%20birthday%20present.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"zero waste kids party fiver present\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"435\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEirhz96CrAVp03XAFrQtZlRVqm4Dz_i5OrMBByyCZ49F3HfCavaL2JFkdMqTAKBjdSDvX-vWFEUe07q2Mps9RE1H4FZKe5PDxcGQrNv_J-i9CND_MT07LOCKIv-lYs4a6sS3jH_YeH4uv5J5VUiakwFaYTZ777k1lPzMThw7V8AUN0JVfWzzoycIP_h\/s16000\/therogueginger_kids%20zero%20waste%20birthday%20party%20ideas_fiver%20birthday%20present.jpg\" title=\"zero waste kids party fiver present\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EDecorations\u003C\/h4\u003EWe kept the decorations simple, leaving the natural beauty of the park to shine. Bunting from my party kit was hung in the outdoor pavilion. I dressed the table in a secondhand blue sheet and overlapped with another small blue tablecloth on top.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf you are looking to decorate, especially with a theme, look to Facebook Marketplace or party hire stores. I saw a lot of options to hire when I was looking up anything party related on Facebook.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EGames\u003C\/h4\u003EI have reusable pass the parcel bags in my party kit but the birthday boy vetoed the idea. He wanted to play pin the tale on the donkey. I thought i'd check Facebook for any pre-made donkey's and found a pin the tooth on the dinosaur another parent was looking to pass on. There were a lot of other games for sale and hire via Facebook like egg and spoon, sack race, and more.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EParty Favours\/Party Bags\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EWe gifted seed balls (also known as seed bombs) as zero-waste party gifts instead of plastic filled party bags.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ESeed balls are made of four five ingredients - clay, compost, coconut coir, seeds and water. They can be placed on-top of the soil or pushed just below the surface, then left alone to sprout (typically after a heavy rain) or can be helped along by a good watering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMaking seed balls is a fun activity I've enjoyed with children, both my own and for sustainability workshops I've run in schools and the community. They are eco friendly and make the perfect plastic free party favour, plus they are fun to use. What kid doesn't love throwing stuff? It's the kind of party favour that can get lost in nature and not cause harm.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI cut small squares of fabric and wrapped the seed balls inside the fabric then tied with ribbon we had in our collection and finished with instruction on how to use.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg6jqCDSXLWcBdJHMNiKvhIgsIyiDnm-ClaWGj7wZUmNhw5xyyeZspXiZMAAsV2qda3chYZZJGWegT3oryA_h2Nlqm9hUwPow_mTz289z1vgn23mamoknjSwilr3jm3C96tqMeBNp-ehQ_VCt1Ooghx25skfs_UqYOtftuFcAe2bf34l27o2zF5G4v7\/s637\/therogueginger_kids%20zero%20waste%20birthday%20party%20ideas_party%20favours.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"435\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg6jqCDSXLWcBdJHMNiKvhIgsIyiDnm-ClaWGj7wZUmNhw5xyyeZspXiZMAAsV2qda3chYZZJGWegT3oryA_h2Nlqm9hUwPow_mTz289z1vgn23mamoknjSwilr3jm3C96tqMeBNp-ehQ_VCt1Ooghx25skfs_UqYOtftuFcAe2bf34l27o2zF5G4v7\/s16000\/therogueginger_kids%20zero%20waste%20birthday%20party%20ideas_party%20favours.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat's it!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI've been to many (many, so many) kids parties in the past year. The party we had for our child was not that much different to the others, ours just had small zero waste eco tweaks.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPlanning and hosting parties can be really stressful. Perhaps the options above aren't available or doable for you. That's ok. Pick one area you can switch up and go from there or share this blog post to help others who can make changes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/3993020192515820581\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2022\/11\/zero-waste -eco-kids-birthday-party.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/3993020192515820581"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/3993020192515820581"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2022\/11\/zero-waste -eco-kids-birthday-party.html","title":"Turning 5! a zero waste kids birthday party"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg676iCnq8yNPFF2Jd4Q12vDkcBIHEDlNpaNJzV3RltT81yNNOOlO0I1QHu2p6yl8qW0DRF5IXKt71sA3IWJlxtUoB1KznzQv12vtidwlXMsuh476N1drGQ731Q4MSp40N56INKvEYdMdpuNfrmFeqMc1hLJYQ1CpWmisIWsBX21WntPj0XxoudaV25\/s72-c\/therogueginger_kids%20zero%20waste%20birthday%20party%20ideas.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-4624570732288778661"},"published":{"$t":"2022-05-05T15:21:00.006+10:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-05-05T15:21:53.794+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"How to recycle toys"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjL7-FaiZjhBDFwXgc3INPDtigZM6JScsEYmPddxtdKA2On7O_vL2sIBtJlcF8udc8PmauCkWf3-ommxiWVC5Cqh2pMjeFcDkzCLkdW1-WG2oaixwlDQUqhB-B7ukd2SSQNU1y37IRzNgBusKpAVmXDKhCb3N0MnzJBLtnoS6sljMkDM06dvbOwLE4l\/s637\/therogueginger_recycle%20toys%20recycle%20broken%20toys%20in%20australia.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"How to recycle toys\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"435\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjL7-FaiZjhBDFwXgc3INPDtigZM6JScsEYmPddxtdKA2On7O_vL2sIBtJlcF8udc8PmauCkWf3-ommxiWVC5Cqh2pMjeFcDkzCLkdW1-WG2oaixwlDQUqhB-B7ukd2SSQNU1y37IRzNgBusKpAVmXDKhCb3N0MnzJBLtnoS6sljMkDM06dvbOwLE4l\/s16000\/therogueginger_recycle%20toys%20recycle%20broken%20toys%20in%20australia.jpg\" title=\"How to recycle toys\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003EOur eldest child has a generous collection of toys. 99% of them have been passed onto us from older cousins, friends, and picked up secondhand (Op Shop, Facebook Marketplace and eBay). They mainly consist of anything with a wheel. My feet have stepped on a fair few matchbox cars in the past few years. Ouch!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe reality of choosing only secondhand toys is they have been pre-loved and pre-played, meaning the toys can be very close to breaking by the time we get to them. Notably toys picked up from Op Shops are the ones close to becoming landfill.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy guess is some people feel guilty about putting toys in the bin, so they choose to pass slightly cracked or chipped toys onto Op Shops for one more play. I get it. I used to do it with \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2022\/03\/shop-donate-and-sell-clothes-secondhand.html\"\u003Eclothes\u003C\/a\u003E. Recent research found \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.magicmum.com\/how-to-cut-back-on-plastic-toy-waste-this-world-earth-day\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E80% of children’s toys in the global north are going to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe material a toy is made with and its original quality plays a part in the longevity too. I try to repair as much as possible but sadly the bulk of toys are designed and manufactured without repairing or Extended Producer Responsibility.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMetal toys can withstand longer play and are easier to fix. On the flip side of this is parts are harder to find for replacing. While plastic parts can be created using \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/toy-rescue.com\/\"\u003EToy Rescue\u003C\/a\u003E 3D Printer files from Toy Rescue and with 90% of toys made of plastic this looks like a good solution. The amount of hours I have spent fixing a toy to then have it re-break within a month is more than I expected. You can even read how my local \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/02\/repairing-australia-rise-of-repair-cafes.html\"\u003ERepair Cafe saved a beloved toy\u003C\/a\u003E for us.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt does get to a point when some toys cannot be salvaged by repairs and become unsafe to use. In our house this is when we move them to 'the land of broken toys' … which is an old cardboard box I keep in my office. I don't know what I planned to do with them? Make a sculpture for the annual \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/05\/swanpool-creative-recycled-art-prize.html\"\u003ESCRAP Art Show\u003C\/a\u003E? Before \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2022\/03\/second-child-zero-waste-habits.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ebaby number two\u003C\/a\u003E came along I asked my then four year old while I was organising\/cleaning\/nesting if he'd like to create an artwork with the broken toys. His repose was “can we just recycle toys? What do you do with broken toys?”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECan you recycle broken toys in the kerbside recycling bin?\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003EThe short answer is no\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut, the long answer would be: A Councils could accept different types of toys, depending on the material. For example, a 100% plastic toy or 100% metal toy might be allowed BUT (!!) it's best to check with your Council recycling rules first. Just because one Council accepts toys in their kerbside recycling bin does not meal yours will. Any item going into the kerbside recycling bin not supposed to be there will end up in landfill. Always ask. I repeat, always ask.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn top of asking the Council, the manufacture should be providing this information too. After-all they produced them and should create a system for recycling or disposal themselves. I have contacted out to two toy suppliers in the past asking how to repair and recycle their toy cars with no luck. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELet's find out how to recycle plastic, metal and wooden toys.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAre there special drop off points to recycle toys?\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EBig W offer \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bigw.com.au\/toys-for-joy\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EToy's for Joy\u003C\/a\u003E a joint initiative with TerraCycle to help reduce toys going to landfill. Broken toys are sorted and then disassembled to seperate the different materials (plastic, metal, wood). The varying materials are then moved on and made into new items. Any toys donated that are still workable and usable will be passed onto a charity. The Toys for Joy program is primarily for broken toys. Most of the plastic (there are up to six types!) can only be recycled once more into decking, benches, garden beds before it goes to landfill. Technically this is downcycling.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bigw.com.au\/toys-for-joy\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EClick here to find your local participating store\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj_qV6B1_ChQn6kF-8f8serRN9vUzt5A9Xww5e14wIuq230JBaiTn3JBwnjIvuw8QSRwsuJfCkJNY6Dzw8UTRtYSmss5vI_PMnJ_C0yj0P7ZAx5E5JI_79Ra3GICgKDxDSI1CB9RQe1X20cwlPfPFou1Ce1SCZzaOiOy4zBeQuAV6XrU8GAUqbiy74v\/s637\/therogueginger_recycle%20toys%20recycle%20broken%20toys%20in%20australia%2002.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"How to recycle toys\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"435\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj_qV6B1_ChQn6kF-8f8serRN9vUzt5A9Xww5e14wIuq230JBaiTn3JBwnjIvuw8QSRwsuJfCkJNY6Dzw8UTRtYSmss5vI_PMnJ_C0yj0P7ZAx5E5JI_79Ra3GICgKDxDSI1CB9RQe1X20cwlPfPFou1Ce1SCZzaOiOy4zBeQuAV6XrU8GAUqbiy74v\/s16000\/therogueginger_recycle%20toys%20recycle%20broken%20toys%20in%20australia%2002.jpg\" title=\"How to recycle toys\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EMy local Toys for Joy drop at Big W\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Toy's for Joy recycling program CANNOT ACCEPT ALL toys - the following are not allowed to be placed into the Joy for Toys toy recycling bins: books; batteries in toys; board games; wooden toys; Play-doh, paint and slime; pens, pencils, crayons or paint brushes; oversized toys such as bikes, scooters, skateboards; sports toys such as soccer goals.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHow to recycle books, batteries, board games, wooden toys, Play-doh, paint and slime, pens, pencils, crayons or paint brushes, oversized toys such as bikes, scooters, skateboards; sports toys such as soccer goals?\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBatteries in toys\u003C\/b\u003E - Woolworths, Officeworks, Aldi have drop off boxes. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBoard games\u003C\/b\u003E - TerraCycle accept these in their \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/zerowasteboxes.terracycle.com.au\/products\/toys-zero-waste-boxes\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EToys Zero Waste Box\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWooden toys\u003C\/b\u003E - TerraCycle accept them in their \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/zerowasteboxes.terracycle.com.au\/products\/toys-zero-waste-boxes\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EToys Zero Waste Box\u003C\/a\u003E. Later in this blog post I explain why we shouldn't compost broken wooden toys\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlay-doh\u003C\/b\u003E - This is not recyclable as it contains plastic. Homemade playdough with natural colouring can be composted.\u0026nbsp; I found a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bigw.com.au\/toys-for-joy\"\u003Efun tip\u003C\/a\u003E to revive it.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPaint and slime\u003C\/b\u003E -\u0026nbsp; If you can't pass it onto someone else check with \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.paintback.com.au\/\"\u003EPaintback\u003C\/a\u003E to see if they accept kids paint. Sadly store bought slime is not recyclable.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPens\u003C\/b\u003E - Officeworks accept pens and markers as do TerraCycle.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPencils\u003C\/b\u003E - Terracycle offer a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/zerowasteboxes.terracycle.com.au\/products\/pens-pencils-and-markers-zero-waste-box\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPens, Pencils and Markers box\u003C\/a\u003E. Before recycling take the time to clean up old pencils, organise and donate first.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECrayons\u003C\/b\u003E - Not recyclable. Instead get crafty and melt them down to turn into new crayons. There are some fun tutorials on the interwebs. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPaint brushes\u003C\/b\u003E - Not recyclable. Instead think how they could be upcycled if they are beyond use. Visit Pinterest, Youtube or a Upcycling facebook group for ideas. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBikes, scooters, skateboards\u003C\/b\u003E - Bikes beyond repair can be pulled apart and the metal dropped at a metal recycling program. Check with your local Council or locate a business for queeries.  Look up \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.skaterhq.com.au\/pages\/recycled-fun\"\u003ERecycle Fun\u003C\/a\u003E for skateboard recycling. A broken\u0026nbsp; scooter would have to be disassembled like a bicycle. Depending on the make and brand you might be able to get replacement parts for your kids scooter. We have replaced parts on our secondhand micro scooter easily. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESports toys such as soccer goals\u003C\/b\u003E -\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/zerowasteboxes.terracycle.com\/products\/sporting-goods-zero-waste-boxes\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ETerraCycle\u003C\/a\u003E have a box for beyond repair and broken sporting goods\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWhy are toys so hard to recycle?\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThe mixed components of most manufactured toys, the high volume made of plastics, and designing a product without consideration (or care) for its end of life makes for recycling toys difficult. If we want recyclable toys the change needs to start during the design process. For instance there are a small number of brands using plastic from milk bottles to create a toy recyclable up to 9 times.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EEven if all toys going forward were forever recyclable and repairable, there are still a lot of broken toys bundled up in cupboards and at Op Shops that are simply not. The process to recycle (or downcycle really) won't be perfect for a long time. If it was a black and white scenario we'd stop manufacturing news toys, try to repair and recycle what we have now, and rethink the need to manufacture new toys at the rate we do now.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EShould we make everything from wood and other natural materials?\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EWood and other natural materials might seem like the best option as they can break down in something like a compost bin. For instance wooden toys are usually simple in construction and are easy to repair but it can also become complicated. We have found many wooden toys are often made of MDF, a wood product made of soft and hard wood fibres mixed with a resin often containing formaldehyde. It chips and breaks off easily. This should never be left to break down in a compost. Paint, varnishes and glue also makes wood hard unsafe to compost or even recycle properly. The above issues need to be considered when it comes to a wooden toys design through to end of life just the same as metal or plastic. \u0026nbsp;With 50% of the worlds timber still coming from native forests (including some FSC) sourcing were the wood comes from is major consideration.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Toy's for Joy recycling program is a helpful option to recover materials and i'm optimistic this is a stepping stone to change and not a scapegoat for the problem at hand. The problems being there are so many toys with many of those designed to break! I recommend this \u003Ca href=\"#\"\u003Earticle\u003C\/a\u003E by the Ellen Macarthur Foundation to learn about initiatives in the toy space to rethink and redesign.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere is enough evidence, both scientific and anecdotal, that suggests kids don't need that many toys. Louise Grimmer, senior lecturer in retail marketing at the University of Tasmania, and Martin Grimmer Professor of marketing at the University of Tasmania share\u0026nbsp;that \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/why-kids-should-not-have-lots-of-toys-and-what-to-do-if-yours-have-too-many-172611\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Echildren with less toys are better at self regulation, helps with problem solving skills, develop more gratitude, and improved quality playtime\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI'm going to end this blog post before I go into the topic of how to request less toys from family and friends. Because that's a blog post in itself!\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/4624570732288778661\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2022\/05\/how-to-recycle-toys.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/4624570732288778661"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/4624570732288778661"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2022\/05\/how-to-recycle-toys.html","title":"How to recycle toys"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjL7-FaiZjhBDFwXgc3INPDtigZM6JScsEYmPddxtdKA2On7O_vL2sIBtJlcF8udc8PmauCkWf3-ommxiWVC5Cqh2pMjeFcDkzCLkdW1-WG2oaixwlDQUqhB-B7ukd2SSQNU1y37IRzNgBusKpAVmXDKhCb3N0MnzJBLtnoS6sljMkDM06dvbOwLE4l\/s72-c\/therogueginger_recycle%20toys%20recycle%20broken%20toys%20in%20australia.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-6712700416964292910"},"published":{"$t":"2022-03-10T10:34:00.003+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-03-10T10:36:49.566+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Where to shop, donate and sell clothes beyond the Op Shop"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEhJYNZOL1Z5Yd8qrTcLt5WP6DYd8FnHY1sLaxugC_KaBvYMcQLYnZDeU7SZ24SFbVww0_YDx2Fjg-lB-uO8IfVRvt5pLdRfPTwN6wxSRqUUHZ9qfaa3gxmG03zr62vWveVNLf868GnP8XUoyhBcSE-DJ7etUCsL0TNyGc3FCvRel_Eq-LWXKv6HbrCr=s637\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Where to shop, donate and sell clothes beyond the Op Shop\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"435\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEhJYNZOL1Z5Yd8qrTcLt5WP6DYd8FnHY1sLaxugC_KaBvYMcQLYnZDeU7SZ24SFbVww0_YDx2Fjg-lB-uO8IfVRvt5pLdRfPTwN6wxSRqUUHZ9qfaa3gxmG03zr62vWveVNLf868GnP8XUoyhBcSE-DJ7etUCsL0TNyGc3FCvRel_Eq-LWXKv6HbrCr=s16000\" title=\"Where to shop, donate and sell clothes beyond the Op Shop\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E“We can't take your donations, sorry. Our storage is full.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI overheard this response to another customers at the Op Shop just after the new year. It's not the first time either and I have also received this response when trying to make a clothing donation.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBefore I learned about the major environmental and human impact of the fashion industry, Op Shops were the go to place to help me make way for the old so I could replace with the new. Essentially, they were my scapegoat. I could unload a bag at their stores, or into a charity bin when the store declined my stuff. There was never a moment I wondered why they couldn't take my stuff or where everything donated ended up.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI bundled up scruffy shoes, stained clothes, shirts with loose buttons, dresses with broken zippers, and mistakingly shrunken clothes alongside piles of stuff that wasn't in fashion anymore, believing Op Shop employees would find a customer or give it away for free. To this day I cringe remembering all of the high heel shoes I donated - when really I didn't want the guilt of throwing something away because I trashed them on a night out or the clothes I moved on after a handful of wears. It's appalling I would try donating something visibly wrecked or poor quality to another person when I wasn't happy enough to wear them. Peak privilege. These days I aim to use my privilege to only choose secondhand, repair what I have, upcycle when possible and recycle responsibly. And call out fast fashion businesses to stop making so much clothing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt wasn't long into my quest to create less waste and live more sustainably I learned charity stores like Op Shops receive so much stuff that is beyond their ability to sell. According to Jana Bowden Professor of Marketing at Macquarie University, charities reportedly send about 60,000 tonnes of unwanted items (clothing, electronics, toys etc) to landfill every year. The cost of sending items to landfill can cost charities over a million dollars a year. Money that should be going to community programs.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENot all of the excess a charity store goes to landfill here in Australia. It's sent overseas - kind of like how Australia used to send plastic overseas for recycling.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2015\/jul\/06\/second-hand-clothing-donations-kenya\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E70% of donated clothing is shipped to secondhand markets in on the African continent\u003C\/a\u003E. Last year Foreign Correspondent ran a segment titled \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/foreign\/dead-white-mans-clothes\/13495096\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EDead White Mans Clothes\u003C\/a\u003E. The show reported the never ending bales of clothing sent to Kantamanto Market in Accra, Ghana. 40% of the clothing exported is going to landfill due to low quality (you know, like my stained clothes and wrecked shoes) creating environmental and humanitarian issues.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda have tried to implement a complete ban on all imported secondhand apparel, claiming the industry harms local environments, people, and textile industries in these countries. Unfortunately countries like the US, one of the main players responsible for sending many of these secondhand garments, have pushed back against these import bans.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EI have a pile of clothing and shoes I need to move on. The photo above is a snapshot from the box. There are many reasons why people need to move clothing on; weight gain, weight loss, change in lifestyle, shoe size changes (ha, thanks pregnancy!), new locations with different climates, new style interests, allergies...really the list in endless and not always because of needing to buy new stuff. But for many the Op Shop has become a place to deal with our unwanted stuff.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese days I don't solely rely on Op Shops to donate and buy clothes. To alleviate the stress they appear to be under from donations I look at shopping and passing on via an array of different outlets alongside Op Shops. These actions help to invest in new circular shopping models too that could help make shopping secondhand easier and most importantly normal.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EClothing Swap Party\u003C\/h3\u003EA clothing swap party is an event where attendees bring a certain number of clothing and accessories. All of the items are laid out and everyone is encouraged to “shop” from the clothing supplied. It can be an informal get together with friends in a house or a more organised larger event with clothing exchanged for buttons that are used as currency to “buy” new (to you) clothing. Check The Clothing Exchange (Aus), EventBrite, Facebook Events for clothes swap events happening near you.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EBuy Nothing New Groups\u003C\/h3\u003EThe mission of Buy Nothing New Groups is to build community and connect people through local gifting of items like clothes. Find out more via the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/buynothingproject.org\/\"\u003Ebuynothingproject.org\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;where you can find the app. Many of the Buy Nothing New groups I have found have been via Facebook.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EFacebook\u003C\/h3\u003EFacebook provides a variety of ways to move stuff on. There is a dedicated Facebook Marketplace, locally based Buy\/Swap\/Sell groups, specific groups for garment items like clothes, shoes, handbags or brands, age, and sizing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EDepop, Poshmark, ThreadUp, Vestarie Collective, The RealReal\u003C\/h3\u003ERe-commerce is the category online platforms like Depop, Poshmark, ThreadUp, Vestarie, The RealReal, among others, fall under. Individuals sell via the apps or website. Depop, Poshmark, ThreadUp are peer to peer, while Vestarie Collective and The RealReal approve clothing and then collect (via mail) to sell on. All platforms take a small cut from the total transaction amount, plus shipping on some. I have used Depop to buy pregnancy clothing and found the process user friendly.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ECharity Bay\u003C\/h3\u003ECharity Bay allows people to sell unwanted items and donate the sale to a charity of the sellers choice. It's done via their app and website. You can read a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2021\/05\/charitybay-online-secondhand-marketplace.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eblog post\u003C\/a\u003E about my experience with them. I have a handful of clothing items ready to sell with Charity Bay soon.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EEbay, Gumtree\u003C\/h3\u003EThe Ebay and Gumtree platforms have been around for a long time helping people shop, donate and sell clothes and shoes. In my early twenties I would spend hours (and many dollars) on eBay searching for secondhand designer clothes. Gumtree has been wonderful to find baby clothes, nappies and shoes.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EConsignment Clothing Stores\u003C\/h3\u003EConsignment clothing stores were a complete unknown until five years ago. A consignment store sells preloved items either purchased from the customer or they pay a percentage of the sale price once the item has been sold. I have been offered 30% of the sale price or I can take 50% of the sale price as a voucher to use in store.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMost stores will require customers book a time to bring in the clothes they wish to sell. An employee will vet all items for missing buttons, holes, stains and to make sure the garments have a resale value with them. Most won't resell fast fashion brands.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI can see how consignment stores and their online versions can help fill the void for people who want to update their wardrobes often and also incentivise people to look after their things.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EConsignment stores local to Melbourne are \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.mutualmuse.net\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMutual Muse\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.goodbyes.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGoodbyes\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;selling clothes from $30 to $100+ and then \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/secondo.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESecondo\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.stopstaringboutique.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EStop Staring\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.eurotrash.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EEuroTrash\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.miotesorovintage.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMio Tesoro\u003C\/a\u003E catering for more designer items. There is even a consignment store dedicated to baby and maternity clothes called \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.use-ta.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EUse-Ta\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EAny clothing unfit for repair or wear can be passed onto the following locations:\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/texrecaus.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ETextile Recyclers Australia\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/upparel.com.au\/clothing-recycling\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EUpparel\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/treadlightly.asga.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ETread Lightly Shoe Recycling\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERemember: rethink donating clothing (or anything else) to an Op Shop unusable or unwearable. They deserve our best like everywhere else.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EI don't blame Op Shops for needing to send bales of clothes overseas or turf to landfill. But they could be part of the solution. I have yet to find out more information on how or if Australian Op Shops are advocating to be part of conversation.\u0026nbsp; Of course by buying less new clothing and fast fashion companies vanishing is fundamental in addressing the issue (okay a bit more complicated but nothing the billionaire owners of these companies can't fix with their wealth!). We truly have enough clothing and textiles on this planet. In the meantime I have enjoyed trying different ways to shop, donate and sell clothes beyond the Op Shop and I hope you do too.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/6712700416964292910\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2022\/03\/shop-donate-and-sell-clothes-secondhand.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/6712700416964292910"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/6712700416964292910"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2022\/03\/shop-donate-and-sell-clothes-secondhand.html","title":"Where to shop, donate and sell clothes beyond the Op Shop"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEhJYNZOL1Z5Yd8qrTcLt5WP6DYd8FnHY1sLaxugC_KaBvYMcQLYnZDeU7SZ24SFbVww0_YDx2Fjg-lB-uO8IfVRvt5pLdRfPTwN6wxSRqUUHZ9qfaa3gxmG03zr62vWveVNLf868GnP8XUoyhBcSE-DJ7etUCsL0TNyGc3FCvRel_Eq-LWXKv6HbrCr=s72-c","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-1760897425248750904"},"published":{"$t":"2022-03-02T11:43:00.001+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-03-02T11:43:16.990+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Our newest family member + has a second child altered our zero-waste habits"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEj1fwyjZiIKzwNIhVGZ7eLzXhhTKER4x8WYz6-fpL0G8VgIUCGBjyim3fTE1eCLb-AsVHcIkA2G0JVMzBOfz3PvhH62AlY-823UaJK2dNXIHWlc97aYa7FGogsx2wWsQwS5ggurPlJMwllyfnfcYElx_Tp-TAdGAO3X4YMf8GhhV-6z5y_BasAZael9=s637\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"435\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEj1fwyjZiIKzwNIhVGZ7eLzXhhTKER4x8WYz6-fpL0G8VgIUCGBjyim3fTE1eCLb-AsVHcIkA2G0JVMzBOfz3PvhH62AlY-823UaJK2dNXIHWlc97aYa7FGogsx2wWsQwS5ggurPlJMwllyfnfcYElx_Tp-TAdGAO3X4YMf8GhhV-6z5y_BasAZael9=s16000\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThis is an overdue announcement for blog readers - we have a new addition to the family. To be honest it kinda feels like he's been with us for more than five months. There's a feeling of him being here forever. Old soul perhaps? If I could describe him in one word it would be jolly. Or peaceful. He radiates a soothing energy I'm clinging to in these turbulent times. The dark hair in his newborn photo above has fallen out and is now golden. Sadly, neither children have inherited my ginger hair.\u0026nbsp;He is desperately trying to push and lift his small body up to crawl. Once he's mastered this there's no doubt his\u0026nbsp;older brother\u0026nbsp;will be the one he'll follow everywhere.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI've been asked if the arrival of our second child altered our zero-waste habits. The answer is no, not really. Refusing, reducing, reusing, repairing, composting...all of these usual zero-waste habits are firmly entrenched in our daily routine and decisions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMore broadly we kept furniture, prams, clothing, nappies, wipes, toys, books from our first child, which was purchased or gifted to us secondhand originally. I added extra secondhand cloth nappies as some had worn out. Due to a lockdown I was on my own with my four year old for postpartum and I planned for this by stocking up the freezer before birth with soups and snacks in old glass jars. My husband bought the ingredients package free in our own containers.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERelated posts:\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2017\/07\/the-baby-room.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EOur Baby Room - Tips For Borrowing, Sharing And Buying Secondhand Baby Items\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2018\/03\/my-newborn-zero-waste-essentials-list.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMy Newborn Zero Waste Essentials List\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2018\/04\/zero-waste-cloth-nappies.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EOur Cloth Nappy Story\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAdmittedly there were two instances where disposable nappies and wipes have been used due to illness.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI could lay out the reasons to plead my case but this is not fair on me (or anyone else). Just because I used disposables for a moment of time in one area of my life doesn't mean I abandoned reducing waste and trying to avoid single-use everywhere else. My mindset and habits are wired now to consider how my actions will impact others and the planet. I have the privilege to do this (not everyone does) and I make sure to use it. But, life came along with a few hurdles and disposable nappies were the option to make life easier while in hospital and getting better after. I did the best I could, where I was, with what I had.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEach and every one of us will come across different blocks that can prevent us from choosing the less wasteful choice. Some people can face constant hurdles and others will only have them temporarily or none at all. If we can create new systems and continue to normalise less wasteful solutions, the people who find reducing waste the hardest because the system makes it difficult for them will benefit the most. Those with temporary hurdles or none at all should always use our privilege to advocate for wider accessibility and system change.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI guess what I'm trying to articulate (probably not very well, thank you baby brain) is anyone can be zero waste\/low waste\/minimal waste\/waste free\/low impact\/eco minimalist (whatever the term you use) without getting it “right” in all areas of our lives. For instance, if you are a family able to shop secondhand, repair clothes, choose reusables nappies, but purchasing food package-free is impossible...you can still say you live zero-waste (or any other term that suits you).\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDo the best you can, with what you've got, where you are.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy little one is soon to stir from his nap. Time to pop on the kettle, gather some peppermint leaves from the garden, and have a cup of tea before he wakes.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/1760897425248750904\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2022\/03\/second-child-zero-waste-habits.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/1760897425248750904"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/1760897425248750904"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2022\/03\/second-child-zero-waste-habits.html","title":"Our newest family member + has a second child altered our zero-waste habits"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEj1fwyjZiIKzwNIhVGZ7eLzXhhTKER4x8WYz6-fpL0G8VgIUCGBjyim3fTE1eCLb-AsVHcIkA2G0JVMzBOfz3PvhH62AlY-823UaJK2dNXIHWlc97aYa7FGogsx2wWsQwS5ggurPlJMwllyfnfcYElx_Tp-TAdGAO3X4YMf8GhhV-6z5y_BasAZael9=s72-c","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-2417455965654155923"},"published":{"$t":"2021-12-08T15:13:00.001+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-12-08T15:13:30.528+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"How we are managing our children's Christmas gift expectations "},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEihOSi9w7mjWv9kSLu6BNlmjo4y6Mt2IBpFyMd6WH1pfQJ4XMHJnacjFQRC7oHpi3HBz7lUFWruOt9lctsjPKkUC_O8twDOqUacnnfTVVJ35DTXXch-iOpxGkuyMY3Brkw3E9BTq1lvIxo\/s2048\/managing+our+childrens+Christmas+gift+expectations+zero+waste+minimalism.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"managing our children's Christmas gift expectations\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1536\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEihOSi9w7mjWv9kSLu6BNlmjo4y6Mt2IBpFyMd6WH1pfQJ4XMHJnacjFQRC7oHpi3HBz7lUFWruOt9lctsjPKkUC_O8twDOqUacnnfTVVJ35DTXXch-iOpxGkuyMY3Brkw3E9BTq1lvIxo\/w640-h480\/managing+our+childrens+Christmas+gift+expectations+zero+waste+minimalism.JPG\" title=\"managing our children's Christmas gift expectations\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EMy 4 year old has become fixated on receiving a lot of gifts this Christmas. It’s the first Christmas he knows presents are given by Santa and who Santa actually is. The expectations on the present front are high and the list he wrote for Santa is loooong.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou'd think living in a zero-waste home that practices minimalism there would be no expectations to receive a bounty of gifts. I was puzzled at the start too. Neither myself or his father actively talk about Santa, Christmas, or gifts, to warrant it. Where did this come from? How did a list of 20 trains, 11 Disney Pixar Cars, a new train set, matchbox cars, hot wheels cars, and more, come to sit on a piece of paper front and centre on our fridge?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe discovered the expectations creep in via books, conversations with children in his Kinder (preschool), TV shows, and even the decorations out and about on the main shopping strip and around our neighbourhood. From November onwards it is everywhere.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI like receiving gifts and our family are not anti-gift giving. We lean towards choosing activities, helpful and useful items. When I went zero-waste I worked hard to tackle the notion my happiness and self worth was dependent on receiving material items, even if they are secondhand or homemade. Ultimately I don't want my children to equate joy or even traditions with consumption or expecting someone gives them a gift for being good.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe thing is traditions can alter. After all, the original story of Christmas and Santa Claus has changed. Without a doubt the current Christmas expectations around gifts needs shift.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe considered telling the truth about Santa but I'm 99% certain he’d tell e v e r y o n e in his Kinder class, the cousins, a random child at the park, and the old lady two doors up from us...basically everyone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo I Prompted him to put socks or a new hat on his list as something helpful. Then I tried talking to him about all of the other fun things to enjoy at Christmas time.\u0026nbsp;These conversations kinda fallen flat. As they would.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENext I decided to try a letter from Santa explaining Christmas can be enjoyed for more reasons beyond a gift. Even though I’ve reiterated the contents of the letter I think hearing it from someone other than Mummy will have more impact. Especially if it's from the person my 4 year old is anticpating all these presents from.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the letter Santa says thank you for his list of gift ideas, then goes on to gently share there is more to Christmas like:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003EGetting to see his cousins and playing with them\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EEating yummy food\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESinging songs and dancing with the family\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHelping other people\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWalks in the neighbourhood with friends\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EVisits with loved ones we don’t see nearly enough\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese are what Santa enjoys the most too. Or so the letter will tell him.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWill it work? I don’t know. But I can try. The letter will appear the week of Christmas to help keep Santa's wisdom fresh in the 4 year olds young mind. I've left the letter below if you'd like to use it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDear xxxx,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThank you for your letter. I read it with my reindeer and elf friends. We liked the list of gifts you have asked for – they are fun toys. I like giving gifts and will ask my elf friends to help me find the ones on your list from secondhand stores. We won't be able to get everything on your list. I don't always receive everything on my list at Christmas time and that's OK. My favourite things about Christmas are seeing my cousins and playing games with them (I like playing hide \u0026amp; seek and tag with my cousins), eating yummy food, singing songs and dancing, going for walks to explore the neighbourhood, visiting with friends we don't see nearly enough, and being helpful.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI hope you have a lovely Christmas with your family and make many fun memories.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBest wishes,\u003Cbr \/\u003ESanta Claus\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E[tip: if your child is older and knows your handwriting, then asking someone else to write it out or printing it out would be advisable]\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EI managed to find four secondhand Disney Pixar Cars he'll get from Santa. My husband and I will gift a new bike. Grandma \u0026amp; Grandad will surprise him with a secondhand Flik Flak watch. And no doubt he'll spend most of the day playing hide \u0026amp; seek with his cousins and that is probably what he'll remember the most.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/2417455965654155923\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2021\/12\/managing-our-childrens-Christmas-gift-expectations.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/2417455965654155923"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/2417455965654155923"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2021\/12\/managing-our-childrens-Christmas-gift-expectations.html","title":"How we are managing our children's Christmas gift expectations "}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEihOSi9w7mjWv9kSLu6BNlmjo4y6Mt2IBpFyMd6WH1pfQJ4XMHJnacjFQRC7oHpi3HBz7lUFWruOt9lctsjPKkUC_O8twDOqUacnnfTVVJ35DTXXch-iOpxGkuyMY3Brkw3E9BTq1lvIxo\/s72-w640-h480-c\/managing+our+childrens+Christmas+gift+expectations+zero+waste+minimalism.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-5518880920232209598"},"published":{"$t":"2021-06-24T11:02:00.000+10:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-06-24T11:02:09.819+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Why individual actions matter "},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiUVmhbjoGjZWtB6UEcVP2HyL1zw9trPk8g6-O7lfJDoACwQbkx0GJnGgC-C-62lel5K43DEURWIjGSMlKjDi4uYm_QVOWzliRuc0nLRll2X7-7hJVLnzxSCR56TF8ifUd6fNg9aOGntcU\/s1429\/therogueginger_why+individual+actions+matter.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Why individual actions matter to help reduce plastic and waste\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1043\" data-original-width=\"1429\" height=\"467\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiUVmhbjoGjZWtB6UEcVP2HyL1zw9trPk8g6-O7lfJDoACwQbkx0GJnGgC-C-62lel5K43DEURWIjGSMlKjDi4uYm_QVOWzliRuc0nLRll2X7-7hJVLnzxSCR56TF8ifUd6fNg9aOGntcU\/w640-h467\/therogueginger_why+individual+actions+matter.jpg\" title=\"Why individual actions matter to help reduce plastic and waste\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EEvery few months an article or graphic appears debating the importance of individual actions in response to reducing waste and plastics compared to the steps business and government can take. It's a worthy debate, especially as many of us are realising most environmental destruction and social injustice has been steered for centuries by business and governments.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor a long time these businesses and governments have distracted us, helping craft the message that it's the individuals responsibility to make changes, do the right thing, litter less, turn off the lights, recycle right etc.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI want to see businesses and government step up and make changes, take responsibility themselves. It's absolutely necessary if we want to make changes quickly. I have lobbied and repeated this cry beyond count.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat can be forgotten about these BIG businesses like the top plastic polluters Procter \u0026amp; Gamble, Coco Cola, Nestle, Unilever, Pepsico to name a few is that they didn't come together and take over immediately. Each businesses started with an individual and attracted others that had similar goals and beliefs. It's sad and alarming so many for so long propped up and propelled these ideas of over production and mass consumption at the risk of people and planet.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EI was one of these people, and you probably were too until you were inspired by another individual to make a change. We learn, choose to reform our individual habits, and naturally end up gravitating towards others with similar goals and beliefs; less plastic, less waste in this case. If it wasn't for individuals realising something needs to change we probably wouldn't know who the biggest polluters were and what companies are doing the most harm.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen the debate of individual vs business\/government rise to the surface they are looking at individual change through the lens of activism. Why not? Activism can work. It's where a movements visibility becomes seen. I'm incorporating the modern day definition of activism beyond the rally; this is consumer changes alongside petitions, social media discussions next to in person town hall talks.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI've always viewed our individual actions to be critical, if not necessary to moving the needle. It's the individuals coming together collectively that steers the business and government to our causes or at least enough to make us think they are doing us a service. But then they have to because both need the individual to stay engaged. So that's why we see governments are getting plastic bans across Australia, businesses of different levels are making changes or developing new solutions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe individual actions prompt conversation and education in our close circles and wider communities that can run all the way to boardrooms. According to Gerald Mackie, Ph.D., people cannot be forced to change their ways by outlawing or preaching. Empowerment through community action and integrating new policies into existing culture is the fastest way to enact change.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EColes Bay in Tasmania was the first Australian town to ban plastic bags. The ban inspired Modbury, Devon to do the same. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown praised Modbury's action. From one side of the world, to the other, the actions of some individuals inspired change. It did not stop there.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Coles Bay bag ban lead to the whole state of Tasmania enacting legislation for a 10c levy. The Modbury bag ban lead to England's widely popular 5p levy, resulting in an 85% drop in plastic bag use. Governments and businesses get the shiny media article and pat on the back for making big changes, but these changes were driven by individuals.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere is one important point I have yet to see brought up as to why individual change is critical and that is recognising how changing our mindset, habits, and our hearts will hopefully stop our destruction from happening again in the future.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBecause when we change within our hearts rather than through force and recognise the undeniable need to see ourselves as nature, can we only learn to protect long term.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen I change not only my habits but also mindset, I will pass these lessons down to my children and hopefully these teachings will continue, so we are not here in 100 years time taking advantage of new resources and exploiting people again. Perhaps I am sounding a bit too idealistic but that's where I see one of the powers of individual change. Well, so long as they change is not being driven by desire to fit a trend...\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThere is also the missed recognition of individuals power in building the local futures movement and recognising not all solutions have to come from business and government. We can problem solve by turning inward to our communities and building localised systems to meet peoples needs as appropriate to the area. Coles Bay didn't wait, they acted themselves.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe've seen a rise in Buy Nothing New and Good Karma groups promoting the sharing of stuff for free, mutual aid, repair groups, community gardens, community solar, food sharing projects, community co-ops, and the list is growing - each of these are a responses to waste, plastic, over-consumption, food miles and the many other issues driving climate change. When you sit down with a group of individuals in your community, pooling resources and skills to address issues, you'll be quick to find solutions exist right here in our neighbourhoods. For so long we have relied on the big end of town to lead the way out of situations when in reality we can rely on ourselves for \u003Cu\u003Esome\u003C\/u\u003E of it.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; color: #201f1e;\"\u003ESystem change is important to changing so much of what is creating harm, but who should we trust to build these systems? The ones who created it or working alongside our neighbours?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EMaybe it's business and government starting the debates over individual vs them, trying to derail us from the idea that we the individual have solutions that can lead to meaningful heartfelt change.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/5518880920232209598\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2021\/06\/individual-actions-matter-sustainability-zero-waster.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5518880920232209598"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5518880920232209598"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2021\/06\/individual-actions-matter-sustainability-zero-waster.html","title":"Why individual actions matter "}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiUVmhbjoGjZWtB6UEcVP2HyL1zw9trPk8g6-O7lfJDoACwQbkx0GJnGgC-C-62lel5K43DEURWIjGSMlKjDi4uYm_QVOWzliRuc0nLRll2X7-7hJVLnzxSCR56TF8ifUd6fNg9aOGntcU\/s72-w640-h467-c\/therogueginger_why+individual+actions+matter.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-5442760692934356444"},"published":{"$t":"2021-05-27T13:20:00.003+10:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-05-27T13:20:45.994+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Charity Bay, the new way to give back and shop secondhand"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"My husband, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/blog\/post\/edit\/9033465662037447681\/5442760692934356444#\"\u003EThe Builder\u003C\/a\u003E, had a bedside clock\/alarm\/phone charger gadget. The thing wasn't being used. Well since we had a child, it certainly wasn't. Our four year old is our 6am alarm clock. It sat around in a cupboard for a long time. I could have donated the alarm clock to my local charity store but I'm always nervous about passing on small electronic items as most Op Shops don't have a tag \u0026amp; test team (to test electrical items for safety and if they work) and won't accept electronics. If the alarm clock does get accepted by a charity store and should it not be sold, what happens to these items? Sent for recycling? I'm definitely for recycling electronics rather than landfill (it's illegal in Victoria, Australia to send electronics to landfill) but ultimately if the gadget is still usable I'd rather the item be passed onto someone else. Then the lovely team at SisterWorks introduced me to the award winning online marketplace\u0026nbsp;Charity Bay at the right time.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charitybay.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECharity Bay\u003C\/a\u003E allows people to sell unwanted items and donate the sale to a charity of the sellers choice. Founder Haidar Al-fallouji wanted to help do something about the never ending piles of working household items continuously stacked up on nature strips to be hauled away to landfill. Most of it was furniture and larger items that can often get turned away from traditional charity stores due to the stores lack of space. People sell their items through the CharityBay app or website, and can still provide financial assistance to charities with the sale. I fell in love with the concept immediately and even got to have an online meetup with the dedicated team last year.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDownloading the app and setting up my free account was easy. Items available for sale are listed on the homepage. Users can either search by item or browse via category.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESelling an item is as simple as taking photos, uploading to the app, providing a description, and choosing a charity to donate the sale too.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe sold the alarm clock for $10. CharityBay deducted a .45c transaction fee and the remaining $9.55 was passed on to my charity of choice SisterWorks.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe next item I will be donating is a projector I used for my \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/p\/events.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Etalks \u0026amp; workshops\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;at venues without the equipment. It sadly won't be in need as I'm taking time away from that part of my work (new addition to the family is on the way!). The device works well and is in great condition – let's take photos and load it up onto the website.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiJRZroZ6qpMFx_PHL4uePFHrChQBov9v6CH3IHqeDCueH4sy4Z3W3UBdPlW2wb2s6jDl0I4t9hlYrh12GqgYjnd7fW3U3xj-MwKES00IaWYwV4K5TdyUIdmaQn0FK2I_a2DVDYwhIJwVY\/s665\/therogueginger_charitybay.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Charity Bay, the new way to give back and shop secondhand\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"435\" data-original-width=\"665\" height=\"418\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiJRZroZ6qpMFx_PHL4uePFHrChQBov9v6CH3IHqeDCueH4sy4Z3W3UBdPlW2wb2s6jDl0I4t9hlYrh12GqgYjnd7fW3U3xj-MwKES00IaWYwV4K5TdyUIdmaQn0FK2I_a2DVDYwhIJwVY\/w640-h418\/therogueginger_charitybay.jpg\" title=\"Charity Bay, the new way to give back and shop secondhand\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunity Resources was my chosen charity for this sale – they run several social enterprises and community services, one being Waste Aid Australia. If you have purchased my \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/search.ep?keywords=erin+rhoads\u0026amp;productType=917504\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ebooks\u003C\/a\u003E part of the profits go to the same group too. What I love about being able to choose your own charity is that it allows lesser known groups doing amazing work around Australia receive funding.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOnce the advert is up, it's published to the home page. I then wait for someone to place a bid. Once a sale has been finalised it's all taken care of by CharityBay. The item is then organised for pickup by the buyer or can be posted depending on the size.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECharityBay's tag line is the new era of giving back – our household loves that we can save our unwanted items from landfill, give them to someone who will use them, and support charities at the same time. Download the app (iPhone and Android) or sell your unused items via the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charitybay.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewebsite\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/5442760692934356444\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2021\/05\/charitybay-online-secondhand-marketplace.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5442760692934356444"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5442760692934356444"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2021\/05\/charitybay-online-secondhand-marketplace.html","title":"Charity Bay, the new way to give back and shop secondhand"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiJRZroZ6qpMFx_PHL4uePFHrChQBov9v6CH3IHqeDCueH4sy4Z3W3UBdPlW2wb2s6jDl0I4t9hlYrh12GqgYjnd7fW3U3xj-MwKES00IaWYwV4K5TdyUIdmaQn0FK2I_a2DVDYwhIJwVY\/s72-w640-h418-c\/therogueginger_charitybay.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-3792386399936587690"},"published":{"$t":"2021-05-13T13:50:00.006+10:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-05-18T10:37:55.178+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Clothing rental options for pregnancy, baby clothes, kids formal wear and vintage"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgoIZ0H8Edmsr_l4EdpG9wKXK_6FQ-A2HNX7Vdy1QmE4KciyFvA5r4gpq_cMsvw86_zIz3dmYkDVd17GYIVvSSrmfN6-nDCBfX3l4ApudzjHfOtVlEpYTLKlm0n9QfA9KasCO1Rf_JRv2Y\/s1200\/therogueginger_Clothing+rental+options+for+pregnancy%252C+baby+clothes%252C+vintage+and+kids+formal+wear.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Clothing rental options for pregnancy, baby clothes, vintage and kids formal wear\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgoIZ0H8Edmsr_l4EdpG9wKXK_6FQ-A2HNX7Vdy1QmE4KciyFvA5r4gpq_cMsvw86_zIz3dmYkDVd17GYIVvSSrmfN6-nDCBfX3l4ApudzjHfOtVlEpYTLKlm0n9QfA9KasCO1Rf_JRv2Y\/w640-h427\/therogueginger_Clothing+rental+options+for+pregnancy%252C+baby+clothes%252C+vintage+and+kids+formal+wear.jpg\" title=\"Clothing rental options for pregnancy, baby clothes, vintage and kids formal wear\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EPhoto from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mamarentals.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMama Rentals\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAs a child of the 90s I watched many characters on TV and in movies look through their large closets bursting with clothes moaning they had nothing to wear - the only remedy was more clothes. If characters were feeling sad, a trip to mall would soothe their feelings. Fashion magazines would print photos of curated celebrity wardrobes filled with the latest trends, sold as a shiny sign of success and happiness. Is it any wonder my generation became obsessed with fashion, centring shopping as a cure for everything and believing having more to be the marker of a well lived life?\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy the mid 90s fast fashion brands made it easier to get the latest “wardrobe essentials” helping to fill the void of having “nothing.” Copies of the latest celebrity style would turn up in stores within a fortnight at an affordable price.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs companies revenue climbed and fast fashion brands were hailed heroes for getting those much needed styles into stores quickly, many of us were unaware of the full breadth of exploitation garment workers and their communities faced beyond the occasional child labour story that made the news.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe amount of clothing created and sold has grown to unprecedented levels, with most fast fashion brands today churning out micro-seasons, some even one each week according to \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/features\/what-is-fast-fashion#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Sunday%20Style,new%20%E2%80%9Ccollection%E2%80%9D%20a%20week\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Good Trade\u003C\/a\u003E. The impact of fashion and the realisation our overall consumption levels need to slow down has people searching for ways to reduce their wardrobes impact.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording to an article by \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.unsw.edu.au\/news\/business-law\/rent-future-fashion-shared\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EUNSW Newsroom\u003C\/a\u003E, the clothing rental industry is a growing area, fuelled by millennials and Generation Z's desire to shop with intention. Glam Corner, The Volte, Style Theory, Designerex are just some of the mainstream Australian online options. Then there are local business like Yours + Mine in Adelaide and other similar stores around the Country.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERenting clothing is not a new business model. Hiring formal wear like mens suits and dresses has been around for decades. I even looked into renting a dress for \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2016\/10\/zero-waste-wedding.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Emy wedding\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2013\/11\/how-i-found-fabulous-hat-and-avoided.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehired a hat\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;for the races (back when I went to the races...).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPersonally I'm a fan of the clothing rental idea and think it can offer solutions to those moments in our lives when we might only need a clothing item for one event or short period of our lives. Then there are parts of I'm not a fan, like the clothing subscription boxes. I think the setup is similar to fast fashion and continues the “i need more” narrative.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut what I do look forward to is the niche markets expanding and this blog post is going to show you four Australian online businesses leading the clothing rental revolution in pregnancy, baby clothes, vintage wear and kids formal wear.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.mamarentals.com.au\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMama Rentals\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;- Pregnancy\u003C\/h4\u003EFor most people pregnancy can alter the shape of your body making it hard to fit into anything already in your wardrobe. Should a special event pop up its not really worth it to buy a new dress or spend time visiting the non existent maternity section at the local Op Shop.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlice was of the same mindset and saw a gap in the market for pregnant people wanting a hire a pregnancy friendly formal dress for baby showers, blessings, weddings, maternity photo shoots and other important occasions. Mama Rentals stocks sustainable brands like Fillyboo, and also sources from Reclamation and more. While all dresses are bump friendly they can be hired by non pregnant people too. Mama Rentals has expanded to include the hire of accessories and dresses for young girls.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe thing is pregnancy is only for nine months, and investing in a new wardrobe can take not only a lot of money but also time. I have to say pregnancy clothing is an area of the rental market I'd be interested to see expand.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlice is passionate about zero-waste encouraging her customers to send back the used compostable satchel with their dress so she can look after the composting. Perfect if you don't have a backyard option.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgxqhumQxQImbxq2AsdActE9AKoSurqNr-dT182fv3Pd3B1TB8QTO3Z9Pzj2kZdzL3Y1auKXJIllAcpEzijmhsteA_eM8eR0SA5AV5kOz5mJp7Nr221v1UeKePnavz1zyOqepXP_-GEzGo\/s1174\/therogueginger_Clothing+rental+options+for+pregnancy%252C+baby+clothes%252C+vintage+and+kids+formal+wear_2.jpeg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Clothing rental options for pregnancy, baby clothes, kids formal wear and vintage\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"783\" data-original-width=\"1174\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgxqhumQxQImbxq2AsdActE9AKoSurqNr-dT182fv3Pd3B1TB8QTO3Z9Pzj2kZdzL3Y1auKXJIllAcpEzijmhsteA_eM8eR0SA5AV5kOz5mJp7Nr221v1UeKePnavz1zyOqepXP_-GEzGo\/w640-h426\/therogueginger_Clothing+rental+options+for+pregnancy%252C+baby+clothes%252C+vintage+and+kids+formal+wear_2.jpeg\" title=\"Clothing rental options for pregnancy, baby clothes, kids formal wear and vintage\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EPhoto by \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/consciouskoala.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EConscious Koala\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/consciouskoala.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EConscious Koala\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;- Baby clothes\u003C\/h4\u003EBabies grow very, very quickly. If you are like me finding secondhand organic, ethical and sustainable clothing made of natural fibres without bleach or non toxic dyes is difficult. Hard as in you are looking for a needle in a haystack. Here is where I don't mind a subscription box because it's kind of needed with the growth spurts a new child goes through.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEach box contains 14 items of clothing including day and night wear. When you are ready the clothes can be shipped back (even with stains because babies will baby!) and move up to the next size. The clothes you send back will be cleaned and sent onto the next family. Any items that are beyond wear are recycled. Your clothing will be sent in compostable packaging too.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EConcious Koala offer gift cards, the perfect baby shower gift.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/shopyarnyarns.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYarn Yarns\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;- Vintage\u003C\/h4\u003EYarn Yarns is based in Melbourne selling and renting vintage clothing. I have been a customer myself, hiring a cute jumpsuit for a panel event with 1 Million Women (photo below). Sadly due to the Melbourne lockdowns last year they had to close their bricks and mortar store in Northcote. Thankfully they are still selling and renting online. At present the rental part of the website is not up but customers may contact Yarn Yarns if they see a piece they would like to hire. I'll be sure to update the information here once the rentals side of the website is ready.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bx5p4aHlrZL\/?utm_source=ig_embed\u0026amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\"background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 16px;\"\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bx5p4aHlrZL\/?utm_source=ig_embed\u0026amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;\"\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; 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font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\"\u003E View this post on Instagram\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0px;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\"\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bx5p4aHlrZL\/?utm_source=ig_embed\u0026amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EA post shared by Erin Rhoads (@therogueginger)\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E \u003Cscript async=\"\" src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/smallsmarts.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESmall Smarts\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;- Kid's formal wear\u003C\/h4\u003EThere can be a lot of formal events and roles young kids might need an outfit for. Think weddings, pageboys, christenings, birthdays, family photoshoot, really the list is long. Small Smarts provide a one stop place to hire for those fancy occasions. There are options for both boys and girls from 6 months to 10 years, and yes there are accessories available. Rental periods are four – eight days, and include a paid return bag for easy shipping.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERenting clothing has many benefits like reducing waste, saving money, and slowing down our consumption of new clothing. I don't think hiring will be the core solution to the high volumes of clothing being made – there are many different layers that need addressing. If anything I hope the growing popularity of rentals, hiring, and borrowing will help question our need to own all the things and truly look after them since its being shared with other. I'm excited to see if other areas of the clothing sector could be hired rather than owned. School uniforms? Activewear? Outdoor adventure gear? Perhaps dear reader you're working on an idea right now.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf you know of other Australian businesses that offer clothing rentals in niche markets send me an email via the contact page as I'm still trying to get the comments section fixed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/3792386399936587690\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2021\/05\/clothing-rental-pregnancy-babyclothes-vintage clothes-kidsformalwear.html#comment-form","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/3792386399936587690"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/3792386399936587690"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2021\/05\/clothing-rental-pregnancy-babyclothes-vintage clothes-kidsformalwear.html","title":"Clothing rental options for pregnancy, baby clothes, kids formal wear and vintage"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgoIZ0H8Edmsr_l4EdpG9wKXK_6FQ-A2HNX7Vdy1QmE4KciyFvA5r4gpq_cMsvw86_zIz3dmYkDVd17GYIVvSSrmfN6-nDCBfX3l4ApudzjHfOtVlEpYTLKlm0n9QfA9KasCO1Rf_JRv2Y\/s72-w640-h427-c\/therogueginger_Clothing+rental+options+for+pregnancy%252C+baby+clothes%252C+vintage+and+kids+formal+wear.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-4330335756503221731"},"published":{"$t":"2021-03-31T14:57:00.040+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2024-04-27T16:04:18.640+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Cloth Nappy and Reusable Sanitary Product Rebate petition to my Council"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgQLhjcxz7iv4HjismSaOLPc-5mjGpYWBjZm78LtLhAJHuq3n_Hr3WxQ4twNpo7Z8MO2vQDc039QyhHdgVpB7P_OEDQyTzf6AOTJyO06VdyKzE5MD38w6eJ3G60V7ULiOrwh2ar6ynXR34\/s1191\/therogueginger_cloth+nappy+sanitary+product+rebate.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Council for a Cloth Nappy and Reusable Sanitary Product Rebate\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"781\" data-original-width=\"1191\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgQLhjcxz7iv4HjismSaOLPc-5mjGpYWBjZm78LtLhAJHuq3n_Hr3WxQ4twNpo7Z8MO2vQDc039QyhHdgVpB7P_OEDQyTzf6AOTJyO06VdyKzE5MD38w6eJ3G60V7ULiOrwh2ar6ynXR34\/w640-h421\/therogueginger_cloth+nappy+sanitary+product+rebate.jpg\" title=\"Council for a Cloth Nappy and Reusable Sanitary Product Rebate\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EPhoto by Gavin Green \u0026amp; Hardie Grant Books for \u003Ci\u003EWaste Not: Make a big difference by throwing away less\u003C\/i\u003E - \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/waste-not-erin-rhoads\/book\/9781743794623.html?source=pla\u0026amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwmIuDBhDXARIsAFITC_47k33zJLdkxpCzLKsUQ1oB0S7PndGavaK-8hQdqhW98hluTZ46mvYaAgbkEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ebuy here\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EUpdate 1:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003Eat the bottom of the blog -\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E2 Sept 2021\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ci\u003EUpdate 2: \u003C\/i\u003Eat the bottom of the blog - 30\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003EJan 2022\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EUpdate 3\u003C\/i\u003E:\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003Eat the bottom of the blog - 7\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;Nov 2022\u003C\/span\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ELast year I discovered the UK was considering a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/news.hackney.gov.uk\/real-nappies-bill-launched-in-hackney\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENappies (Environmental Standards) Bill\u003C\/a\u003E to help promote reusables nappies. The Bill included a rebate to make the switch accessible, along with a push to stop manufactures of disposable (eco or not) from making claims that aren't true. The conversation is ongoing in the UK and you can read about \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.naturalbabyshower.co.uk\/blogs\/b4baby\/governments-new-environmental-bill-will-address-nappy-waste\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.letsrecycle.com\/news\/latest-news\/the-government-must-act-now-to-address-single-use-nappies\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI began researching cloth nappy rebates and found there weren't that many available compared to the UK. They have over 40 programs, while we have 18 (when I first wrote this blog post a month ago it was only 11). After many emails it seemed the best place to prove there was interest in rebates from the community was for more Local Government's (our Councils) to roll out rebate schemes. In the UK local Councils also run the rebate programs. So, I decided to start with mine, Moonee Valley City Council. After sharing my intentions on social media many readers showed enthusiasm to pitch similarly to their own Councils and I promised a blog post on what I have done so far to help you get started. I hope you find it useful.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EBut first, what is a Cloth Nappy and Reusable Sanitary Product Rebate?\u003C\/h4\u003EA household can receive up to fifty percent of the purchase back on new and secondhand items with proof of receipt at limit of $150. These reusable items can include:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECloth nappies (all ages)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESwim nappies\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENappy liners\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECloth wipes\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWet bags\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENursing breast pads\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECloth menstrual and incontinence pads\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMenstrual cups\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPeriod underwear\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPeriod wet bags\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ERebates are usually provided alongside education programs too.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese councils provide rebates in Australia:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of Casey (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWyndham City Council (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECardinia Shire (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMornington Peninsula\u0026nbsp; Shire (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of Wodonga (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EShires of Indigo (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of Whittlesea (VIC)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHobsons Bay City Council (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of Ballarat (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMacedon Ranges Shire Council (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of Parramatta (NSW)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECouncil of Federation (NSW)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EGreater Hume Shire Council (NSW)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EShire of Towong (NSW)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAlbury City Council (NSW)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESutherland Shire (NSW)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au\/Services\/Waste-services-and-collection\/Supporting-Sustainable-Solutions#:~:text=of%20eligible%20products.-,What%20is%20the%20rebate%3F,limited%20budget%20for%20this%20program.\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBlacktown\u003C\/a\u003E (NSW)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBrisbane City Council (QLD)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELogan City Council (QLD)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELivingston Council (QLD)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of Holdfast Bay (SA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003EShire of Augusta Margaret River (WA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of Cockburn (WA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of Melville (WA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of Bayswater (WA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETown of Bassendean (WA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETow of Victoria Park (WA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of Armadale (WA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETown of East Fremantle (WA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of Fremantle (WA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETown of Vincent (WA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of Hobart (TAS)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003EI'll continue to add Councils as they provide programs :)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EWhy should our Government provide this? There are a couple of reasons...\u003C\/h4\u003EA rebate will essentially provide accessibility for those unable to afford reusables, help normalise these products, provide a place for eduction and start conversations, and reward those wanting to reduce their waste.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAustralian is one of the highest generators of waste in the world and all levels of government are aware behaviours, process, and products need to change to help reduce what we send to landfill. And it's happening, albeit a little slowly.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMost of our local Councils around Australia, the ones in charge of collecting residential waste and recycling, are focusing on getting organics out the landfill by introducing FOGO collections and tackling food waste. Rightly so, food waste can make up to 40% of our bins a home. As more FOGO rolls out and the system is working (ie, limited contaminates) the landfill bin collections will inevitably be moved to fortnightly.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter food, the next organic waste to land in or bins is the contents inside nappies and sanitary items. When any Council has announced their plan for fortnightly landfill pick up the most common complaint is disposable nappies. You can read what residents said in \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bay939.com.au\/news\/local-news\/125167-golden-plains-sticks-with-fortnightly-bin-pick-ups\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGolden Plains Shire Council\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/westernweekender.com.au\/2016\/10\/fortnightly-collection-is-just-rubbish-residents-say\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECity of Penrith\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;recently. It's a fair concern for those using disposable and biodegradable nappies.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDisposable nappies (including biodegradable nappies because they are single-use and also go to landfill unless they are collected separately) make up 4% of our landfills in Australia. With a child going through 6,000-7,000 nappies before toilet training, that is a significant amount of waste being picked up each week. Then there is the fact most disposals nappies require resources like oil to make the plastic, old growth forests for the inner lining, chemicals used inside to create that absorbency, plastic packaging, shipping of materials to factories for processing, and of course transport to stores AND the diesel fuelled garbage trucks to take it all away. Oh, and the energy needed to travel to the store to buy the product each time. Now think about all of this then apply it to menstrual and sanitary products.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat's not to say cloth nappies don't have an environmental impact, they do. But compared to disposables it's far less and will outperform when sold on for a second use or in the case of menstrual and sanitary products used for three-five years. The secondhand nappy market in Australia is HUGE, you'll find it mainly on Facebook through specific groups, marketplaces, and Gumtree.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn top of nappies being a huge part of our landfill, they are also in the top three contaminates in our recycling bins. I have heard from those in the recycling industry its getting worse and might be to do with the flashy words like 'Eco-friendly' or 'Recyclable' or “Biodegradable” are put on boxes and the everyday person assumes all eco things go into the recycling bin.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEncouraging the use of reusables, like cloth nappies and sanitary products, will ultimately save Councils money that could go back into health and wellbeing programs\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAccording to Real Nappies for London, nine Local Councils in London collectively saved over £320k in waste costs in four years from the cloth nappy rebates they offered. I don't have data for Councils in Australia as many are looking at ways to track this sufficiently.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESince nappy and sanitary product waste is big in volume, providing residents a reward has its merits especially when those products, say cloth nappies are passed onto someone else. For someone like me who actively tries to throw nothing into my landfill bin (or recycling!) my efforts are not rewarded and I still have to pay the rates for a service I use rarely.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EA rebate is not a demand for all parents to use cloth nappies or people to buy cloth pads\u003C\/h4\u003EI was a parent that went back to work full time when my child was three months, and I understand how exhausting parenting can be. I would be lying if disposables weren't appealing on some of those days. And truthfully it was my husband that did a lot of it and some of us don't have that extra help. Plus there are a group of other reasons why reusables, whether it's nappies or sanitary products, are not going to be suitable for everyone. Peoples ability could limit use, mental health, access to washing machines. This isn't a campaign to force these swaps onto everyone. And i'll never judge someone for not choosing reusables.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA parent for example could find out through their Maternal Health meetings (run by Councils) or via another parent that their local Council provides a rebate...they might not take it up, BUT could encourage the parent or caregiver to research other ways to reduce their footprint like a joining a Toy Library, shopping secondhand, taking their own produce bags, volunteering for Landcare. It's all connected.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EHere are steps to get started on your local campaign:\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E1. Start a petition\u003C\/h4\u003EI created my petition for my own Council on change.org - \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/chng.it\/7YyS2dYc\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttp:\/\/chng.it\/7YyS2dYc\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EMost Councils prefer physical petitions as it's easier to track those signing are actually from local residents. But because of Covid I decided to go with an electronic option. The petition was shared in local facebook groups and my own page. You can use parts of my petition to make your own.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #3d85c6;\"\u003E**\u003C\/span\u003EMy petition is not one addressed to all Councils. If you want a rebate for your Council, then someone from your area needs to start one. I can't on your behalf since I don't live in your municipality.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EBelow are a list of petitions in Australia:\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/bayside-city-council-cloth-nappy-product-rebate?redirect=false\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBayside City Council\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e69138;\"\u003E(VIC)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/gecc-residents-cloth-nappy-and-reusable-sanitary-product-rebate-for-glen-eira-city-council-residents\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGlen Eira City Council\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e69138;\"\u003E(VIC)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/moonee-valley-city-council-cloth-nappy-and-menstrual-product-rebate-for-moonee-valley-city-council-residents?recruiter=35271619\u0026amp;recruited_by_id=83a64ac0-1b16-0130-c700-3c764e04860a\u0026amp;utm_source=share_petition\u0026amp;utm_medium=copylink\u0026amp;utm_campaign=petition_dashboard\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMoonee Valley City Council\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"color: #e69138;\"\u003E(VIC)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/hobsons-bay-city-council-introduce-a-cloth-nappy-rebate-in-hobsons-bay\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cstrike\u003EHobsons Bay City Council\u003C\/strike\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"color: #e69138;\"\u003E(VIC) (Success! announced funding in the 2021\/2022 budget)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/frankston-city-council-cloth-nappy-and-reusable-sanitary-product-rebate-for-frankston-city\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFrankston City Council\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e69138;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;(VIC)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/chng.it\/tFjcTQRmbs\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EKingston City Council\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e69138;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;(VIC)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/city-of-greater-geelong-council-cloth-nappy-rebate-for-geelong\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECity Of Greater Geelong Council\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"color: #ffa400;\"\u003E(VIC)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/baw-baw-shire-council-cloth-nappy-and-reusable-sanitary-product-rebate-for-baw-baw-shire\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBaw Baw Shire Council\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"color: #ffa400;\"\u003E(VIC)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/knox-council-knox-council-cloth-nappy-and-reusable-sanitary-product-rebate-d0527e8c-ac27-458b-8db9-56d73b6b931c?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_30671611_en-AU%3A7\u0026amp;recruiter=47640531\u0026amp;utm_source=share_petition\u0026amp;utm_medium=copylink\u0026amp;utm_campaign=share_petition\u0026amp;utm_term=share_petition\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EKnox City Council\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"color: #ffa400;\"\u003E(VIC)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/yarra-ranges-shire-council-cloth-nappy-and-reusable-sanitary-product-rebate?recruiter=56429616\u0026amp;recruited_by_id=bbace6d0-cc07-0130-90bd-3c764e049b10\u0026amp;utm_source=share_petition\u0026amp;utm_medium=copylink\u0026amp;utm_campaign=petition_dashboard\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYarra Ranges Shire Council\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #ffa400;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;(VIC)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/whitsunday-council-whitsunday-council-to-approve-rebates-for-reusable-products\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWhitsundays Council\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"color: #6aa84f;\"\u003E(QLD)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/redlands-city-council-cloth-nappy-rebate-for-redlands-city-council\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ERedland City Council\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"color: #6aa84f;\"\u003E(QLD)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/fraser-coast-regional-council-cloth-nappy-and-reusable-sanitary-product-rebate-for-fcrc\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFraser Coast Regional Council\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"color: #6aa84f;\"\u003E(QLD)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/lockyer-valley-regional-council-help-reduce-our-community-waste-introduce-a-cloth-nappy-rebate-for-the-lockyer-valley\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELockyer Valley Council\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"color: #6aa84f;\"\u003E(QLD)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/sunshine-caost-regional-council-and-noosa-regional-council-will-noosa-and-sunshine-coast-reginal-councils-consider-a-reusable-cloth-nappy-rebate\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENoosa and Sunshine Coast Reginal Councils\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"color: #6aa84f;\"\u003E(QLD)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #6aa84f;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/wollongong-city-council-cloth-nappy-and-reusable-sanitary-products-rebate-for-wollongong-residents\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWollongong City Council\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #45818e;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #351c75;\"\u003E(NSW)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/inner-west-council-cloth-nappy-rebate-for-the-inner-west\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EInner West Council\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"color: #351c75;\"\u003E(NSW)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/bankstown-city-council-cloth-nappy-rebate-canterbury-bankstown-region\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECanterbury Bankston City Council\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"color: #351c75;\"\u003E(NSW)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/wagga-wagga-city-council-rebates-for-reusable-nappies\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWagga Wagga City Council\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"color: #351c75;\"\u003E(NSW)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #351c75;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/bega-valley-shire-council-cloth-nappy-and-reusable-sanitary-items-rebate-for-bega-valley-shire-council\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBega Valley Shire Council\u003C\/a\u003E (NSW)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/singleton-council-reusable-cloth-nappy-rebate\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESingleton Council\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #351c75;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;(NSW)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #351c75;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/lake-macquarie-city-council-reusable-nappy-rebate\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELake Macquarie City Council\u003C\/a\u003E (NSW)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #351c75;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/lake-macquarie-city-council-reusable-nappy-rebate\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENewcastle City Council\u003C\/a\u003E (NSW)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #351c75;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/lake-macquarie-city-council-reusable-nappy-rebate\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPort Stephens Council\u003C\/a\u003E (NSW)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/bmcc-reusable-nappy-rebate\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBlue Mountains City Council\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"color: #351c75;\"\u003E(NSW)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #351c75;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/litchfield-council-cloth-nappy-and-reusable-sanitary-product-rebate-for-litchfield-council\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELitchfield Council\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"color: #cc0000;\"\u003E(NT)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #cc0000;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #cc0000;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/tea-tree-gully-council-south-australian-councils-to-provide-modern-cloth-nappy-rebate\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ETea Tree Gully Council\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #76a5af;\"\u003E(SA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #76a5af;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/tea-tree-gully-council-south-australian-councils-to-provide-modern-cloth-nappy-rebate\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EAdelaide City Council\u003C\/a\u003E (SA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #76a5af;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/tea-tree-gully-council-south-australian-councils-to-provide-modern-cloth-nappy-rebate\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPort Adelaide Enfield Council\u003C\/a\u003E (SA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #76a5af;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/tea-tree-gully-council-south-australian-councils-to-provide-modern-cloth-nappy-rebate\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECity of Campbelltown\u003C\/a\u003E (SA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #cc0000;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/kingborough-council-tas-cloth-nappy-and-reusable-sanitary-product-rebate-for-kingborough\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECity of Kingborough\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"color: #bf9000;\"\u003E(TAS)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #bf9000;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/city-of-baywater-access-to-a-rebate-for-cloth-nappies-and-reusable-sanitary-products\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cstrike\u003ECity of Bayswater\u003C\/strike\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e06666;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;(WA) Success! Thank you to Petition campaigner Kate\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/city-of-stirling-city-rebates-for-cloth-nappy-families-and-reusable-sanitary-products?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_30415699_en-AU%3A2\u0026amp;recruiter=1058900722\u0026amp;utm_source=share_petition\u0026amp;utm_medium=copylink\u0026amp;utm_campaign=tap_basic_share\u0026amp;utm_term=share_for_starters_page\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECity of Stirling\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e06666;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;(WA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPaula McIntosh, the Sustainability Leader of Melbourne Girls College has also started a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/me.getup.org.au\/petitions\/eco-friendly-periods-4-vic-schools-3\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Epetition asking for free reusable sanitary products in schools\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;Show your support for Paula's campaign by following on Facebook, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/EcoFriendlyPeriods4VicSchools\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Efacebook.com\/EcoFriendlyPeriods4VicSchools\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E2. Letter to Councillors signed by multiple residents\u003C\/h4\u003EAn option outside of the petition or to run alongside is to create a letter signed by multiple residents to help strengthen the cause. This could be a group of friends or reaching out to likeminded residents in a Facebook group.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E3. Start talking to your Council\u003C\/h4\u003ENow you've started your petition or sent your group letter (or both!) it's time to find a Councillor you believe will help your cause. If you are not familiar with your local Councillors go to their social media, read their bios on the Council website, or ask in a eco Facebook group or parents group who they think would be an ally. If you have one aligned with sustainability it will be easier. Send them an email telling them your plan to start a petition and if they would like to submit the petition for you once its completed. When I did this my local Councillor suggested I give a presentation to all Councillors at a Public Forum.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E4. A Public Forum presentation\u003C\/h4\u003EThis is an opportunity to put together a brief powerpoint (or not) and tell them why you believe Council should act on this. It's mainly an opportunity to educate. I only had three-five minutes to talk and shared four slides sharing what is a rebate program, why reusables are better for the environment, what will Council get out of it and what's in it for residents.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EDon't be nervous, Councillors are regular people. If you would like to see my presentation msg me and I'll pass it on.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Councils below would be worth campaigning as they have been actively researching rebate programs and\/or are running cloth nappy and menstrual product education seminars recently:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003EYarra Ranges Shire Council (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EKnox City Council (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EGreater Dandenong Council (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFrankston City Council (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMaribrynong City Council (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBoroondara and the Councils (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMildura Rural City Council (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EShire of Indigo (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EShire of Towong (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of, Wodonga (VIC)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECity of Albury (NSW)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EGreater Hume Shire (NSW)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EShire of Federation (NSW)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPenrith City Council (NSW)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ECampaigns can be a slow game, sometimes. At the moment I'm going to continue sharing my petition in local groups, then in a couple of months ask a Councillor to present it. Since my Council is more conservative they might turn this down. That's the risk of fighting for something you believe in, it can get turned down. I do believe in planting seeds and I know the collective action can work. Councils talk to each other, they are often part of region based groups within their States. If you do start your own petition or contact your Council, let me know via social media (for some reason my comments don't work anymore on my blog??) so I can add it to this blog post and share with others. There is power in numbers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile this blog post is directed at Aussies, I'd love to know if anyone from anywhere else has a go too.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGood luck :)\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EI'd like to thank City of Casey for providing so much help in my own research and understanding for this topic. Thank you!!!\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EUpdate 1: 2 Sept 2021\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003EA lot has happened since I wrote this blog post earlier in the year. We were featured in The Age, ten more petitions have been started by community members around Australia, over twelve Victorian Councils have applied for funding to start researching cloth nappy and reusable sanitary rebates in their local government areas. Members of Cloth Nappy groups on facebook have been sharing their conversations with local Councils too to help to carry the message.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI made a formal budget submission at the start of May to my local Council – Moonee Valley. This submission was basically asking Council to include the cloth nappy and reusable sanitary rebate in the 2021\/22 budget that would be handed down later in the year. I provided a breakdown of how much an annual rebate program would cost Moonee Valley City Council alongside a link to my petition. Thank you to several enthusiastic Councils for helping me figure out costings. I had already presented at a Public Forum to all Councillors in March on the topic too.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn July I received a reply from the Strategy \u0026amp; Planning Department of Moonee Valley City Council stating my submission had been declined in this years budget BUT a cloth nappy and reusable sanitary product rebate would be considered for next year should the Council be successful in gaining funding from the Recycling Victoria Council Fund for a feasibility study with other councils to provide evidence based research that a rebate would work.\u003Cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003EMy unsuccessful bid was disappointing BUT I'm not without hope that Moonee Valley and other Councils around Victoria (and Australia) will have implemented a cloth nappy and reusable sanitary product rebate. After-all, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2017\/02\/plastic-bag-free-victoria-update-3.html\"\u003Emy work to get a ban on plastic bags in Victoria was declined but then became a reality\u003C\/a\u003E not long after the petition had been submitted and fobbed off. The thing with environmental campaigns is they might not work, that's just a fact. But what they do achieve is conversation within institutions and amongst the general public. So don't give up hope if you are reading this – the conversations we start today with our campaigns can blossom into meaningful change in the future.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile there is overwhelming proof from other Councils in Australia and abroad these style of rebates work, I do understand the process some Councils need to adhere too. I will consider resubmiting for the budget next year and hopefully have success.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf anyone would like to see a copy of my formal budget submission let me know and I'll pass it on.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003EUpdate 2: 30 Jan 2022\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003ERight 12 Victorian Councils (and anyone outside those Council areas in Victoria) are asking for members of the community to share their thoughts and experiences with cloth nappies. Parents\/carers who have\/have had children in nappies (single-use or reusable) in the last 5 years can go to the link below and fill out the survey. Deadline is 21 Feb.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/survey.zohopublic.com.au\/zs\/iwBtuF?fbclid=IwAR2dQpfhvtBrNZGUoHHRbKGvLJYNrbhY7NUzlOv2ZLLfz0T7qZ6dES-rexg\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/survey.zohopublic.com.au\/zs\/iwBtuF\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EThank you to everyone that started their own petition, wrote emails, made phone calls, and engaged in community conversations across Australia. There are 30 petitions in every State\/Territory active right now. Two new Councils in WA and VIC have added rebates to their programs!\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EYour feedback will help the participating Councils to create the best rebate and education program…perhaps set in motion a State wide program?\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E*My original submission included reusable sanitary products too. Feel free to pop that into your feedback to nudge Council we’d like them in the survey.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EUpdate 3:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E7\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;Nov 2022\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe reusable nappy feasibility study led by Monash Council  with 12 other Melbourne Councils to research and understand  a best practice reusable nappy program has been completed and was released last month. The report and an Executive Summary documents can be found via this link \u0026gt;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/shape.monash.vic.gov.au\/reusable-nappies\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/shape.monash.vic.gov.au\/reusable-nappies\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe report recommended:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\"A joint Communications Strategy and Campaign, as first priority\" [and]\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\"Opportunities for community members to experience and connect over reusable nappies, as a second and related priority\" (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/shape.monash.vic.gov.au\/reusable-nappies\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Esource\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThere were a few areas of the report I could pick apart (like researching a program in the UK for comparison that doesn't have solid feedback but missing some of the longest running ones that do?!). But it would make this blog post longer than it is. Overall it's a very insightful report. Here's hoping all 12 Melbourne Councils take on the recommendations and deliver increased communication and education on cloth nappy options, specifically targeting parents before they have children, plus working alongside the hospitals, State Government, and their Departments aligned with maternal heath and pre-birth education as another avenue to present options.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIn a positive announcement made last month Melbourne LGA Knox City Council are leading a study with seven Victorian Councils to research and how to best set up a reusable sanitary and incontinence program. Like nappies, sanitary products including incontinence items, are a growing waste source. Look out for a community consultation survey similar to the cloth nappy one conducted earlier this year.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"\u0026quot;Helvetica Neue\u0026quot;, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background-color: #fefefe; color: #0a0a0a; font-size: 16px;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/4330335756503221731\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2021\/03\/Cloth-Nappy-and-Reusable-Sanitary-Product-Rebate.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/4330335756503221731"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/4330335756503221731"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2021\/03\/Cloth-Nappy-and-Reusable-Sanitary-Product-Rebate.html","title":"Cloth Nappy and Reusable Sanitary Product Rebate petition to my Council"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgQLhjcxz7iv4HjismSaOLPc-5mjGpYWBjZm78LtLhAJHuq3n_Hr3WxQ4twNpo7Z8MO2vQDc039QyhHdgVpB7P_OEDQyTzf6AOTJyO06VdyKzE5MD38w6eJ3G60V7ULiOrwh2ar6ynXR34\/s72-w640-h421-c\/therogueginger_cloth+nappy+sanitary+product+rebate.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-9072188285501863069"},"published":{"$t":"2021-01-28T15:03:00.006+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-11-05T09:43:47.876+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":" Zero waste sun protection"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgaDEGlu3aw68xBk4rJICVbOCq0Y7dWQzf4OyarSVI0fVX_ectdXKo8gzxxINAWy9xvsNd_3YltkVWj4CQjWLhTBPDnueHW5-YMeT89fvngMhs_Oi2YjLlmgY3B-uqY9xgObehwwly5jso\/s1032\/therogueginger_zero+waste+sun+protection+01.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Zero waste sun protection\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"774\" data-original-width=\"1032\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgaDEGlu3aw68xBk4rJICVbOCq0Y7dWQzf4OyarSVI0fVX_ectdXKo8gzxxINAWy9xvsNd_3YltkVWj4CQjWLhTBPDnueHW5-YMeT89fvngMhs_Oi2YjLlmgY3B-uqY9xgObehwwly5jso\/w640-h480\/therogueginger_zero+waste+sun+protection+01.jpg\" title=\"Zero waste sun protection\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EI take sun protection very seriously, all year round. But especially during Summer.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne look at me and you'll know why I do. My skin is fair and covered in freckles. It's prone to burning more than other skin types. I have had many uncomfortable sunburns over my lifetime that can happen within 10-15 minutes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOnce upon a time I relied on sunscreen for 90% of my sun protection. At beaches or pools I would take a rash vest (sun shirt) but would usually leave it off because vanity. I'd wear singlets and tiny dresses when out of the house then forget to reapply my sunscreen. There wasn't a summer without a bad burn somewhere on my body.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt wasn't until I started going plastic free that I changed my sun protection habits. Actually it still took me a while after reducing my plastic to realise clothing can provide most of my sun protection and it was the best zero waste sun protection. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETurns out long sleeve shirts, pants, wide brimmed hats are some of most environmentally friendly and zero waste sun protection steps we can make. And the most obvious too.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEihJut08TfX9ERu8qtTxRBpD5_Kg4tsoHWLiHzNTXIhvqQT1AR3805A2DKcwjc8WgkSMySbmgk5BaUIZKcmAj3TZaoY17K5epRGOWPlWbG1fGlrkV4Q_XPAVFm1VYopXsNkijsSZfnCcZM\/s1048\/therogueginger_zero+waste+sun+protection+03.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Zero waste sun protection\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"786\" data-original-width=\"1048\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEihJut08TfX9ERu8qtTxRBpD5_Kg4tsoHWLiHzNTXIhvqQT1AR3805A2DKcwjc8WgkSMySbmgk5BaUIZKcmAj3TZaoY17K5epRGOWPlWbG1fGlrkV4Q_XPAVFm1VYopXsNkijsSZfnCcZM\/w640-h480\/therogueginger_zero+waste+sun+protection+03.jpg\" title=\"Zero waste sun protection\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EFirst step - clothing, hat, sunglasses, and seeking shade\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring the warmer months when the UV index is high you'll find me covered up in loose but long sleeve clothing and a hat. I find it so much easier than having to reapply sunscreen constantly, which is something I would sometimes forget or keep putting off because it required a bit of effort. These days I only need to reapply to the areas exposed like my face, neck, ears, hands, and feet. I buy all of my clothes and hats from local secondhand shops to help reduce fashion waste.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt the beach I always wear a long sleeve rashie with matching bather bottoms in the water. When I'm back on the sand I'll slip on a pair of long linen pants (in the photo below), my hat, then sit under the shade of our canvas beach tent to dry off or lay in the sun for a little bit. My whole body is covered and I haven't been burnt in the years doing this.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EMy current rashie is about five years old and is starting to show signs of wear. This means it's not offering me the best sun protection anymore. Next season i'll be getting a new one. I will look for secondhand but of course be mindful to only purchase if it's in good condition. I know there are many brands selling swimwear and rash shirts made of recycled plastic but as for recycling the rash shirt at the end of its life, well it doesn't seem to be an option yet. I'll have to do a deep dive to find out more. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI discovered Australian made plastic free swimwear and swim shirts made of wool at \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/swimmwear.com.au\/pages\/about-us\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESwimm\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.merinocountry.com\/blogs\/news\/wool-swimwear\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMerino Country\u003C\/a\u003E as an option. A woollen rashie, another option to look into too! \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy sunglasses are made of upcycled wood my husband gifted me buuuuut Op Shops have so many second hand sunnies that you could buy a pair there. Using what we already have is usually the most sustainable and zero waste option.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EOf course shade should be a priority if you are spending a long time outdoors. Find an option that works best for you and your location. Finding shade on a stretch of beach in Australia can be hard so we bring along a secondhand canvas tent. I don't know the name or brand as it was sold without any information.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgtbVtDwtRvYAOKVJuIOTakaRnFPQHI1BXrMC5t9neHJ0d5hhp6NTR6xOlu4DRTEBBDmHbkcBpdEeCYGaRAvCVI_ud_xvQLS5gouMG1O1CCrQCs3PbH6h7lsQHacRPpKQEgDwLKmknUTww\/s1032\/therogueginger_zero+waste+sun+protection+02.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Zero waste sun protection\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"774\" data-original-width=\"1032\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgtbVtDwtRvYAOKVJuIOTakaRnFPQHI1BXrMC5t9neHJ0d5hhp6NTR6xOlu4DRTEBBDmHbkcBpdEeCYGaRAvCVI_ud_xvQLS5gouMG1O1CCrQCs3PbH6h7lsQHacRPpKQEgDwLKmknUTww\/w640-h480\/therogueginger_zero+waste+sun+protection+02.jpg\" title=\"Zero waste sun protection\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA photo of me post swim with my linen pants pulled over my swimming bathers and rashie shirt on top\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ELast step - Sunscreen\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EI don't use much sunscreen. Now before assumptions are made I'm advocating against sunscreen please know I am a big advocate for sunscreen use. Keeping myself covered and staying in the shade helps me reduce sunscreen. I put sunscreen as the last step in my sun protection so I prioritise clothing options first.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI typically apply sunscreen on my face, neck, ears, hands, and feet. These are usually the main exposed areas for me.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI have tried the following sunscreens over the past ten years:\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/sunslayer.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESunSlayer Sunscreen\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(plastic free)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.biome.com.au\/natural-sunscreen\/18988-sun-earth-natural-zinc-sandy-light-9369998000746.html\" onmousedown=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/14846?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.biome.com.au%2fnatural-sunscreen%2f18988-sun-earth-natural-zinc-sandy-light-9369998000746.html\u0026amp;UniqueId=Sunscreen'; this.rel = 'nofollow noindex';\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" rel=\"nofollow noindex\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESun \u0026amp; Earth Natural Zinc - Sandy Light\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(plastic free)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.biome.com.au\/natural-sunscreen\/12734-wotnot-spf-30-natural-sunscreen-150g-free-gift-9336127000335.html\" onmousedown=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/14846?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.biome.com.au%2fnatural-sunscreen%2f12734-wotnot-spf-30-natural-sunscreen-150g-free-gift-9336127000335.html\u0026amp;UniqueId=Sunscreen'; this.rel = 'nofollow noindex';\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" rel=\"nofollow noindex\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWotnot palm oil free natural sunscreen\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.nourishedlife.com.au\/natural-sunscreen\/2886740\/sunbutter-spf-50-water-resistant-reef.html\" onmousedown=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/10778?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nourishedlife.com.au%2fnatural-sunscreen%2f2886740%2fsunbutter-spf-50-water-resistant-reef.html\u0026amp;UniqueId=sunscreen'; this.rel = 'nofollow noindex';\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" rel=\"nofollow noindex\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESunButter SPF 50 Water Resistant Reef Safe Sunscreen\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.nourishedlife.com.au\/natural-sunscreen\/480522\/natural-instinct-invisible-natural-sunscreen-spf30.html\" onmousedown=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/10778?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nourishedlife.com.au%2fnatural-sunscreen%2f480522%2fnatural-instinct-invisible-natural-sunscreen-spf30.html\u0026amp;UniqueId=sunscreen'; this.rel = 'nofollow noindex';\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" rel=\"nofollow noindex\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENatural Instinct Invisible Natural Sunscreen SPF30\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.nourishedlife.com.au\/natural-sunscreen\/74812\/uv-natural-sunscreen-spf-30.html\" onmousedown=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/10778?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nourishedlife.com.au%2fnatural-sunscreen%2f74812%2fuv-natural-sunscreen-spf-30.html\u0026amp;UniqueId=sunscreen'; this.rel = 'nofollow noindex';\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" rel=\"nofollow noindex\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EUV Natural Sunscreen SPF 30+\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2014\/03\/avasol-my-first-plastic-free-sunscreen.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EAvasol Sunscreen\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(plastic free)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou would have noticed in my sunscreen list the packaging hasn't always been plastic free. My sunscreen has come in metal, paper and recycled plastic. I advocate for people to choose what works for them regardless of packaging. Sun protection is\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003Eimportant\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E. Choose a sunscreen you will use not one that will languish in the back of the cupboard.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EOur kiddo uses one specific for kids. Like his Mum, I keep him in long sleeves and long shorts to minimise sun exposure. Kids are far more covered these days than when I was little though I'm sure my Mum tried it just wasn't as cool! Although he has inherited his fathers darker Lebanese colouring we are still careful. I find Op Shops have a good selection of long sleeve button shirts for kids perfect for warmer weather to keep the sun out without overheating him. I also find kids rashies in good condition at Op Shops too. My guess is smaller children grow too quickly before the rashies get worn out compared to adults.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe have prioritised reef safe sunscreen but it turns out there is only one verified sunscreen as noted in this article,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.stuff.co.nz\/business\/opinion-analysis\/300207733\/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-your-sunscreen-and-the-sea\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\"Here's what you need to know about your sunscreen and the sea.\"\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;As the article says, if unsure double check with the brand directly, which is what I will be doing going forward.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ELike most stuff I share on this blog my zero waste sun protection is suited to my own experience and needs. Do your own research, find what works for you and your beautiful body.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/9072188285501863069\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2021\/01\/zero-waste-sun-protection.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/9072188285501863069"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/9072188285501863069"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2021\/01\/zero-waste-sun-protection.html","title":" Zero waste sun protection"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgaDEGlu3aw68xBk4rJICVbOCq0Y7dWQzf4OyarSVI0fVX_ectdXKo8gzxxINAWy9xvsNd_3YltkVWj4CQjWLhTBPDnueHW5-YMeT89fvngMhs_Oi2YjLlmgY3B-uqY9xgObehwwly5jso\/s72-w640-h480-c\/therogueginger_zero+waste+sun+protection+01.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-7501005102763460290"},"published":{"$t":"2020-12-04T13:19:00.004+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-01-04T07:23:08.237+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Eight Environmental books I read in 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj6BLDXCZXhjJ3MaR_rXq1FG1VVtBybAb3Dt299m-suBsJik0aid3U3Dfz04wZNFYUpJznoQS8muJ5zCsOW8dXuYA6IgIyAPFL83xU11Sojt2QISGHJzDoNsC7sCrRbxQolXJF-IhkKyn0\/s637\/therogueginger_erinrhoads_Eight+Environmental+books+I+read+in+2020_00.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Eight Environmental books I read in 2020\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj6BLDXCZXhjJ3MaR_rXq1FG1VVtBybAb3Dt299m-suBsJik0aid3U3Dfz04wZNFYUpJznoQS8muJ5zCsOW8dXuYA6IgIyAPFL83xU11Sojt2QISGHJzDoNsC7sCrRbxQolXJF-IhkKyn0\/w640-h512\/therogueginger_erinrhoads_Eight+Environmental+books+I+read+in+2020_00.jpg\" title=\"Eight Environmental books I read in 2020\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EEach year I make a plan to share a list on the blog of all the books I have read. After eight years of blogging I've finally managed to remember. I found the draft blog post from 2019 but forgot to share the books I read then. If you are interested the books related to the environment from my 2019 book haul were:\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003ESand Talk\u003C\/i\u003E by Tyson Yunkaporta\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDark Emu\u003C\/i\u003E by Bruce Pascoe\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EGrowing Up Aboriginal in Australia \u003C\/i\u003EEdited by Anita Heiss\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EHidden in Plain View\u003C\/i\u003E by Paul Irish\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia\u003C\/i\u003E by Bill Gammage\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EA Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind\u003C\/i\u003E by Harriet A. Washington\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EToxic Communities: Environmental Racism, Industrial Pollution, and Residential Mobility\u003C\/i\u003E by Dorceta Taylor\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EClean and White: A History of Environmental Racism in the United States\u003C\/i\u003E by Carl Zimring\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003ETreading Lightly: The Hidden Wisdom of the World’s Oldest People\u003C\/i\u003E by Karl-Erik Sveiby and Tex Skuthorpe\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWelcome to Country\u003C\/i\u003E by Marcia Langton\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EI’ll admit the books I read in 2020 with an environmental theme featured no POC authors. I didn’t even realise until after I made the list. I apologise for this and realise now I should have done better. I also didn't read as many books with an environmental focus. This year I enjoyed more fiction and non-fiction too. Let's get into the eight environmental books I read in 2020\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/29692?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.dymocks.com.au%2fbook%2fhow-to-save-the-world-by-katie-patrick-9780578221151\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHow to Save The World\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;by Katie Patrick\u003C\/h4\u003ETechnically I read this in 2019 but it is one book I have come back to a lot this year appropriately titled How To Save The World. This book originally began as a powerpoint presentation I stumbled across one day. Thankfully author Katie Patrick expanded on it and I'm so glad she did. Katie is an environmental engineer and designer with passion to help people change the world using game design and data.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOver the years I have watched environmental campaigns miss the mark while community driven movements like Plastic Free July and Zero Waste continue to shift habits. It wasn't until I read this book that I began to understand how these two became so popular. Both were focused on behaviour narratives lead by everyday people rather than just direct education full of guilt and doom. Katie's book really drives home that education alone is not going to help change the world let alone save it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe book looks at how data, game design and behaviour psychology can be harnessed to create programs that will actually work to create change. How To Save The World is divide into ten sections with thoroughly researched actionable ideas alongside well considered case studies and examples of success stories and failures. It's technical but written in a way that makes the content accessible and fun.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/29692?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.dymocks.com.au%2fbook%2ffood-or-war-by-julian-cribb-9781108712903\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFood or War\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;by Jullian Cribb\u003C\/h4\u003EThis book was an interesting read. It was a little depressing at the start as Cribb goes through the ways humans have used food to harm, control, manipulate, and spur conflict on. We see it happening today with heartbreaking famines and the rise of food deserts. The power of controlling food has been overlooked as humans become more and more separated from it where it's being grown and by who. I'd like to think this book wasn’t written purely because of the issues at hand. Instead I hope it's because people are wanting to turn the system around fast. According to Cribb if we could grow more of our food in our cities with the help of tech (depending on location and climate) we'd save up to 20% in emissions used to transport food around the world. This along with other fascinating ideas could help provide more peace and stability in the world.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI don't find many of his proposed ideas too far fetched. Reduce military spending to reinvest in regenerative local agriculture, prioritising food education for children (growing, eating, sharing – you know life skills), accessibility to more healthy food, rethink packaging, sharing innovation, accessible tech for all farmers, rewilding lead by Indigenous leaders, giving farmers pay rises, and put more women in charge. I found myself nodding along to most of these and perhaps you will too.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/29692?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.dymocks.com.au%2fbook%2f2040-a-household-handbook-for-the-regeneration-by-damon-gameau-9781760554149\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E2040: A Handbook for the Regeneration\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;by Damon Gameau\u003C\/h4\u003E2040: A Handbook for the Regeneration is to accompany the film. Since I saw the movie after reading the book I can safely say you don't need to have watched the film to enjoy this book.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe book begins with the issues we are facing and what inspired Gameau to make the film. From there the book is then broken up into six chapters, with the first four focused on energy, transport, drawdown \u0026amp; sequester, consumption. Like the film each theme is looked at from two angles; where we can scale up and the individual actions people like you and me can make. There are planet friendly recipes prioritising ingredients that are good for the soil or sequester carbon. It's an uplifting book, inspiring, and easy to read. The only thing I didn't like was the plastic debossing and embossing on the front of the book.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/29692?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.dymocks.com.au%2fbook%2fthe-less-waste-no-fuss-kitchen-by-lindsay-miles-9781743795835\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Less Waste No Fuss Kitchen\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;by Lindsay Miles\u003C\/h4\u003EThis is a beautifully illustrated and well written guide to reducing waste in the kitchen. Whether you are starting out or are familiar with zero-waste I can guarantee you’ll learn something from Lindsay Mile’s second book.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EIt will help answer those niggling questions beyond packaging and bulk food stores like food miles, carbon footprints, that can make decisions fickle and hard at the start. The type of foods you’ll encounter at a bulk food store and what to do with them. Tips for reducing food waste to landfill. Basic recipes and food preservation to get you started in your less waste no fuss kitchen.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ELindsay’s balanced friendly approach will help you find the right choices for your life, without any goading or preaching. This book is a welcome addition to my kitchen I’ll be reaching for again and again.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhs0kZFuaRkfTB3arqpF0q1ZUy9z9gLmui8IUIzfr5JsSnxU941A8BPwuKuXtwH9gvNGyfHBAAkCmOiLJU8byDbO9dbMY3VGyL5AN6hGfc4N29jKVuW7lYydizXlQFlusbi9h5hMNCXvNY\/s637\/therogueginger_erinrhoads_Eight+Environmental+books+I+read+in+2020_01.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Eight Environmental books I read in 2020\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhs0kZFuaRkfTB3arqpF0q1ZUy9z9gLmui8IUIzfr5JsSnxU941A8BPwuKuXtwH9gvNGyfHBAAkCmOiLJU8byDbO9dbMY3VGyL5AN6hGfc4N29jKVuW7lYydizXlQFlusbi9h5hMNCXvNY\/w640-h512\/therogueginger_erinrhoads_Eight+Environmental+books+I+read+in+2020_01.jpg\" title=\"Eight Environmental books I read in 2020\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/29692?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.dymocks.com.au%2fbook%2fplastic-free-by-rebecca-prince-ruiz-and-joanna-atherfold-finn-9781742236551\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPlastic Free: The Inspiring Story of a Global Environmental Movement and Why It Matters\u003C\/a\u003E by By Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, Joanna Atherfold Finn\u003C\/h4\u003EBefore I begin I will note the author and founder of Plastic Free July is a friend of mine and I must congratulate her on this book. I know she was a nervous about writing it but I think she has done an amazing job alongside her co-author Joanna Atherfold Finn. I really enjoyed learning about Rebecca's early life, where her inspiration and passion for the environment came from. It set a good grounding for the book and how Plastic Free July would eventually come to fruition. While the book does have tips on reducing plastic this is a story about how Plastic Free July begun and its contribution to the plastic free movement, the people it has inspired, change created, and hope for the future. You might see my name inside its pages ;)\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/29692?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.dymocks.com.au%2fbook%2fninja-bandicoots-and-turbo-charged-wombats-by-hazel-flynn-9781760641672\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ENinja Bandicoots and Turbo-Charged Wombats: Stories From Behind The Scenes At The Zoo\u003C\/a\u003E by By Hazel Flynn\u003C\/h4\u003EFull disclosure this book is for children. I did start to read parts of it with my kiddo (it's for older children 9-12) but ended up liking it myself. The author packs a lot of easy to digest information about the inner-workings of a zoo and animal hospital. If I had read a book like this as a child I probably would have become a vet or zoologist. There are fun facts about Australian native animals throughout that I had no idea about. I enjoyed reading about the real adventures from actual zoo keepers, how they came to their jobs, skills needed, and the fun they have with their roles. There are chapters on different animals, why they might be under threat, their life in a zoo or wildlife sanctuary. The chapters end with actions we can do to help make sure the animals are protected.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/the-waste-between-our-ears-gerry-gillespie\/book\/9781601731562.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Waste Between Our Ears\u003C\/a\u003E by Gerry Gillespie\u003C\/h4\u003E“The only place that waste exists is between our ears, because waste is not a fact — it is a concept.” This sentence from Gerry Gillespie's book is a ringing reminder the habits (in industry and through the individual) around waste have been formed and that there is a breadth of opportunity to change this.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe author of The Waste Between Our Ears is a zero waste campaigner based in Australia known for his interest and advocacy in the collection of properly sorted organic waste to reuse in the agricultural sector for regeneration. Much of his book is about the need for proper source separation as this would help turn materials back into something of value. Gillespie provides plenty of examples on how different materials could be recycled and reused on a local scale rather than picked up and shipped to a large city in fuel guzzling trucks. It's a timely book with the shake up in the Australian recycling industry.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI appreciated the author reminding us that many solutions won't work everywhere. Instead locally designed systems should be sought to fit with regions to address local issues. While much of the book is about resource recovery through recycling the ending focuses on the need to regulate and redesign if we want to advance any type of zero-waste system. Not just the products but also how the waste and recycling industry is structured. Gillepsie believes the more information the public knows, the more they'll want the current systems to change and to help participate in making that happen. The Waste Between Our Ears is helpful book to do just that.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/29692?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.dymocks.com.au%2fbook%2fconnecting-with-life-by-martin-summer-9788395836718\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EConnecting With Life\u003C\/a\u003E by Martin Summer\u003C\/h4\u003ELiving in a densely populated city myself made it easy to connect with Martin Summer's book. And with Melbourne, particularly my suburb, going through the longest Covid-19 lockdown this year had me questioning if it was possible to connect with life when I'm surrounded by so much concrete and brick. This is a well researched and nicely written book.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ESummer details the different challenges a city presents then provides solutions and benefits, most of which are accessible in my city and for me. This might not be the case for everyone and making nature more accessible to all residents in our built up urban environments need to be a priority. There are many tips for enjoying nature where we are, the overarching one being to look a little more closely and it will be there.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENext on my to-read list are \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/29692?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.dymocks.com.au%2fbook%2fthick-by-tressie-mcmillan-cottom-9781620975879\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThick\u003C\/a\u003E by Tressie McMillan Cottom and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/29692?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.dymocks.com.au%2fbook%2fthis-one-wild-and-precious-life-by-sarah-wilson-9781760556730\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThis One Wild and Precious Life\u003C\/a\u003E by Sarah Wilson. I'd love to hear any suggestions you have via email or comment on Facebook.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003E\u003Ci style=\"background-color: white; font-family: \u0026quot;EB Garamond\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;\"\u003E#trgcollab: The books\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E Connecting With Life by Martin Summer, The Waste Between Our Ears by Gerry Gillespie, Ninja Bandicoots and Turbo-Charged Wombats: Stories From Behind The Scenes At The Zoo by By Hazel Flynn, 2040: A Handbook for the Regeneration by Damon Gameau, Food or War by Jullian Cribb were gifts by the authors and publisher. I use the hashtag #trgcollab to help readers idenifty items or services that were gifted to me or are a paid post. These items were unpaid gifts and I was not compensated financially to post about them. All views are my own. I only accept gifted items or services I would use personally.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/7501005102763460290\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/12\/eight-environmental-books-i-read-in-2020.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/7501005102763460290"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/7501005102763460290"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/12\/eight-environmental-books-i-read-in-2020.html","title":"Eight Environmental books I read in 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj6BLDXCZXhjJ3MaR_rXq1FG1VVtBybAb3Dt299m-suBsJik0aid3U3Dfz04wZNFYUpJznoQS8muJ5zCsOW8dXuYA6IgIyAPFL83xU11Sojt2QISGHJzDoNsC7sCrRbxQolXJF-IhkKyn0\/s72-w640-h512-c\/therogueginger_erinrhoads_Eight+Environmental+books+I+read+in+2020_00.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-5392360184180123021"},"published":{"$t":"2020-10-22T16:21:00.006+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-10-22T16:24:39.171+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Holiday here this year and don't forget to take along your empty esky"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiEi-6nodoovV8z0jAlpbE3ZvLUb1V5c7KH7p2f-6ug-ZcFicvYBKM20DS2fKIUNjvk6drP6HRzev4JK1k7hewO55oMR2lpz78_jioPgRf-1-Vl0OUiFfUptI35aT1hvdP0GW_voT1DQA0\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+06+copy.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Holiday here this year\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiEi-6nodoovV8z0jAlpbE3ZvLUb1V5c7KH7p2f-6ug-ZcFicvYBKM20DS2fKIUNjvk6drP6HRzev4JK1k7hewO55oMR2lpz78_jioPgRf-1-Vl0OUiFfUptI35aT1hvdP0GW_voT1DQA0\/s16000\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+06+copy.jpg\" title=\"Holiday here this year\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERural towns in Australia have been hit hard in the past twelve months. They have faced droughts, bush fires, and now COVID-19 keeping visitors away. As restrictions begin to lift and the weather warms up Aussies will be looking to plan their holidays, and with limits on international travel many of us will be looking to domestic trips.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EBefore Australia experienced the first lockdown earlier in the year my family took a short trip to regional Victoria and NSW, taking along our empty esky after coming across the #emptyesky pledge on social media.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\"www.emptyesky.com.au\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EEmpty Esky\u003C\/a\u003E pledge is to get people to visit townships and support small businesses affected by the Australian bush fires. Travellers are encouraged to take along their eskys to fill it with local produce and wares.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EI documented our road trip hoping to inspire others to holiday here this year and support towns in need of visitors.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhERQMZi-qceoN9ADx1tnurfqY6Jnoe810XvUaHXg1dMBb0vyxXOaXI8f7EzQtcZWax-6ITjlt870PdqOPOruAkw3lhsrIlmprFdZltE6EMNBQg7fw1M8h6sI-YxPxkgcsDIldEbu7qKTI\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+013.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Holiday here this year\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"378\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhERQMZi-qceoN9ADx1tnurfqY6Jnoe810XvUaHXg1dMBb0vyxXOaXI8f7EzQtcZWax-6ITjlt870PdqOPOruAkw3lhsrIlmprFdZltE6EMNBQg7fw1M8h6sI-YxPxkgcsDIldEbu7qKTI\/s16000\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+013.jpg\" title=\"Holiday here this year\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EOur destination was the Southern Highlands to visit my parents and attend a wedding in Kangaroo Valley. To break up the journey we visited Mansfield and Adelong in country Victoria and New South Wales, two communities impacted by the bush fires.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EOn day one, our lunch stop was in the small town of Yea. We stretched our legs with a walk along the main street and visited the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/ywatercentre.com.au\/\"\u003EY Water Discovery Centre and Wetlands\u003C\/a\u003E. My three year old enjoyed the interpretive displays and we learned more about the area too. There is an information centre on site, tables and BBQ outside the building. There were some antique stores I would have loved to check out but a tired toddler derailed this idea. We made a note to return here in the future for explorations of the region.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj4W6emQbILU7tHjVQPC6CwER4UGe6YFLwYiIlfk0yhRCpctrK4JstdtB9pJ8Th2NruOOh1hS0KEbNjNQNUN-PoGyT6VOfUDQOYXq0Kqu3d7rWaUeW-CZvPDcov7IbVgi7qI0j_Y7_ngEw\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+01.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Holiday here this year\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" height=\"625\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj4W6emQbILU7tHjVQPC6CwER4UGe6YFLwYiIlfk0yhRCpctrK4JstdtB9pJ8Th2NruOOh1hS0KEbNjNQNUN-PoGyT6VOfUDQOYXq0Kqu3d7rWaUeW-CZvPDcov7IbVgi7qI0j_Y7_ngEw\/w781-h625\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+01.jpg\" title=\"Holiday here this year\" width=\"781\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EInside the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/ywatercentre.com.au\/\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EY Water Discovery Centre and Wetlands\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EWe spent our first night at Delatite Hotel, Mansfield. Arriving late to the town meant we didn't get to see much. After dinner we walked along the main street and played at the Mansfield Botanic Park with our toddler. Mansfield does offer many activities and is a great jumping off point for exploring Victoria's High Country. Coincidently I ran into a friend from high school at the pub bistro running \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.hiddentrails.com.au\/\"\u003EHidden Trails\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;a local horseback adventure tour company and got to hear first hand how the fires hurt the regions tourism over summer.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThe next morning we woke early, collecting breakfast from the local bakery. We usually sit down and eat in, keeping our \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/plasticfreetuesday.com\/2015\/06\/30\/holidaytips\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ereusables\u003C\/a\u003E for collecting snacks.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EAs we moved past the town of Holbrook there were hints of burnt landscape here and there along the Hume Hwy. Turning onto the Snowy Mountains Hwy the evidence of the catastrophic fires is everywhere. We saw homes and sheds destroyed, the country turned black. It was heartbreaking to see.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EI chose Adelong specifically because this part of the snowy region was one of the worst affected by bush fires. It's an area known for apple and pear farms, most being destroyed during the natural disasters.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blazeaid.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBlaze Aid\u003C\/a\u003E are still on the ground lending a hand between the south coast and snowy region.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EMy husband, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2017\/10\/the-builder-shares-plastic-free-zero-waste-story.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Builder\u003C\/a\u003E, has not traveled around this part of Australia. The snowy region is one of my favourite parts of Australia and I like to drive through on the way to Batemans Bay to see my grandparents.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EAdelong is a village with less than 1000 people nestled in a valley next to Adelong Creek. The main attraction is remnants of the gold rush at Adelong Creek Falls Gold Ruins. The town consist of two pubs, a hotel, local supermarket, RSL with a Chinese restaurant, Op Shop, antique store, Post Office, real estate, community bank, local wares shop...pretty much the usual operations a small town offer. Most rural towns will boast an Op Shop as their only clothing retails store. I really like that about Australia.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EWe visited the Adelong Creek Falls Gold Ruins. When we arrived we kicked ourselves because we forgot the hiking carrier for our son back in Melbourne. We got as far as the water but couldn't go further down the track. Which was a shame as the creek walk looked beautiful from what we could see.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgFGhSevc1qRbX7cJ72cBpToFLpjRjfgZdNFhaz9SeviKi5eDrIB5J2syEqv88gmIQP1Fud5OPrVY2NoG5Ud4UPRS0f9VwdIOUkVl6JjQcwnLrgvfn21tm3A9fYXqOoCo90Shxtw11p_No\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+02.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Adelong\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgFGhSevc1qRbX7cJ72cBpToFLpjRjfgZdNFhaz9SeviKi5eDrIB5J2syEqv88gmIQP1Fud5OPrVY2NoG5Ud4UPRS0f9VwdIOUkVl6JjQcwnLrgvfn21tm3A9fYXqOoCo90Shxtw11p_No\/s16000\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+02.jpg\" title=\"Adelong\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjC55mCUPk_l7xISDsOHsB3ynkBEuIz6SGpDM0OfZGjiP4T1mQdV09pmhfyr7IpWCRSOfhOjOWAnSNWtJ6uhPp6LwmRvjITxs2mFUj4zqa17dPDAOYsbkk5isZ0veTSfr-gp8FdsBtcpR8\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+04.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjC55mCUPk_l7xISDsOHsB3ynkBEuIz6SGpDM0OfZGjiP4T1mQdV09pmhfyr7IpWCRSOfhOjOWAnSNWtJ6uhPp6LwmRvjITxs2mFUj4zqa17dPDAOYsbkk5isZ0veTSfr-gp8FdsBtcpR8\/s16000\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+04.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EOur accommodation was very cute. An old house brought back to life. It could easily fit a larger family or two small families inside.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjBfyZ21dXd3qxDkxuKhIEDQsK0Jl3DRgU8zAfBc-ekMfG_O0iXIyRxcIyOshyA8RVe8xduje8lABrvavQGUq902Ym9JIeeZ273yHUf1RK__l1aj1Z43sq6TLYFVg2pGhYd1ZtPydu4sQg\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+03.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Adelong\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjBfyZ21dXd3qxDkxuKhIEDQsK0Jl3DRgU8zAfBc-ekMfG_O0iXIyRxcIyOshyA8RVe8xduje8lABrvavQGUq902Ym9JIeeZ273yHUf1RK__l1aj1Z43sq6TLYFVg2pGhYd1ZtPydu4sQg\/s16000\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+03.jpg\" title=\"Adelong\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EWe enjoyed a delicious dinner at the local Chinese restaurant inside the RSL. We weren't the only ones that liked it, with many locals popping in to pick up takeaway throughout the evening.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThe following morning was the final drive to Moss Vale to see my parents. Before leaving we ventured to the main street to visit some of the local stores. First stop was the Op Shop (thrift store).\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgPSkrpCgzlNGqmrkZPYiknmxcE28pmEQkzJBSk3K9yLlp6bQ3YxhptzdOId53iaGFnCBMFHzw2KQ9UY7SMEeBkHDyncIvYU4ugsU5sJH5cYUJyYN8GWbHxRT_SlNRX7mGpJMui_j7YCP4\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+07.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Adelong\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgPSkrpCgzlNGqmrkZPYiknmxcE28pmEQkzJBSk3K9yLlp6bQ3YxhptzdOId53iaGFnCBMFHzw2KQ9UY7SMEeBkHDyncIvYU4ugsU5sJH5cYUJyYN8GWbHxRT_SlNRX7mGpJMui_j7YCP4\/s16000\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+07.jpg\" title=\"Adelong\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEheoqwyMFaHKj-E-dpQfZ6_FZpCttQVJeBaXDxR3RcwwkbbEatOcu20K7aUBC9qzDjXG7rr_CKKNf89eOThT6t70710eCIzTvzyEJf6psmx9v_k5PFUTBnEbu8x5-owUZRcoWtidC2RIww\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+011.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEheoqwyMFaHKj-E-dpQfZ6_FZpCttQVJeBaXDxR3RcwwkbbEatOcu20K7aUBC9qzDjXG7rr_CKKNf89eOThT6t70710eCIzTvzyEJf6psmx9v_k5PFUTBnEbu8x5-owUZRcoWtidC2RIww\/s16000\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+011.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhI2Kh-OdCNgsvRmdRU61riT1nS9jm1ebVr4H9zKVQHsFEulJoPxUf6b5VgqfnDneu3bckBoHUmeYI5mRlh-kvlNhQzCUSBqnCfekL2ZurXUnqGH2Grp-3mAJl2WTsZEYk_qzsUzZiMJ6U\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+010.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhI2Kh-OdCNgsvRmdRU61riT1nS9jm1ebVr4H9zKVQHsFEulJoPxUf6b5VgqfnDneu3bckBoHUmeYI5mRlh-kvlNhQzCUSBqnCfekL2ZurXUnqGH2Grp-3mAJl2WTsZEYk_qzsUzZiMJ6U\/s16000\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+010.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EA cute top that I had to take home with me. I rarely buy new to me clothes, mainly because I'm nervous my son will spill something on it. But I couldn't resist this one.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EWe walked down the street to Rustic Creations and walked out with arms full of locally made soap and jams.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhqxOwThnmKeuS95mLxOPYvx5gR9yrtZmh8KPhQzlfVbpNF2n-ApQn4ACInnf5llGbayRfzYT4G7jpj4SLr3dqeKN2SAiKiZX1jGNWxfRU4-k-z54pv7R-zcb9OI6OvSz0HCS3lsnkkjbE\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+012.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhqxOwThnmKeuS95mLxOPYvx5gR9yrtZmh8KPhQzlfVbpNF2n-ApQn4ACInnf5llGbayRfzYT4G7jpj4SLr3dqeKN2SAiKiZX1jGNWxfRU4-k-z54pv7R-zcb9OI6OvSz0HCS3lsnkkjbE\/s16000\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+012.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi0OGsUy2c-iGKj6mWQTJVj7r3hKHyJ5zlRKIEt99Ofl4Er5yJphttyh61p638r9GsPTKuRt7-ODlHc2D6348p3en5De3uJhOqEZipJ8QWdhgkMvBP7AtEONf7-2Jqj4bIc76afLXft_OI\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+015.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi0OGsUy2c-iGKj6mWQTJVj7r3hKHyJ5zlRKIEt99Ofl4Er5yJphttyh61p638r9GsPTKuRt7-ODlHc2D6348p3en5De3uJhOqEZipJ8QWdhgkMvBP7AtEONf7-2Jqj4bIc76afLXft_OI\/s16000\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+015.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EWe filled our empty esky at a farm gate before leaving Adelong. Raspberries, pumpkins, more jams and chutneys went in, to be shared with my parents. We got to chat with the owners of the road side stall about the fires and how they have hurt business, including hers. She hadn't heard of the #emptyeksy initiative but liked the idea of people visiting gems like Adelong on their adventures.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjRO4-4GzdkqWN-SR10auQf3uwMdYzWEjvNsH-O59i0vOyKtRVKxHU2V5BhoyRu9y1G50KMlKzGOo9lZd0a8FSRYinuFVf75kVwJ9ss8zpHQMhG3dv7g7bQ_9iL8M5tsfkZFindsBnPtvk\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+017.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"#EmptyEsky\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjRO4-4GzdkqWN-SR10auQf3uwMdYzWEjvNsH-O59i0vOyKtRVKxHU2V5BhoyRu9y1G50KMlKzGOo9lZd0a8FSRYinuFVf75kVwJ9ss8zpHQMhG3dv7g7bQ_9iL8M5tsfkZFindsBnPtvk\/s16000\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+017.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhVspMHsxu4gP-wJXXJezHgQdKHcFqoUdXHUkVdVLl4o10QLOJUbgUWsoIstu2S_qQpEd2hJtXgmbFuovc8bfdnNUJzTOAOqTqFiZMKJOL61ynwnjNO2_GFnVk2CFieJJwBPO_kAG_N4qU\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+016.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"#EmptyEsky\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhVspMHsxu4gP-wJXXJezHgQdKHcFqoUdXHUkVdVLl4o10QLOJUbgUWsoIstu2S_qQpEd2hJtXgmbFuovc8bfdnNUJzTOAOqTqFiZMKJOL61ynwnjNO2_GFnVk2CFieJJwBPO_kAG_N4qU\/s16000\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+016.jpg\" title=\"#EmptyEsky\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EHaving grown up in a country town I know visitors are important for sustaining local business and adding to the wellbeing of a small community. I'm excited to see where everyone will holiday here this year and fill up their empty eskys with locally grown and made food.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EIt might sounds weird for an eco blog to encourage a road trip. Aren't cars bad for the road? Yes, they are. We all know that. Unfortunately the most eco friendly options are not the easiest for all. Getting to many of these small towns by public transport requires two-three days of travel and sometimes costs more than a flight or road trip. It's not impossible and is part of a growing movement called slow travel. We have travelled by train many times between Sydney and Melbourne, and highly recommend the trip.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EOne way to reduce your impact is to offset your trip through an offset program or by personally owning your carbon through volunteering to restore habitats in your local area as suggested by\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/zerowastedork\/ \" target=\"_blank\"\u003EZero Waste Dork\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiC5ZkaVZxSLMSVFN215KDg_fDdQu5FVZmcLMpl0VQy0VnTr_7Jd4IA8DBL1M3xzJ_nVdP-nFtiu1JlTyxB6QqYNfQFw6EuuYkWxMaDDvvXNh9DCwzg8J9oVm_vUdFL_XUkOiXigpmNlUE\/s637\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+018.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Holiday here this year\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiC5ZkaVZxSLMSVFN215KDg_fDdQu5FVZmcLMpl0VQy0VnTr_7Jd4IA8DBL1M3xzJ_nVdP-nFtiu1JlTyxB6QqYNfQFw6EuuYkWxMaDDvvXNh9DCwzg8J9oVm_vUdFL_XUkOiXigpmNlUE\/s16000\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+018.jpg\" title=\"Holiday here this year\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/5392360184180123021\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/10\/holiday-here-this-year-take-your-empty-esky.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5392360184180123021"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5392360184180123021"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/10\/holiday-here-this-year-take-your-empty-esky.html","title":"Holiday here this year and don't forget to take along your empty esky"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiEi-6nodoovV8z0jAlpbE3ZvLUb1V5c7KH7p2f-6ug-ZcFicvYBKM20DS2fKIUNjvk6drP6HRzev4JK1k7hewO55oMR2lpz78_jioPgRf-1-Vl0OUiFfUptI35aT1hvdP0GW_voT1DQA0\/s72-c\/therogueginger_empty+esky+road+trip+to+Adelong+06+copy.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-7853997146281739479"},"published":{"$t":"2020-10-08T14:55:00.004+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-10-08T15:09:02.219+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"How local government can help communities go zero-waste and plastic-free"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgplmmLY8-FS-Cey5pRMvqQH6tabWW6vxeIpm8G69FS0zRql7x0z7U8TwD_pBM1YnE85OxyP3uPDFZtEpFsKI2P_YnXKSK8vPt62pr7mluU_gbPqpJwCvWpgxiuUI11lJaLK_PCD4h6b0g\/s637\/therogueginger_Councils+can+help+communities+go+zero-waste+and+plastic-free+01.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"How local government can help communities go zero-waste and plastic-free\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"435\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgplmmLY8-FS-Cey5pRMvqQH6tabWW6vxeIpm8G69FS0zRql7x0z7U8TwD_pBM1YnE85OxyP3uPDFZtEpFsKI2P_YnXKSK8vPt62pr7mluU_gbPqpJwCvWpgxiuUI11lJaLK_PCD4h6b0g\/s16000\/therogueginger_Councils+can+help+communities+go+zero-waste+and+plastic-free+01.jpg\" title=\"How local government can help communities go zero-waste and plastic-free\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EOur local government Councils provide hundreds of services we use day to day in our communities and they are most likely the first level of government we interact with. I wasn't always aware of this and often wondered what Councils do beyond charging rates and collecting our bins.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt wasn't until I was hired by Councils as a zero waste speaker that I realised how much our Councils do and the tools they can provide in helping make successful zero-waste and plastic-free communities through education, guidance, grants and community collaboration.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome of us might know our local Councillors. They are the people we vote in every four years to represent the community. Compared to State and Federal elections the Council elections don't seem as important but this is probably because the role is considered part-time. Plus the larger media outlets pay little attention to them. But the roles are important and learning how these elected officials can help create positive environmental change is valuable.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAlert!\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"color: #666666;\"\u003EIn Victoria local government elections are happening right now. Every Victorian will be receiving a ballot pack this week to be returned by 23 October. Engage with candidates and find out if reducing waste, tackling plastics and addressing climate change is part of their plan. Because Candidates are unable to door knock starting conversations with them on social media, by phone and email will help. I saw one candidate in a neighbouring ward stat they wanted to just keep collecting rubbish. Over the years I have engaged with Councillors passionate about reducing waste and plastics and this is who we want elected.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBehind the Councillors are Council staff, hired by a CEO to work on projects and maintain the liveability of our communities by making sure services run smoothly. If we want something added to our communities we can approach Councillors that will then work with the teams at Council to make it happen. For example I could approach a Councillor about a cloth nappy rebate or creating a seed library for residents. They would pass a motion at a Council meeting to look into setting one up or liaise with the Council team to see if it could happen.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEach Council has a sustainability team with dedicated waste education officers in some. The role is to create, deliver and promote the services on a range of sustainability projects, like waste and recycling.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECouncils can also work with a body like a Metropolitan Waste and Recovery Group or the regional equivalent . They'll also work with the State government Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, agencies such as Sustainability Victoria, the EPA (Environment Protection Authority ). Then there are environmental and sustainability consultants that come in to advise or run projects too. Council is kind of an extensions of State government.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIndividuals, business and government are becoming more aware of the impact of waste and the need to make changes. While many of us look to our Federal and State governments to create legislation that would see change move quickly the role of Council and its ability to enact change and even help create new systems local to us is overlooked. In this blog post I will list the different avenues Councils can provide assistance to growing and and helping facilitate behaviour change and even system change for reducing waste and plastic, and creating local solutions for fighting climate change.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EEducation\u003C\/h4\u003EOur Councils organise free community events across various topics. The events with a focus on waste and plastics usually fall under the genre of Green Living or Sustainability and these are spread throughout the year. The events can range from talks, hands on workshops, and larger events like a festival. Topics might include composting, looking at energy efficiency, how to organise solar or draft proof your home, starting a garden, preserving, cloth nappies, DIY eco beauty and cleaning, keeping chickens, understanding greenwashing, reducing food waste, general guides to starting a zero-waste life, plastic-free living tips, how to recycle right, how to start a wildflower garden, keeping beehives. Some Councils collaborate with organisations to run a six week sustainable living program that residents can sign up for and commit to as well.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen I first started giving talks for Councils on zero-waste living I was so shocked to discover 99% of events were free to the public. FREE! Okay so they are not technically free, some of our rates go towards this which I think is great. Reinvesting money for free education, yes please.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunity education is great at helping build behaviour change. After all each person learns differently. Absorbing information on the internet or through a book is not for everyone. Some of us (like me!) find it empowering being in a room full of people that want to make changes, just like them. When one person is educated on the topic they can then take what is learned back to their homes or to school or workplaces, and share. So that's why I believe in providing education through different mediums.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese Events also provide a space for likeminded people to connect. I've seen attendees exchange numbers after Council run events and strangers quickly becoming friends plotting to reduce waste in local primary schools their children attend. Many local community groups have formed after events as locals discover their power in numbers.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe education programs Councils run are not only for adults. They also cater to early childhood, primary school and high schools. The Council sustainably teams can help organise excursions and incursions too.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESustainability officers at Council work VERY hard to provide this free education and I always encourage people to engage and attend a session. Even if it's not on waste or plastic or climate change! See what your council offers and enjoy. Councils want to put on free events the community are interested in. So speak up and ask for topics you'd like to learn about.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERight now some Councils are running their regular events online. Like many people I'm looking forward to safe face to face events starting up again.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EWaste services beyond the kerb\u003C\/h4\u003ECouncils are beginning to offer ways to recycle tricky items beyond our recycling bins. Items like CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, X-rays, electronics, soft plastics, mattresses, clothing. These collection points are being set up at Libraries, Council buildings, or added to Transfer Stations\/Resource Recovery\/Tip Centres. Some Councils will have dedicated Tip Shops or Resource Recovery Shops selling items meant for landfill but salvaged to sell on.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EGrants\u003C\/h4\u003EIndividuals, community groups, not for profits, and businesses wanting to help reduce waste and plastics can apply for Environmental Grants through their Council. These grants range from $500 to $10,000+ depending on the Council and project tiers.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGrant applications can be confusing with many criteria's needing to be met. Luckily Council run grant application education sessions. These are helpful for the current application and any you might do in the future with external grant bodies.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI have seen a large scope of local ideas come to fruition thanks to grants from Council; toy libraries, tool libraries, kitchen sharing schemes, waste reduction education services for businesses, community gardens, mobile wash against waste trailers, reusable party kits. If your idea doesn't meet the criteria for their environmental grant you can ask if they know of other options to get grants or funding.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjVZLkMkzAGz_5iNehhQSSd_naNM_BM5Mvs2MohPOdnBBaSqhaXXFy0yapf4JHL5khCj4QdDJ2jTSJ4RA4YlWtm1NuzMze_23CxDAf7aCTHNtvrDraMlIGqHbj6iV65eADbYzSmvxkRDv8\/s637\/therogueginger_Councils+can+help+communities+go+zero-waste+and+plastic-free+02.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"How local government can help communities go zero-waste and plastic-free\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"435\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjVZLkMkzAGz_5iNehhQSSd_naNM_BM5Mvs2MohPOdnBBaSqhaXXFy0yapf4JHL5khCj4QdDJ2jTSJ4RA4YlWtm1NuzMze_23CxDAf7aCTHNtvrDraMlIGqHbj6iV65eADbYzSmvxkRDv8\/s16000\/therogueginger_Councils+can+help+communities+go+zero-waste+and+plastic-free+02.jpg\" title=\"How local government can help communities go zero-waste and plastic-free\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EWorking with businesses\u003C\/h4\u003ECouncils can also work with business to help them reduce their waste and plastic. Glen Eira City Council in Melbourne's East worked with 18 business to reduce and replace the common used single-use plastic items with reusable or compostable alternatives. Another Council The City of Yarra has a Proudly Plastic Free program working alongside businesses to cut back on plastics. A Council staff member is usually assigned to this role. They research and collate resources that would be applicable to business in the local area. Reducing plastic as a business does take time (something a small business might not have spare of) and with the extra assistance working towards a solution together is beneficial for everyone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELast year the City of Yarra Council created a \u003Ca href=\" https:\/\/www.yarracity.vic.gov.au\/services\/recycling-and-rubbish\/yarras-zero-waste-map\"\u003Ezero-waste map\u003C\/a\u003E. This is an an online directory for residents in the City of Yarra municipality to find businesses and community initiatives promoting waste reduction through their products, services or business practices. I'd love every Council to have this!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EPlastic Wise Policy and Zero Waste to Landfill plans\u003C\/h4\u003ECouncils don't have the power to enact bans on items like single-use plastics. But they can set up something called a Plastic Wise Policy for events run within the municipality. The Surf Coast Council has created a Plastic Wise Policy for event organisers to work with their stallholders, sponsors, contractors, volunteers, participants and patrons to use alternatives to single use and disposable plastic bags, packaging and promotional materials.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese policies can be extended to include all buildings run by Council like community buildings, council offices, and clubs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMany Councils have zero-waste to landfill plans. For these plans to work they require change that is outside the control of Councils but that's not to say these plans are not worth implementing. Councils representative groups around Australia would like to have more uniform bans and legislation on materials like plastic and they can use their collective power to advocate this to Federal and State governments.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe zero-waste to landfill plans include building on behaviour change, creating new local systems, encouraging residents to seek alternatives. State governments collect a substantial waste levy that often sits around propping up budgets that could be released and provide more local grants to help small businesses or schools set up programs or integrate changes. I am wary of zero-waste to landfill plans because waste to energy is seen as a solution to keeping waste out of landfill. But it's not. It doesn't address consumption. Doesn't encourage repairing or choosing secondhand. Community will have to help make sure this does not become a \"solution\".\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EConnecting with community and programs for developing projects\u003C\/h4\u003EHaving been involved in many plastic-free and zero-waste community groups I know how important they are for creating change on different levels. Some Councils will publish a list of committed community groups on their website for people to find and connect with. If yours does not have this ask a Councillor to put forward the idea to include it. Having the list published publicly is a great way to let people know they exist.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI'm seeing a rise in Sustainability, Eco or Enviro Champion programs run by Councils. This is a course to help develop a community project that will help the environment. Participants learn a range of skills needed to create their project alongside environmental problems. You don't need an idea before doing these courses either, it might come during the program and you might end up working with someone you meet in the program to bring their project to life. In my area a repair cafe, children eco incursion business, online bulk buy service, and wildlife garden programs was created through this type of program.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ELink up with your Council\u003C\/h4\u003EThe best way for community members to direct change, see policies and programs developed requires more than just making comments on social media. You and I need to engage through phone calls, emails, attending events.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESign up for their newsletters or find other ways to stay up to date with projects requiring community feedback, join any advisory committees if available, attend a Council meeting so you know how it runs. Local government is the most accessible level government to us. Let's make the most it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESystem change is important and something that needs to happen if we want a zero waste society to flourish. These system changes can be built today, by you and me, using the tools I mentioned above. It's possible to build resilient regenerative solutions accessible for all right here in our neighbourhoods. In fact we must if we want to move away from the harm of global capitalism. I could write another ten paragraphs about building local systems but not today. Instead I'm going to learn about the candidates plans for the area I live in and make sure I vote for those wanting to create zero waste and plastic free communities, like me.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ci\u003EPhotos in this blog post are by Stonnington Council\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/7853997146281739479\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/10\/how-local-government-help-communities-go-zero-waste-and-plastic-free.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/7853997146281739479"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/7853997146281739479"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/10\/how-local-government-help-communities-go-zero-waste-and-plastic-free.html","title":"How local government can help communities go zero-waste and plastic-free"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgplmmLY8-FS-Cey5pRMvqQH6tabWW6vxeIpm8G69FS0zRql7x0z7U8TwD_pBM1YnE85OxyP3uPDFZtEpFsKI2P_YnXKSK8vPt62pr7mluU_gbPqpJwCvWpgxiuUI11lJaLK_PCD4h6b0g\/s72-c\/therogueginger_Councils+can+help+communities+go+zero-waste+and+plastic-free+01.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-5147344411176961960"},"published":{"$t":"2020-05-21T14:17:00.001+10:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-08-07T14:24:46.952+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Modern Mending"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi_4y6i3_Uw6Gr3-WBJLzI9NNin3T1ft7M99lx8ohm7tzxPo_uC5kAhd7zGuzJ21_uRXah_WnuSwg0_rylcRq3qDGwlzUPL-l9qriU2vulzysRRdTD0x2ncCFKVVmILKHdUZsFXaDvG5q0\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+06.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Modern Mending\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi_4y6i3_Uw6Gr3-WBJLzI9NNin3T1ft7M99lx8ohm7tzxPo_uC5kAhd7zGuzJ21_uRXah_WnuSwg0_rylcRq3qDGwlzUPL-l9qriU2vulzysRRdTD0x2ncCFKVVmILKHdUZsFXaDvG5q0\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+06.jpg\" title=\"Modern Mending\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI can't sew. Okay I'll take that back. I can do basic hand sewing with backstitch being one of of the only stitches I remember as an adult and can somehow do in a straight-ish line. I used to be under the impression having little to no sewing skills means you couldn't repair clothes properly and if you tried, well then the world couldn't see your attempt. Turns out you don't need professional sewing skills to mend clothing (hurrah). All you need is the book \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/booktopia.kh4ffx.net\/DvYVa\"\u003EModern Mending by Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald\u003C\/a\u003E and a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.woollykins.com.au\/products\/darn-it-mend-it-darning-kit?_pos=1\u0026amp;_sid=806628027\u0026amp;_ss=r\"\u003Ebasic mending kit\u003C\/a\u003E to get you started. I liked Erin's book so much I put my endorsement on the front cover. True story.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nIf you have been a long time reader of my blog you might recall a post about a small electrical repair enterprise called \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/link%20to%20bright%20https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2015\/11\/bright-sparks-australia.html\"\u003EBright Sparks\u003C\/a\u003E. After the (sad) end of Bright Sparks owner \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.erinlewisfitzgerald.com\/\"\u003EErin Lewis-Fitzgerald\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp; began offering clothing repairs. The style was not the mending I was used to. It was called 'modern mending' and everyone could see it! Stitches or whatever application placed over the hole in your clothing was thereto be seen, a rebellious gesture to the hyper consumer world showing you cared about your clothing and all the resources that went into making it.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nI commissioned Erin to mend holes on my much loved green speakers shirt. She not only fixed the the holes but also added personality to my top. From there I was hooked. So hooked I asked Erin to contribute to my\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/booktopia.kh4ffx.net\/zkV37\"\u003E first book\u003C\/a\u003E sharing her mending tips. Over the years Erin has unsurprisingly become a highly sought after teacher and spokesperson in the mending and repair space with her workshops continuously booking out, face popping up in publications, media and voice on the radio.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nI had wanted to participate in one of her mending workshops but always missed out. Erin was adamant no one has to be a great sewer to mend, they simply needed to try. She really believes anyone can make do and mend. So when she told me a book was in the works I was delighted. Finally I could have Erin's knowledge and guidance at home with me.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nYears of teaching visible mending helped Erin create a book that is for everyone. When I first sat down to read it and try my hand at mending my three year olds pants it felt like like Erin was holding my hand as I worked through the new to me techniques. And I really enjoyed the humour sprinkled throughout.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nAround the time I received Erin's book for an advanced reading Woolykins reached out to me asking if i'd like to try their \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.woollykins.com.au\/products\/darn-it-mend-it-darning-kit?_pos=1\u0026amp;_sid=b2a13711e\u0026amp;_ss=r\"\u003Emending kit\u003C\/a\u003E. It felt serendipitous so I said yes.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nMy own sewing kit is basic (created by Mum, master sewer extraordinaire!) and has served me well for my basic level of sewing and repairs. Erin does explain in her book how to create a mending kit on your own with second-hand thread, patches and other items handy for mending. But if you are like me, a ready made mending kit was really REALLY helpful to get started and try a variety of techniques. My local secondhand store don't have robust sewing supplies like stores in other areas. And I don't really have anyone to ask for donations. Except Mum. But like most sewers I doubt she would relinquish too much from her own sewing kit just yet, holding onto all her much loved tools, thread and scraps. Luckily the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/modernmending.com\/collections\/mending-kits\/products\/woollykins-darn-it-mending-kit\"\u003EWoolykins Mending Kit\u003C\/a\u003E is available on Erin's online mending store along with a growing variety of items specific for modern mending.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiRobAGEeCFuy9DFAV8hF6H2eTvPszsjO04x0QrfsrUTk3HqRd8k5haLC5ESEJrNOP793ujo-T6GrGNxHGjtQe3HbyeFTPssu0do__QNd-33-HxsPDYJxV9G5gOvz5AQBDuZckKu2MI6Lg\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+03.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Modern Mending\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiRobAGEeCFuy9DFAV8hF6H2eTvPszsjO04x0QrfsrUTk3HqRd8k5haLC5ESEJrNOP793ujo-T6GrGNxHGjtQe3HbyeFTPssu0do__QNd-33-HxsPDYJxV9G5gOvz5AQBDuZckKu2MI6Lg\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+03.jpg\" title=\"Modern Mending\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nBefore I talk about Erin's book, let's look at the kit...\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nThe Woolykins kit arrived by post in a cardboard box with a small amount of paper packaging materials. Both have been put into my child's craft pile and can be composted at home or recycled via kerb side recycling. Everything for the kit is packaged inside a cute blue bento style bag. Here is a list of what is inside the kit:\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nDarning mushroom made from reclaimed hardwood\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nDarning needles\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nThread scissors\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nDry felting needle\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nBiodegradable earth foam block\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nNeedle threader\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nThread card with assorted wool and alpaca yarns\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nThread card with assorted line and cotton threads\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nWool fabric patches\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nLinen fabric patches\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nWool roving (the fluffy stuff)\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nLoose leaf tea\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nThread cards, wool patches, and roving were inside home compostable zip lock bags by the company Better Packaging. These bags are a good option if you have a home compost but I'm not convinced the bags were needed for shipping. I understand moths would have a feast on the wool but perhaps advice on how to store to avoid this happening could work better. The bags clearly ask for re-use before composting and we will do that. The kit is plastic free a commitment I like.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh-iz9gkgrAOlrJOxh0JPAFXwSxSc5W7_WrUdroqQt74lcXd6a2gXxq_pPRnmHhhAOmFOMXky9S1XK5kBqXAfaZ8pUceRDqZc6NZnjJtMoSbgHZKvQ1pbcUdRuy0-uIgJ63NTydfu_Moj4\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+04.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Modern Mending\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh-iz9gkgrAOlrJOxh0JPAFXwSxSc5W7_WrUdroqQt74lcXd6a2gXxq_pPRnmHhhAOmFOMXky9S1XK5kBqXAfaZ8pUceRDqZc6NZnjJtMoSbgHZKvQ1pbcUdRuy0-uIgJ63NTydfu_Moj4\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+04.jpg\" title=\"Modern Mending\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EMy red jumper pre-mend\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nWhen I saw the red wool thread in the mending kit I immediately jumped for joy. A much loved red woollen jumper has been sitting in my mending pile for about a year and the red thread matched the jumper perfectly. After completing some basic mends on my sons pants I decided it was time to attempt my fave jumper with the help of Erin's book.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nThis red woollen jumper was purchased second-hand in Hobart sometime in 2014. You'll easily see me wearing this every other day from autumn through to early spring. With its frequent wearing holes developed under both arms, one on the hem, a hole near the breast, the beginnings of another under that one, and lastly small dark blemishes on the bottom left.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nThere are five technique themes in the book ranging from beginner to more experienced. I of course kept to the beginner steps. Here are some photos of the book to give you an idea of info and layout:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgT2Sbjo4DwcGrz8oTbrhK952As4qpbtxTD9j5QHTTR9BTWPEyvUqeoQ37Ml7ZI3bde03rlO8Qnat9WxwTlpE4UiQ7Xlw9LodP2O6jJe8enK_2jChf6d7xHq4sDRrwhbTHuP6eUU9Gd2K4\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+011.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgT2Sbjo4DwcGrz8oTbrhK952As4qpbtxTD9j5QHTTR9BTWPEyvUqeoQ37Ml7ZI3bde03rlO8Qnat9WxwTlpE4UiQ7Xlw9LodP2O6jJe8enK_2jChf6d7xHq4sDRrwhbTHuP6eUU9Gd2K4\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+011.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjNzxzQV8vuT1s5vk3o9JEZdtSwTEbCujwSG6GJyDWVhCrSx15MXeUgeO3PpDMs1rhZgT9ian4cDsCWt7wqxCCmAYT9py0bfZw-Cph0G1uo3vix3xmKMVOhybSsVSNr4S-_2FLuQwaWQ-o\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+012.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjNzxzQV8vuT1s5vk3o9JEZdtSwTEbCujwSG6GJyDWVhCrSx15MXeUgeO3PpDMs1rhZgT9ian4cDsCWt7wqxCCmAYT9py0bfZw-Cph0G1uo3vix3xmKMVOhybSsVSNr4S-_2FLuQwaWQ-o\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+012.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg7LaAEVhdtIs122PNfvwuo2T6S5AuHY0YxU3vBmPjGQ0HHVEJDi-lukZFthNkAlvOEGBGRowQlVDiuGFmapXikPsoNogH5YUnDyd6JkyLQ66S6Iy9Vu4beIeRQK7PA8JK8mjkR2YWc-1Y\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+013.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg7LaAEVhdtIs122PNfvwuo2T6S5AuHY0YxU3vBmPjGQ0HHVEJDi-lukZFthNkAlvOEGBGRowQlVDiuGFmapXikPsoNogH5YUnDyd6JkyLQ66S6Iy9Vu4beIeRQK7PA8JK8mjkR2YWc-1Y\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+013.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhYDtFA3Zdtin_a0gSXrWv5s6fCagtUZkmRfOjzZgTzbg0v_wBiFG8FzqzfwJXHL44OWnGj8Tn54CwfveN5zaWitImQWrSpdca-jc-IBUDeUVFed-MMi15Gf7nBKJEAtziFqWCUHvQnhYY\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+014.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhYDtFA3Zdtin_a0gSXrWv5s6fCagtUZkmRfOjzZgTzbg0v_wBiFG8FzqzfwJXHL44OWnGj8Tn54CwfveN5zaWitImQWrSpdca-jc-IBUDeUVFed-MMi15Gf7nBKJEAtziFqWCUHvQnhYY\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+014.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhHpLBFPZ17Mq3aRm08SXrxrj_I0N2knqOdULOS3kCTUSST13XKoUgnPmplb0UEiAhyphenhyphenHvRkMx180wvoK3gF2qbWsRuee_WGewBzV1Ga6XvzLVuPMN8K6dWyRSloYEOnqXZuNC15IVie6ZE\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+015.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhHpLBFPZ17Mq3aRm08SXrxrj_I0N2knqOdULOS3kCTUSST13XKoUgnPmplb0UEiAhyphenhyphenHvRkMx180wvoK3gF2qbWsRuee_WGewBzV1Ga6XvzLVuPMN8K6dWyRSloYEOnqXZuNC15IVie6ZE\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+015.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nFirst up the holes were darned using the classic darning method. I did have to start the first one several times since the weave of the wool was fine. But once I began to understand the fabric (something Erin helps with in Fabric 101 at the start) and the right darning needle, it became easier to do. In hindsight I should have practiced on the holes under the arms.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj1OTfqhD0FcFPsLMb9lN6hB1geJEkgCVo_3efPZGdDQAVy0wptpIN0W5MUIa9rLgMuTsbXYaJ0ihGqxz28-kB4Hhu-xDLEJQkQJpWCGTlVnB_ayOPjozzO4vGNe1r3a8wl-1VtgD78BAA\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+08.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj1OTfqhD0FcFPsLMb9lN6hB1geJEkgCVo_3efPZGdDQAVy0wptpIN0W5MUIa9rLgMuTsbXYaJ0ihGqxz28-kB4Hhu-xDLEJQkQJpWCGTlVnB_ayOPjozzO4vGNe1r3a8wl-1VtgD78BAA\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+08.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"font-size: 12.8px;\"\u003EA glimpse at what needed mending\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAfter the two holes near the breast were mended I decided to sew a heart around each one mimicking the large heart already on the jumper. Both were a little wonky but I liked them. I did use templates I cut out on scrap paper to help sew a heart shape.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nOnce the holes were mended I was a little stumped on how to cover the small stains.\u0026nbsp; As I flicked through Erins mending guide I kept coming back to needle felting using wool from the jumper. I could needle felt a heart shape over the stain and the two darning mends higher up the jumper.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nNeedle felting is essentially taking a clump of wool and pushing it into the fabric where it somehow magically stays. I didn't have an exact colour match for my jumper so I took Erin's advice to use wool from the same jumper, pulled out my \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2014\/09\/sweater-comb.html\"\u003Ewool comb\/sweater comb\u003C\/a\u003E. Well it worked and I'm pleased with how the hearts turned out. I was so impressed I considered offering commissions myself. Kidding. I have enough worn knees on my childs pants to keep me busy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj5I1YgrEQU5_fc0H1VNTglXj48aD3x-WOgSclDos4entY6sR7OTtqV29MOxWx5WxmUUPLqP_mMw3m6fK36FVy4FU_Kmk8FOngy8bsJ_oTqVfvvwyHWeRQUos1Xk0nDQo0JL8K7_Iqc7Ko\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+07.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Modern Mending\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj5I1YgrEQU5_fc0H1VNTglXj48aD3x-WOgSclDos4entY6sR7OTtqV29MOxWx5WxmUUPLqP_mMw3m6fK36FVy4FU_Kmk8FOngy8bsJ_oTqVfvvwyHWeRQUos1Xk0nDQo0JL8K7_Iqc7Ko\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+07.jpg\" title=\"Modern Mending\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ENeedle felting in progress\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nI looked forward to working on my jumper after my toddler went to bed each night, enjoying the meditative task to unwind from a busy day. My mum tried really hard to teach me to sew when I was a child but I didn't enjoy how slow and fiddly sewing was. Admittedly I was around eight years old and even more stubborn then. Getting into modern mending has helped boost my confidence to try learning sewing again and once classes open up after this peculiar time I look forward to joining.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nErin's book has a lot of photos and illustrations making it very easy to follow along. I appreciated the close up photos and detailed step by steps provided. It was simple for me to figure out if I was doing something right or not. Her writing is down to earth and chatty but straightforward where it needs to be. You can tell from the text Erin is passionate about mending and reducing fashion waste. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/booktopia.kh4ffx.net\/DvYVa\"\u003EModern Mending\u003C\/a\u003E isn't only about mending; creativity, problem solving, and activism is also at the heart of this book.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgTLZuFy-HxMvlierZ0OZnwaoK4v9kDv9j9U5tCG7c8EMoMmIlzoq7LEBSfVCsEelBj8cLqjtElGL2j0CHiV6X5dzhxoGzWrS1TOAfbZHDOBSPNFKWyF86lj1x8j1ie2wkS0dLHGbeBD5Y\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+01.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Modern Mending\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgTLZuFy-HxMvlierZ0OZnwaoK4v9kDv9j9U5tCG7c8EMoMmIlzoq7LEBSfVCsEelBj8cLqjtElGL2j0CHiV6X5dzhxoGzWrS1TOAfbZHDOBSPNFKWyF86lj1x8j1ie2wkS0dLHGbeBD5Y\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+01.jpg\" title=\"Modern Mending\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EI'm not sure why the photo has blurred but you get the idea :)\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgGccmHUsrN89uObyKe9obz5DNFskUespi89M0YD89akPwCT2TgGVCP3zcb8WuMd_EE4EEGfE8S0YJIEAKUCPZJ2GTWGOc9Ty69XH91DdWrmm4qGEP2_M_zg2vYeO6EPRxwB8ape3D4BKE\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+09.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Modern Mending\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgGccmHUsrN89uObyKe9obz5DNFskUespi89M0YD89akPwCT2TgGVCP3zcb8WuMd_EE4EEGfE8S0YJIEAKUCPZJ2GTWGOc9Ty69XH91DdWrmm4qGEP2_M_zg2vYeO6EPRxwB8ape3D4BKE\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+09.jpg\" title=\"Modern Mending\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFinished!\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEibv9v4n9cyzBr2cdBnRnKKv-vR1IYcfQp6GwMn5HSzObqY8SdnZOj6HFLEqXbRLSUYb9eCQ5Ri5Vg2PLrxXgzD5c2fw4jtK7Yd2LN1_SzYn04MoZrlR9MSmm8yTtrmiNWBfBotl7Z4IJ4\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+010.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Modern Mending\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEibv9v4n9cyzBr2cdBnRnKKv-vR1IYcfQp6GwMn5HSzObqY8SdnZOj6HFLEqXbRLSUYb9eCQ5Ri5Vg2PLrxXgzD5c2fw4jtK7Yd2LN1_SzYn04MoZrlR9MSmm8yTtrmiNWBfBotl7Z4IJ4\/s1600\/therogueginger_modern+mending+010.jpg\" title=\"Modern Mending\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EAnother photo because I'm proud as punch :)\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI couldn't wait to put on my “new” jumper. When I left the house for our afternoon walk I wanted to tell everyone we met I fixed my own jumper. I darned holes. I needle felted. I learnt a new skill. On reflection I think what I really wanted to tell people was I can look after my clothes and stop them from going to landfill, so can you. Visibly mending clothing is a growing trend and it's no wonder Erin's book is a popular resource leading the way.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/booktopia.kh4ffx.net\/DvYVa\"\u003EModern Mending\u003C\/a\u003E is available at all good book stores and online.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.woollykins.com.au\/products\/darn-it-mend-it-darning-kit?_pos=1\u0026amp;_sid=76e070557\u0026amp;_ss=r\"\u003EThe Woolykins mending kit\u003C\/a\u003E can be found on their \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.woollykins.com.au\/\"\u003Ewebsite\u003C\/a\u003E and at\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/modernmending.com\/collections\/all-products\"\u003EModern Mending Shop\u003C\/a\u003E, Erin's mending supply store.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003EP.S I'd like to thank FeedSpot for featuring me in the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blog.feedspot.com\/eco_friendly_mom_blogs\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ETop 30 Eco-Friendly Mom Blogs and Websites To Follow in 2020\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5147344411176961960"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5147344411176961960"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/05\/modern-mending-zero-waste-mending-kit.html","title":"Modern Mending"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi_4y6i3_Uw6Gr3-WBJLzI9NNin3T1ft7M99lx8ohm7tzxPo_uC5kAhd7zGuzJ21_uRXah_WnuSwg0_rylcRq3qDGwlzUPL-l9qriU2vulzysRRdTD0x2ncCFKVVmILKHdUZsFXaDvG5q0\/s72-c\/therogueginger_modern+mending+06.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-216639875153010141"},"published":{"$t":"2020-05-08T15:49:00.000+10:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-05-08T16:04:17.528+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":" SCRAP, Swanpool Creative Recycled Art Prize "},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjvky83C1RMSxc19ZAnTjf4Ws-1EH3-KReHcmUxFlqEPMkQg3gKlOulvr1GZvSSpypnjyv_WTuhYAAoKWb4m6huMIDNyVu6QPY0ELXpMyJnq9MkTT1dL-FKgLgCDhUW7mLAndSbCeUFBmk\/s1600\/therogueginger_Swanpool+Creative+Recycled+Art+Prize+00.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjvky83C1RMSxc19ZAnTjf4Ws-1EH3-KReHcmUxFlqEPMkQg3gKlOulvr1GZvSSpypnjyv_WTuhYAAoKWb4m6huMIDNyVu6QPY0ELXpMyJnq9MkTT1dL-FKgLgCDhUW7mLAndSbCeUFBmk\/s1600\/therogueginger_Swanpool+Creative+Recycled+Art+Prize+00.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nLast year I took a road trip to visit my grandparents on the South Coast of New South Wales. The journey required a detour to the very tiny village of Swanpool, 20 minutes off the highway, in country Victoria. My sister and her family had left behind car roof racks when they finished their housesit in the village. Since they were now in Sydney it was easier for me to collect the roof racks on the way through.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI jumped out of the car quickly to collect my sisters things hoping kiddo would stay asleep in the backseat. But as I started chatting with the owner of the house my son woke up. I had hoped he would stay sleeping so we could stop further along the highway. Seeing anxiety on my face as cries grew louder the kind person suggested I visit the local hall for the Swanpool Creative Recycled Art Prize and have something to eat.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI only heard the words “art prize” and “eat.” Eating was a good idea for both of us but art prize, maybe not. I drove up the road to the Swanpool Memorial Hall hoping there was a small park at least because a cranky toddler wandering around an art show is the perfect disaster recipe.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nSurprisingly the carpark was busy and as I started to undo my seat belt the dark clouds I had been driving under let fourth the rain I had been hoping to avoid. The art prize it was.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERelated blog post:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2015\/04\/the-ersatz-fantasia-project.html\"\u003EThe Ersatz Fantasia Project\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAs we settled down to enjoy a scrumptious home cooked lunch and piece of cake I looked over the literature given to me on our arrival. The exhibition was dedicated to recycled art.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nA war on waste art show.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nWas it fate a zero-waste advocate stumbled upon an art show made of rubbish?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI eyed my son. Judging by his calm behaviour I knew the energy from his lunch had not kicked in yet. So I had at least 30 minutes before he needed to burn that energy off. The art would be safe.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe Swanpool Creative Recycled Art Prize is the largest exhibition of its kind in the southern hemisphere. Entries must be created from at least 75% recycled material, including salvaged or repurposed materials. The work can be wearable, functional and artistic pieces, outdoor art, two and three dimensional works and more.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI was very impressed with the entries and decided to snap a couple of photos to share on the blog.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThis would be a great exhibition to visit with kids. My then 2.5 yr old loved everything but I think older kids would get a lot out of seeing how waste can be repurposed and how art can be used to make comment on environmental and social issues.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAt the moment the 2020 Swanpool Creative Recycled Art Prize is planned to run from Saturday 1 August to Sunday 16 August.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nEntry forms are available online:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.swanpoolanddistrict.com.au\/scrap-2020-update.html\"\u003Ewww.swanpoolanddistrict.com.au\/scrap-2020-update.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiwYIbWlcOPiKIds3y69mf31UqIHbE8aI4h61aXHwP3Dl1rhcpmIIp7LheTkBXyfK5qCe476chV0PKmmRepW6sy7ONE2iz1OhVsIKhFESalxEXFraQduCSoAfMQFn25oM_bQONfN7y7jCw\/s1600\/therogueginger_Swanpool+Creative+Recycled+Art+Prize+01.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiwYIbWlcOPiKIds3y69mf31UqIHbE8aI4h61aXHwP3Dl1rhcpmIIp7LheTkBXyfK5qCe476chV0PKmmRepW6sy7ONE2iz1OhVsIKhFESalxEXFraQduCSoAfMQFn25oM_bQONfN7y7jCw\/s1600\/therogueginger_Swanpool+Creative+Recycled+Art+Prize+01.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi_3PHONSuGOBpWIa6YMHD8xF2KdzLpzFi5DVVH8pobk54j9hLdM4D7ZrGuWdGTBmfaK3bngJpgBBKaf1Q6ldJZ6CK_FjjoPsEBjzzmaE7oAQ9VPqMbQXiAxMNy5NhPDO_5bNFxj-bzvkI\/s1600\/therogueginger_Swanpool+Creative+Recycled+Art+Prize+03.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi_3PHONSuGOBpWIa6YMHD8xF2KdzLpzFi5DVVH8pobk54j9hLdM4D7ZrGuWdGTBmfaK3bngJpgBBKaf1Q6ldJZ6CK_FjjoPsEBjzzmaE7oAQ9VPqMbQXiAxMNy5NhPDO_5bNFxj-bzvkI\/s1600\/therogueginger_Swanpool+Creative+Recycled+Art+Prize+03.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjZaAwS1n0qrakwJwyfkw1xryr121byDXKivLkeyuVX2N9eCMMIjYXCEO_rHdK3j066F_h3HrRcRKIc6Q9tfSTBqbmXuEa2KQT8GBy81tTmIu-9-8aR-0YpNQGkT1svDhLOnhP5jZXRrLI\/s1600\/therogueginger_Swanpool+Creative+Recycled+Art+Prize+02.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjZaAwS1n0qrakwJwyfkw1xryr121byDXKivLkeyuVX2N9eCMMIjYXCEO_rHdK3j066F_h3HrRcRKIc6Q9tfSTBqbmXuEa2KQT8GBy81tTmIu-9-8aR-0YpNQGkT1svDhLOnhP5jZXRrLI\/s1600\/therogueginger_Swanpool+Creative+Recycled+Art+Prize+02.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/216639875153010141"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/216639875153010141"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/05\/swanpool-creative-recycled-art-prize.html","title":" SCRAP, Swanpool Creative Recycled Art Prize "}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjvky83C1RMSxc19ZAnTjf4Ws-1EH3-KReHcmUxFlqEPMkQg3gKlOulvr1GZvSSpypnjyv_WTuhYAAoKWb4m6huMIDNyVu6QPY0ELXpMyJnq9MkTT1dL-FKgLgCDhUW7mLAndSbCeUFBmk\/s72-c\/therogueginger_Swanpool+Creative+Recycled+Art+Prize+00.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-1955621712831048840"},"published":{"$t":"2020-04-30T12:41:00.000+10:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-04-30T12:41:44.858+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Our contaminated recycling and what we can do to help"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhOwzer7N1kdzhQQwo5ORkMUs2c5KM2sbVWTuE9x2eKwXjgPkhDWFxutmNki6hRX1S9GXQv4wt1fI9mJjdn0jGxBquPHmccBXhllMYFjrfXh70t21KHQZ7T9xcp67Rhg2iCpUx57VOCk7o\/s1600\/therogueginger_Our+contaminated+recycling+and+what+we+can+do+to+help.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Our contaminated recycling and what we can do to help\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhOwzer7N1kdzhQQwo5ORkMUs2c5KM2sbVWTuE9x2eKwXjgPkhDWFxutmNki6hRX1S9GXQv4wt1fI9mJjdn0jGxBquPHmccBXhllMYFjrfXh70t21KHQZ7T9xcp67Rhg2iCpUx57VOCk7o\/s1600\/therogueginger_Our+contaminated+recycling+and+what+we+can+do+to+help.jpg\" title=\"Our contaminated recycling and what we can do to help\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\nAccording to ACOR (Australian Council of Recycling)\u0026nbsp;our household recycling and waste has increased by 10% as more of us are at home during COVID-19 lockdown measures. Along with this is an increase in recycling contamination.\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\nContamination is an issue because it can derail the hard work of those recycling diligently. The wrong items placed in our recycling bins lead to collections being unusable and ultimately thrown into landfill.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\nThe CEO of ACOR Mr Shmigel said in a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/national\/lockdown-s-a-load-of-rubbish-recycling-fear-as-household-waste-spikes-20200428-p54nyt.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Erecent interview\u003C\/a\u003E there has been an increase in soft plastics going into kerbside bins when this should be going to the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.redcycle.net.au\/what-to-redcycle\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Esoft plastic recycling drop off points\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;located at Coles and Woolworths supermarkets. Soft plastics wreck havoc on the machines at the recycling sorting facilities.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe article went on to mention the rise in single use coffee cups in recycling bins. A majority of the single-use coffee cups can't be recycled through kerbside recycling because of the plastic and paper body. The cups can be recycled through Simple Cups drop off points found at 7-Eleven stores in VIC, NSW, QLD and WA. If you are going to use a single-use coffee cup please recycle because the paper is really valuable as it's considered high quality.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nSo what can we do to help stop contamination?\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou might be wondering why those in the zero-waste movement should do something after all recycling is a step only exercised after refusing, reducing and reusing. However it's a peculiar time. More people are cooking at home therefore more packaging. The takeaway coffee once enjoyed in a reusable is no longer available. And just because people choose a reusable coffee cup doesn't always mean they know how to recycle right either.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo while some of us know how to recycle these items correctly, others might not. If anything the current situation can be helpful in learning how and where to recycle correctly presenting a stepping stone we can build on in the future.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nHow do we encourage others to recycle right?\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003EMore of us are online than ever before which giving us an opportunity to partake in online community education. Facebook is the preferred social media platform for most Aussies and we love a Facebook group. Something like a Buy Swap Sell group also doubles as a way to find out local information quickly or pass on notices. So I'm going to use my local Buy Swap Sell and another community group to help remind everyone to recycle right and not add to the contamination. I'm also using it as a way to get those food scraps out of the landfill bin and into our green organics bin or to start \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2016\/03\/composting-for-all-types-of-homes.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehome composting\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf you'd like to do the same feel free to use the example below:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJoin your fellow Moonee Valley residents in helping to recycle better.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring this peculiar time our waste and recycling has increased by 10%. Our recycling bins are being contaminated with soft plastics (like fruit and veggie bags, toilet paper wrapping, food packaging Australia Post delivery bags) and even single-use coffee cups. You can join your fellow neighbours by double checking what can be recycled on Moonee Valley City Council website \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mvcc.vic.gov.au\/live\/my-house\/waste-and-recycling\/\"\u003Emvcc.vic.gov.au\/live\/my-house\/waste-and-recycling\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOther tips for recycling right:\u003Cbr \/\u003E- Soft plastics (hint: they can be scrunched into a ball) go to Coles and Woolworths soft plastics drop off.\u003Cbr \/\u003E- Avoid putting your recyclables in plastic bags as plastic bags break the machines.\u003Cbr \/\u003E- Single-use coffee cups can be taken to participating 7\/11 stores. Due to the plastic lining within a coffee cup these can't go into kerbside recycle. You can find the nearest drop off here \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/forms.simplycups.com.au\/locations\"\u003Eforms.simplycups.com.au\/locations\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E- Food scraps should go into the green organics bin. This is turned into compost and passed onto farmers to help grow yummy food for us. Or start your own home compost and worm farm.\u003Cbr \/\u003E- Electronics (anything with a cord or battery) are not allowed to go into our landfill bins. Instead take them to the Transfer Station located 188 Holmes Road, Aberfeldie.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor tips on recycling other items visit \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.recyclingnearyou.com.au\/\"\u003Ewww.recyclingnearyou.com.au\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EHope you are all doing well at this time :)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EP.S if you don't want to drop off items recycled through special programs right now keep them in a seperate box or bag until then, for example the coffee cups.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou can either snap a photo to go with your post or simply use the text above.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\nNow I'm aware there is the very slim possibility of some not so friendly comments but I have faith (or more hope) the majority understand I'm only trying to be helpful. It can be nerve-racking stepping outside the eco themed facebook groups to more general one talking about this kind of stuff. Just remember you are sharing information to be helpful and protect the planet. At least this works for me.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI believe social media an effective tool for sharing sustainable living tips organically and to help normalise wasting less. While it would be great for our governments (Council, State or Federal) to put out this information and we'd all make a change instantly the reality is the majority make a change because others are doing it too. Plastic and waste continues to be a popular topic in Australia so why not leverage it and help your community get it right on bin night.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/1955621712831048840"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/1955621712831048840"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/04\/contaminated-recycling-australia.html","title":"Our contaminated recycling and what we can do to help"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhOwzer7N1kdzhQQwo5ORkMUs2c5KM2sbVWTuE9x2eKwXjgPkhDWFxutmNki6hRX1S9GXQv4wt1fI9mJjdn0jGxBquPHmccBXhllMYFjrfXh70t21KHQZ7T9xcp67Rhg2iCpUx57VOCk7o\/s72-c\/therogueginger_Our+contaminated+recycling+and+what+we+can+do+to+help.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-7127931413726863247"},"published":{"$t":"2020-04-14T14:15:00.002+10:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-04-14T14:15:56.875+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Join a Toy library to reduce plastic and waste"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiHbqHeF6BDoR9AVimyfJL4eYhfSpD2rMgwkV9W7EjXC1wsIw8tbGtWVeGsOAew7cD2tbi2d0eWmc5EXlqtsATK57BOh1hhX4_aYa5Mh1kMd79E1gfef_l9qMy2iC-8MhOzEF9meN_O0sA\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+010.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiHbqHeF6BDoR9AVimyfJL4eYhfSpD2rMgwkV9W7EjXC1wsIw8tbGtWVeGsOAew7cD2tbi2d0eWmc5EXlqtsATK57BOh1hhX4_aYa5Mh1kMd79E1gfef_l9qMy2iC-8MhOzEF9meN_O0sA\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+010.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nSharing, borrowing and hiring services are essential to slowing down the manufacturing of new materials like plastic, curbing waste and helping address the collective need to have new stuff. There are many other benefits the act of sharing and borrowing provide like accessibility, connection with others, community wellbeing, learning to care for resources that belong to everyone, to name a few. I have noticed a growing interest in sharing rather than owning and today's blog post is about the magic of toy libraries.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI feel a blog post on toy libraries to be long overdue. Actually, I KNOW it's overdue. My \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2017\/03\/welcome-to-world-little-one.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eson\u003C\/a\u003E is now three years old. Even though I have not technically written about toy libraries here I did write about them in my first book \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/p\/books.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWaste Not: make a big difference by throwing away less\u003C\/a\u003E. And during my talks especially those on sustainable parenting I gush about them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nA post was planned and the photos were taken back in 2017 but sadly this blog took a back seat while I figured out the whole new parenting thing\/writing a book. So if you are looking at the photos wondering who the baby is you can rest knowing it's my only kiddo.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nToy Libraries were not a new thing to me when I became a parent. I had already committed to the idea of toy libraries when I began reassessing my plastic use and living zero-waste life. Should I ever become a parent I would become a member instantly. And when our son was born we signed up as members of our local toy library and have enjoyed it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nManufacturing new stuff like toys has a big environmental and social impact. Alot of resources are needed to create toys whether they are big toys or a tiny Barbie hair brush. Let's take a brief look at some...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EOil is needed to make the plastic (though a lot of plastic toys are made from down-cycled plastic – plastic that has been recycled but can't be recycled again) or new wood for wooden toys\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EDyes and paints are manufactured to colour the toys\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EThere is the coal fired electricity needed to keep machines running and factory lights on\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EThe fuel needed to transport the end product around the globe\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EThere is the production of packaging\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EAnd of course the batteries should the toy be electronic\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EDon't forget 70% of an items waste, toys in this instance, is created during the manufacturing process\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAccording to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/amusingplanet.com\/\"\u003EAmusingPlanet.com\u003C\/a\u003E 75% of toys and their packaging are made in China where the wage a toy worker will earn over six months is the equivalent of what the toy will cost once it's sitting on shelves. The conditions they are working in wouldn't be considered fair in most countries these toys will eventually end up.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nMost toys are not recyclable. When they become forgotten as children grow all of the resources including the effort and time people put into making the toys is discarded to landfill or dumped at Op shops.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\nLastly repairing modern toys can be hard because they are either not repairable due to the material used or produced in a way that makes it hard to repair. When I had \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/02\/repairing-australia-rise-of-repair-cafes.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Emy sons Thomas train repaired the kind Repair Cafe volunteer\u003C\/a\u003E explained most electronic toys break because they are not created with repairing in mind. It's planned obsolesce so you are forced to buy a new one.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nToy Libraries are one antidote to the problems manufacturing new toys create. Rather than buying new toys thus encouraging the burden on planet and people to continue my family can borrow a variety of toys instead of buying new. Beyond the environmental and social impact, a toy library is a fun way to ease the influx of toys from entering the house and later finding ways to dispose of responsibly.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgGpxrVXE2wjTT-zuZGHcjXBEuvtbLiLPYRlMIV-8fMoAVTVakQPzdsZU89kBfLl2zvdEIHesfrXkOoGhnUhPRVF3-xOjhS7dDA0Y4ZOTSM9msQLQcFudBYJ2AGr2u69H7J92_-myy5oZU\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+01.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgGpxrVXE2wjTT-zuZGHcjXBEuvtbLiLPYRlMIV-8fMoAVTVakQPzdsZU89kBfLl2zvdEIHesfrXkOoGhnUhPRVF3-xOjhS7dDA0Y4ZOTSM9msQLQcFudBYJ2AGr2u69H7J92_-myy5oZU\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+01.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EInside the Moonee Valley Toy Library\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgBZBpAmf2SfjPEcKGmDRb4fBTmvbyEwVGrrxoEEekKcZtpN7w6CL_7yqYFVokSxtegG8x9yFtdeBYfIxqqQRrqLNUWWzclY55JbDzTBq2eJ6pu4IgQaEMa02Ii8E5Wziz1VQUbsf_Qzx4\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+02.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgBZBpAmf2SfjPEcKGmDRb4fBTmvbyEwVGrrxoEEekKcZtpN7w6CL_7yqYFVokSxtegG8x9yFtdeBYfIxqqQRrqLNUWWzclY55JbDzTBq2eJ6pu4IgQaEMa02Ii8E5Wziz1VQUbsf_Qzx4\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+02.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ELooking through the building blocks\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgKugfQJlTiH8m86Wl8XgJQNkVeOqbB7rhQnfS13oVS0UoHWkfeLgRjlblIIlXQVkvBSPdu9kxzaWXIvOQEgdNISwK9A0WXlKO5Cpp74cBNcuub2fxNzoPQCaxM2yEGMPVxkLpr052Uu3M\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+03.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgKugfQJlTiH8m86Wl8XgJQNkVeOqbB7rhQnfS13oVS0UoHWkfeLgRjlblIIlXQVkvBSPdu9kxzaWXIvOQEgdNISwK9A0WXlKO5Cpp74cBNcuub2fxNzoPQCaxM2yEGMPVxkLpr052Uu3M\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+03.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ELoans and returns\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nWhat is a toy library?\u003C\/h4\u003E\nA toy library is similar to a book library in that members hire items for a number of weeks. These toys are then returned and the process repeated. In Australia our public book libraries are funded by the government (our taxes) while Toy Libraries run independently funded by membership fees, small grants and fundraising. There is a committee of employees and volunteers keeping everything running.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nMemberships vary from branch to branch, with some offering half price fees in exchange for a handful of days of volunteering. We chose this option and I attended four two hour shifts where I helped hire toys out, collect returned toys, count all the pieces that had been returned, keep the toys clean and the premise tidy. It was a lot of fun meeting other parents but what filled me with joy was watching the excited children hire toys. Kids truly don't care about having new toys, they simply want something that is new to them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThere are over 280 toy libraries in Australia and the easiest way to find yours is to visit \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.toylibraries.org.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EToy Libraries Australia\u003C\/a\u003E. They are the peak body representing Australian toy libraries, providing support and helping promote them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nWhat can be borrowed?\u003C\/h4\u003E\nToy libraries offer musical toys, baby \u0026amp; toddler toys, costumes, construction toys, puzzles, games, imaginative toys, electronic toys, literacy \u0026amp; numeracy toys, books, special needs resources and toys, bikes, scooters. What is available varies from branch to branch too. Loan time again depends but is usually 3 weeks or longer.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nMost toy libraries offer party packs a great idea for adding extra toys in the backyard, house or rented hall at a low cost. I have even seen jumping castles. Some might also hire out plates, cups, cutlery, kids chairs and tables for parties too. Membership is not always required to hire out a party pack.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nToys are suitable from birth to around 6-10 years old age, depending on each location.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAs you can see in the photos below smaller toys are housed in reusable plastic bags with a label explaining what is in each bag and how many pieces. At my local ty library everything is hung up for easy sorting.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe toys are categorised by theme not gender something I liked immediately.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhWUnc8dnA01VlzWm00hZ__5KZQa1gIg2SzekW_o_i3IzWK1mZgE4Z4tnMYg0iKDBu_uim7wDeTJee5jsRTaJS0aIBMaKaMJ6Id-orMaMIq0wtPwn3Rr11SRdqExLcFpDMU3jrMmp6UFxw\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+07.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhWUnc8dnA01VlzWm00hZ__5KZQa1gIg2SzekW_o_i3IzWK1mZgE4Z4tnMYg0iKDBu_uim7wDeTJee5jsRTaJS0aIBMaKaMJ6Id-orMaMIq0wtPwn3Rr11SRdqExLcFpDMU3jrMmp6UFxw\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+07.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EAn example of how the toys are organised\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiM3HwkJJuyIWU6ap-309bM8ZA0gRhyphenhyphenGZ8PqnsIIgIrLImDYwwNwwRCrPAOuuUnpDcpoe9Yk_MnCQ1iGHuBQUXh9MrvQLRb8k9De1-XEY6ajxy3gbkagtluUgucXMlNGsMCnyJbPofLwhk\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+06.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiM3HwkJJuyIWU6ap-309bM8ZA0gRhyphenhyphenGZ8PqnsIIgIrLImDYwwNwwRCrPAOuuUnpDcpoe9Yk_MnCQ1iGHuBQUXh9MrvQLRb8k9De1-XEY6ajxy3gbkagtluUgucXMlNGsMCnyJbPofLwhk\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+06.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe plastic bags toys are kept in and descriptions\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nCleaning and what to do with broken or missing toys\u003C\/h4\u003E\nYou are encouraged to clean toys before returning. We cleaned our toys using a cloth soaked in soap and hot water. I would do this when I brought the toys home and before returning. This might come across as a chore but I see the process an opportunity to teach children how to look after items and to reiterate the need to respect and care for it as we are sharing the toy with other kids.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThere is the chance a toy will break or returned with missing parts. Don't worry, you won't be shamed and banned for life. Instead a fee is paid when returned. And just like other libraries a late return incurs a small fine.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEizqr2YwfhUB38K-Kre3d8znc84mvk8BqRuYRdahiCL1PzXPLtI3Aar8Kul1lnnlgqWXWC0YnYUBl3Q1V-XUnzzKg2m5JNdOtYS_z7JwIfHF1gWzhxbYBwUuYjiBKs2LCfG5tiBx1SPT5A\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+04.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEizqr2YwfhUB38K-Kre3d8znc84mvk8BqRuYRdahiCL1PzXPLtI3Aar8Kul1lnnlgqWXWC0YnYUBl3Q1V-XUnzzKg2m5JNdOtYS_z7JwIfHF1gWzhxbYBwUuYjiBKs2LCfG5tiBx1SPT5A\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+04.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EForgot to clean the toy at home? You can clean them at the cleaning station\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjB8PVsWzrNzW6mR_3L-oVhQVXav9N9JHHTDPVai7FDzddfHCWqsSmFdODH8r77AE-LXhBbX481tgN7qCyI-7q3oiLdSIZ3yQQZuoFRIiUjvAmpSexe_wMdDJCpzrQQFxRseFaXW6XkaB8\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+05.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjB8PVsWzrNzW6mR_3L-oVhQVXav9N9JHHTDPVai7FDzddfHCWqsSmFdODH8r77AE-LXhBbX481tgN7qCyI-7q3oiLdSIZ3yQQZuoFRIiUjvAmpSexe_wMdDJCpzrQQFxRseFaXW6XkaB8\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+05.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA wall of toddlers bikes\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nWe don't have a toy library in our area, but I'm keen to start one!\u003C\/h4\u003E\nIt would be great to see toy libraries in communities across Australia and the world. Toy Library Australia have a brief \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.toylibraries.org.au\/start-a-toy-library\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eguide\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;on their website but encourage those eager to contact them directly for more detailed info. There are many successful libraries running for over 20 years and are happy to help with the set up process.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nLast year while I was visiting Rosebud Library giving a zero-waste talk an elderly lady put up her hand to tell me and the audience she was thrilled to hear me talking about toy libraries as she was one of the founders of Australia's first toy library. You can read about my encounter with Evelyn here:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003E\"This lovely person is Evelyn and she founded the first toy library in Australia 43 year ago with two friends in the Melbourne suburb of Mitcham. She came along to my talk at the Rosebud Library on the Mornington Peninsula to hear how I reduce waste. Of course I talked excitedly about toy Libraries in my presentation! As if I wouldn’t!! She wasn’t expecting to hear about toy libraries or chat about it either. But I’m glad my talk prompted Evelyn to tell me about her story and how the first toy library came together in a small community, the idea quickly spreading throughout Australia eventually turning into Toy Libraries Australia. There are now over 280 toy libraries!\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003EI gave Evelyn a big hug to say thanks for laying foundations that do so much to not only reduce buying new toys and creating waste but what it does for communities. Of course she shrugged it off. These days she helps out with the local Boomerang Bag group in Rosebud.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003EThere are a multitude of changemakers within all of our communities doing important work and they are usually quite volunteers. Their stories aren’t always told or even known by most. It’s the work of people like Evelyn that has helped the modern zero waste movement be easier to navigate. I’m simply standing on the shoulders of giants.\"\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIf anyone would like to contact Evelyn for an interview let me know as I have her email just in case.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BxSQ1OvFfr9\/?utm_source=ig_embed\u0026amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"12\" style=\"background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 16px;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BxSQ1OvFfr9\/?utm_source=ig_embed\u0026amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background: #FFFFFF; line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E \u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BxSQ1OvFfr9\/?utm_source=ig_embed\u0026amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background: #FFFFFF; line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E \u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BxSQ1OvFfr9\/?utm_source=ig_embed\u0026amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background: #FFFFFF; line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Csvg height=\"50px\" version=\"1.1\" viewbox=\"0 0 60 60\" width=\"50px\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"\u003E\u003Cg fill-rule=\"evenodd\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" stroke=\"none\"\u003E\u003Cg fill=\"#000000\" transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\"\u003E\u003Cg\u003E\u003Cpath d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"\u003E\u003C\/path\u003E\u003C\/g\u003E\u003C\/g\u003E\u003C\/g\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BxSQ1OvFfr9\/?utm_source=ig_embed\u0026amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background: #FFFFFF; line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\"\u003E\nView this post on Instagram\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translatex(0px) translatey(7px); width: 12.5px;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translatex(3px) translatey(1px); width: 12.5px;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translatex(9px) translatey(-18px); width: 12.5px;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0; transform: translatex(16px) translatey(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid #f4f4f4; transform: translatey(16px); width: 0px;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12px; transform: translatey(-4px); width: 16px;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid #f4f4f4; height: 0; transform: translatey(-4px) translatex(8px); width: 0;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BxSQ1OvFfr9\/?utm_source=ig_embed\u0026amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color: black; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThis lovely person is Evelyn and she founded the first toy library in Australia 43 year ago with two friends in the Melbourne suburb of Mitcham. She came along to my talk at the Rosebud Library on the Mornington Peninsula to hear how I reduce waste. Of course I talked excitedly about toy Libraries in my presentation! As if I wouldn’t!! She wasn’t expecting to hear about toy libraries or chat about it either. But I’m glad my talk prompted Evelyn to tell me about her story and how the first toy library came together in a small community, the idea quickly spreading throughout Australia eventually turning into Toy Libraries Australia. There are now over 280 toy libraries! I gave Evelyn a big hug to say thanks for laying foundations that do so much to not only reduce buying new toys and creating waste but what it does for communities. Of course she shrugged it off. These days she helps out with the local Boomerang Bag group in Rosebud. There are a multitude of changemakers within all of our communities doing important work and they are usually quite volunteers. Their stories aren’t always told or even known by most. It’s the work of people like Evelyn that has helped the modern zero waste movement be easier to navigate. I’m simply standing on the shoulders of giants. Image: two women standing side by side. #toylibrary #toylibrariesaustralia #toylendinglibrary #ilovelibraries #authortalk #wastenot #wastenoteveryday #wastenotbook #zerowaste #volunteer #ecovolunteers #communityservice #lesswaste #ecocommunity #share #sharingeconomy #borrow\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"\u003E\nA post shared by \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/therogueginger\/?utm_source=ig_embed\u0026amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E Erin Rhoads\u003C\/a\u003E (@therogueginger) on \u003Ctime datetime=\"2019-05-10T14:27:58+00:00\" style=\"font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;\"\u003EMay 10, 2019 at 7:27am PDT\u003C\/time\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj3nw0AM2-M2HU22gXF8dujhcYEwkadww4_TKKivjwixAiR4Tf3BbeAVJyye8Oqb-KeFrZ3_HMFZpfPfYEpWSf-0Djk63tek3DfuOEHRX6lk27hSauEyfVeNz5Mjumv8jvo3zInWjEQTV8\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+08.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj3nw0AM2-M2HU22gXF8dujhcYEwkadww4_TKKivjwixAiR4Tf3BbeAVJyye8Oqb-KeFrZ3_HMFZpfPfYEpWSf-0Djk63tek3DfuOEHRX6lk27hSauEyfVeNz5Mjumv8jvo3zInWjEQTV8\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+08.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe play mirror our son picked out\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiTcnQ3qPOmcTJwZqShcRwL4h7Spq9i7ylafAfs1t1_QB8ilWC8wIMS8QwESdvITOeYQ8UqGjFYPcpIQhN_8DFVLYJ5y0Gjjmz67kYWQ2BSyhRYM26OOXeVZKayT7OO8jqHieoW-382tbk\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+09.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ETime to go home and play\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiTcnQ3qPOmcTJwZqShcRwL4h7Spq9i7ylafAfs1t1_QB8ilWC8wIMS8QwESdvITOeYQ8UqGjFYPcpIQhN_8DFVLYJ5y0Gjjmz67kYWQ2BSyhRYM26OOXeVZKayT7OO8jqHieoW-382tbk\/s1600\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+09.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/7127931413726863247"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/7127931413726863247"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/04\/toy-library-australia.html","title":"Join a Toy library to reduce plastic and waste"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiHbqHeF6BDoR9AVimyfJL4eYhfSpD2rMgwkV9W7EjXC1wsIw8tbGtWVeGsOAew7cD2tbi2d0eWmc5EXlqtsATK57BOh1hhX4_aYa5Mh1kMd79E1gfef_l9qMy2iC-8MhOzEF9meN_O0sA\/s72-c\/therogueginger_toy-library-australia+010.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-7500196409710099977"},"published":{"$t":"2020-02-28T11:36:00.001+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-02-28T11:36:17.912+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"My visit to Yarra Valley Estates Edible Forest Garden"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi6j3OGGM7UEd9Fd1vq7jOEdE85PvDs0i-7tRq93xE1LxSZ2ZZ1g6CFCiPRibBQkd7LzPZzK4c80YkeH0WrDQvtYr-gd0MxKyBE82aj3Mqmffgusl9foNtafAxF1uJoSXVW5ORbk3RQGfk\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia+01.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi6j3OGGM7UEd9Fd1vq7jOEdE85PvDs0i-7tRq93xE1LxSZ2ZZ1g6CFCiPRibBQkd7LzPZzK4c80YkeH0WrDQvtYr-gd0MxKyBE82aj3Mqmffgusl9foNtafAxF1uJoSXVW5ORbk3RQGfk\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia+01.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\nOne hour from Melbournes bustling CBD tucked away in the rolling hills of the Yarra Valley is one acre of \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.edibleforest.co\/\"\u003EEdible Forest Garden\u003C\/a\u003E. Louise Ward owner of Yarra Valley Estate where the food forest garden is located created the space out of a desire to reduce food miles but has since evolved into an education space open to the public interested in learning about growing a food forest garden at home, how to create healthy soil naturally and the importance of food security.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nA food forest is a self maintaining perennial polyculture meaning there are a variety of crops of different heights within the same space similar to how a forest works. The plants, with some help, look after each other.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nFood forests are a regenerative form of growing food that works to keep soils healthy rather than deplete them of carbon and minerals. Our current food production systems have been working in the opposite way. A regenerative method like a food forest garden helps to return carbon along with nutrients to the soil. If the soil doesn't have nutrients, this affects our health.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe goal of reducing exposed soil by covering everything in plants reduces soil erosion, protects groundwater, puts nutrient minerals back into the soil, allowing farmers and home gardeners the opportunity to move away from synthetic pesticides and fertilisers. A return to regenerative farming and gardening would helps address malnutrition, food insecurity, healthy water supplies, limit food waste, and reduce pollution from the production of agriculture chemicals. And a bonus is gardeners don't have to weed as much.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjyWebQoxetvt7lldgPbN-bQ0mg_Qrx3dHJUH4Uqg-F73fMRzfDw_7uJAyigFLBADePdRwvzujsn2iy7iP9UYJhVfmLsiGi6N8PimJi_v9t_IjYSwdS8zaGqE4wrHaioriN6tnILLuatJE\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia+02.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjyWebQoxetvt7lldgPbN-bQ0mg_Qrx3dHJUH4Uqg-F73fMRzfDw_7uJAyigFLBADePdRwvzujsn2iy7iP9UYJhVfmLsiGi6N8PimJi_v9t_IjYSwdS8zaGqE4wrHaioriN6tnILLuatJE\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia+02.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiLrTjFKaLbb-lqc6cKz8k1Utwkt4cKux24lJIlC0aQPwoYs89Dndz3eupD0dTIRbCT7l7XvoLSOcIvRNSPBkc4wkCXj-c7XdE04c1iTFPUebikF8Yp_ZSgdojUO1YNxkTb_yr-2wKKymc\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia+05.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiLrTjFKaLbb-lqc6cKz8k1Utwkt4cKux24lJIlC0aQPwoYs89Dndz3eupD0dTIRbCT7l7XvoLSOcIvRNSPBkc4wkCXj-c7XdE04c1iTFPUebikF8Yp_ZSgdojUO1YNxkTb_yr-2wKKymc\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia+05.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjZTZc_iFlQIqSiJYCoJCsbo4r5Yo5x9ttdzkx5n81pAKtXl17FZq9AY2ctsgwAXjRp4XzezO0-xpLs4INwb1bKhibmIXKyrDQQ_YPktVV4MFrexz0OiezCUHLWpqpS-FXgUefzOSRcloA\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia+06.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjZTZc_iFlQIqSiJYCoJCsbo4r5Yo5x9ttdzkx5n81pAKtXl17FZq9AY2ctsgwAXjRp4XzezO0-xpLs4INwb1bKhibmIXKyrDQQ_YPktVV4MFrexz0OiezCUHLWpqpS-FXgUefzOSRcloA\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia+06.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAs I entered the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.edibleforest.co\/\"\u003EYarra Valley Estates Edible Food Forest Garden\u003C\/a\u003E I felt like I was being drawn into a calming hug. The space is abundant in over 850 of edible and medicinal plants, with some specifically used to improve soil quality. Everything growing on the site is cultivated for the guest kitchen on site and used in workshops held in a up-cycled shed overlooking the garden.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nFor those who are used to the standard farming system of single crop structured in rows could be confused as how something wild like this would thrive. Forest gardens like this combine vegetables, fruit, nuts, herbs, shrubs and other plants to coexist aiding one another in their survival. The photo below is proof of this.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgBV9YqnCiQW9ABgVHrzff8XHylEvnReX8sF9Zq8qEDUflOuMacz25qf7oUPuElUSQQcDiwr8dVh-DxBFMmj8Bq4YuCYmUcPYGmfV7dBJ6RFPvamPulWPeLqCfxCTtAPSYNpBwY6gAASm8\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia+03.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgBV9YqnCiQW9ABgVHrzff8XHylEvnReX8sF9Zq8qEDUflOuMacz25qf7oUPuElUSQQcDiwr8dVh-DxBFMmj8Bq4YuCYmUcPYGmfV7dBJ6RFPvamPulWPeLqCfxCTtAPSYNpBwY6gAASm8\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia+03.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe large tree in the left photo is sugarcane used to protect the plants below it from the biting frosts in the valley. Yes, that is sugarcane growing in a very cold climate in Victoria. There are rambling strawberries for ground cover, something I had not thought of in my own garden. I discovered the plant Society Garlic, a perfect garlic alternative for me since I can't eat as much garlic any more. We munched on unopened Day Lillies (photo on the right) another unsuspecting specimen I have in my garden that I didn't know could be eaten. I feasted on gorgeous mulberries, tommy tomatoes, met cinnamon yams growing along side aromatic hops.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjnAIAYjAOorkWNaTpMgJfGmB__3dN09spmhw7cyjQhRjQc1_T_Qx6-qRwA_yr0FMidEsOlDlSL8vPPrK4nOjPZLY7B_7yytUvtLscCtXB8GT0F2nAUwlogsX7OKSGr_3TITS0Wqqym8rI\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia+04.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjnAIAYjAOorkWNaTpMgJfGmB__3dN09spmhw7cyjQhRjQc1_T_Qx6-qRwA_yr0FMidEsOlDlSL8vPPrK4nOjPZLY7B_7yytUvtLscCtXB8GT0F2nAUwlogsX7OKSGr_3TITS0Wqqym8rI\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia+04.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\nYarra Valley Estates Edible Forest Garden is still in its infancy having started five years ago and only open to the public last year. Tours operate Monday to Saturday, at 10am and you can find out more on their website \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.edibleforest.co\/\"\u003Ewww.edibleforest.co\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjBSKfSG18Xtbwytv1ylU8G51791njZVBEqH5AGy69Mru2nP1cpU75EHk0fcS_FLLpjzCGSx2qO4Bg6UKWylSYdhhaIa9NDWB8HHYiDkOWhDWvDrSHXlgTf1Ch9rEOwr7xezkB0zEXWctw\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjBSKfSG18Xtbwytv1ylU8G51791njZVBEqH5AGy69Mru2nP1cpU75EHk0fcS_FLLpjzCGSx2qO4Bg6UKWylSYdhhaIa9NDWB8HHYiDkOWhDWvDrSHXlgTf1Ch9rEOwr7xezkB0zEXWctw\/s1600\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nWhat had me excited was the education this space will offer. I can't think of any other edible food forest garden space open year round so people can see it at different times of the year. Often these edible forest gardens are private and only open for a handful of days throughout the year. I can't wait to revisit in winter and spring. The staff are kind and passionate, happy to share their huge amount of knowledge with visitors. It was inspiring to learn urban gardeners are visiting from Melbourne looking for help to get their own edible forest gardens started. Involving people and having interactive places to learn is necessary to creating confident gardeners. It's different reading about an edible garden and being able to walk through one.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nGrowing our own food, even if a little, helps the planet in so many ways. We reduce food miles and our fuel, packaging is not needed and we help improve soil quality for future generations. We learn new skills. We help draw carbon down. Our bodies get to eat food filled with healthy nutrients. And if we are lucky we can share the surplus in our communities, growing and nourishing connections.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nPlan your visit:\u003C\/h4\u003E\nEdible Forest at\u003Cbr \/\u003EYarra Valley Estate\u003Cbr \/\u003E2164 Melba Hwy\u003Cbr \/\u003EDixons Creek VIC 3775\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.edibleforest.co\/\"\u003Ewww.edibleforest.co\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETours operate Monday to Saturday, at 10am for approx. 45 mins—1 hour and an additional Saturday only tour at 12pm. Bookings are necessary.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETour, Taste \u0026amp; Educate – $15 Per Person\u003Cbr \/\u003ETour, Taste, Wine \u0026amp; Dine – $65 Per Person\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/7500196409710099977"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/7500196409710099977"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/02\/edible-forest-garden.html","title":"My visit to Yarra Valley Estates Edible Forest Garden"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi6j3OGGM7UEd9Fd1vq7jOEdE85PvDs0i-7tRq93xE1LxSZ2ZZ1g6CFCiPRibBQkd7LzPZzK4c80YkeH0WrDQvtYr-gd0MxKyBE82aj3Mqmffgusl9foNtafAxF1uJoSXVW5ORbk3RQGfk\/s72-c\/therogueginger_yarra+valley+edible+food+forest+australia+01.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-5317733968599619600"},"published":{"$t":"2020-02-16T16:03:00.014+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2024-04-27T15:35:18.166+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Repairing Australia: Community repair cafes, hubs and labs"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjDSPnqkpEYBE3CGk-qOwHqAegJMQ4-IEWrXRc0h3VU8ZcM4pGSDnNhLeXC91A9wH-QPy8MlNIKheiOVZH6wlQiEgL5hz-ARQXnzOdjDeFu6lYc8H8Uq6g4PLDojIv_jhNayLCFqMeDdwU\/s1600\/therogueginger_Repairing+Australia-+the+rise+of+Repair+Cafes+01.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Repairing Australia: the rise of Repair Cafes\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjDSPnqkpEYBE3CGk-qOwHqAegJMQ4-IEWrXRc0h3VU8ZcM4pGSDnNhLeXC91A9wH-QPy8MlNIKheiOVZH6wlQiEgL5hz-ARQXnzOdjDeFu6lYc8H8Uq6g4PLDojIv_jhNayLCFqMeDdwU\/s1600\/therogueginger_Repairing+Australia-+the+rise+of+Repair+Cafes+01.jpg\" title=\"Repairing Australia: the rise of Repair Cafes\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThank you Moonee Valley Repair Cafe for fixing my sons beloved toy train\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\nAcross Australian suburbs, Repair Cafes and Repair Labs are offering communities a local place to fix, mend and connect.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI'm a big repairing advocate for many reasons beyond reducing waste to landfill. Repairing means investing in important skills, telling companies I want items that can be repaired, valuing resources and the people who made my stuff. It's an act of environmental and social justice. And an important part of my families waste not framework.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThere is also the happiness felt when you get something fixed. I'll never forget the joy I experienced at getting my old blender repaired by the crew at \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2015\/11\/bright-sparks-australia.html\"\u003EBright Sparks\u003C\/a\u003E, now sadly closed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nA sustainable future will feature an active repairing industry. The Repair Cafes and Repair Hubs are laying this groundwork and reviving forgotten skillsets.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/repaircafe.org\/en\/\"\u003ERepair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E movement began 2009 by Martine Postma in Amsterdam. Its simplicity has seen the idea expand across the world with over 2000 cafes. Australia currently hosts over 40 Repair Cafes.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EA local initiative started in Australia is the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/repairlab.myfreesites.net\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ERepair Labs\u003C\/a\u003E. They have events in WA. Join the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RepairLabPerth\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFacebook page\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;or\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/repair_lab_perth\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EInstagram\u003C\/a\u003E to keep up to date on upcoming repairing sessions.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nHow does a Repair Cafe or Repair Lab work:\u003C\/h3\u003E\nDepending on the Repair Cafe or Lab they usually run once a month in a local community space. Tables are set up with the fixer on one side and the customer (you and me) sit on the other. You can't just drop your item off to pick up later. Instead you are invited to watch, learn and talk with the person fixing your item.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nBefore you sit down, customers will talk to someone at the booking desk where they take your details, discuss the broken item you wish to have fixed and direct you to the fixer with the skills best suited to your item. There is a form to read, fill out and sign, so the customer knows that all repairs are undertaken at their own risk once they leave the premise with them. If the item is unable to be repaired by a fixer they will tell you straight away, directing you where to take it if they believe someone else can do it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe service is free. Yes, free. The fixers donate their time and customers are welcome to make a donation at the booking desk.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe items usually brought in are are small electrical goods, bikes, clothing, small furniture, homewares.If you are unsure about an item that can be fixed contact the repair cafe first. Large items like fridges are not accepted. The general rule is that you should be able to carry the item into the cafe yourself. But again, double check with a message to your local group.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAlso no one brings in a box full of broken items, one or two is encouraged per visit.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjCRLmQAvH9Juoblv1IhCF4Kk7XXV29YTQ5cia6utT1ymL2KxpsqmOJqBlYsUK27O1o7EgSCXXV6wXf_dwUA6TnzUyd1h7OytUo12dWdkPKPFaezeIt6t14y790oq6QsxDonxpNTxgQQmU\/s1600\/therogueginger_Repairing+Australia-+the+rise+of+Repair+Cafes+02.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Repairing Australia: the rise of Repair Cafes\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjCRLmQAvH9Juoblv1IhCF4Kk7XXV29YTQ5cia6utT1ymL2KxpsqmOJqBlYsUK27O1o7EgSCXXV6wXf_dwUA6TnzUyd1h7OytUo12dWdkPKPFaezeIt6t14y790oq6QsxDonxpNTxgQQmU\/s1600\/therogueginger_Repairing+Australia-+the+rise+of+Repair+Cafes+02.jpg\" title=\"Repairing Australia: the rise of Repair Cafes\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ESharing skills, meeting a member of my community, all while keeping this much loved toy out of landfill\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nHow do I set up a Repair Cafe in my area?\u003C\/h3\u003E\nTo find out out how to set one up, here are three ways to learn how:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EThe Repair Cafe international website offer a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/repaircafe.org\/en\/start\/\"\u003Edetailed Manual for 49 euros\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EMichelle and Lindsay from Melbourne Repair Cafe have an \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.melbournerepaircafe.org\/faqs.html\"\u003Eexplanation on their FAQ section\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EYou can also contact a Repair Cafe to ask their advice too. They are fellow waste and sustainable living enthusiasts, and will gladly offer their advice to help get another Repair Cafe into the world.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECheck with the Repair Lab about details on opening one in your area.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\nYou don't need repairing experience to set one up either. Your role could be something else, like admin or booking or marketing. The repair movement needs more than just people with toolboxes!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nWhere to find a Repair Hubs, Repair Cafes and Repair Labs?\u003C\/h3\u003E\nBelow is a list of Repair Hubs, Repair Cafes and Repair Labs in Australia. Please note the links below will take you to the local Facebook pages for each repair cafe as they offer the most up to date information and events for each location.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nVICTORIA\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GeelongRepairCafe\/\"\u003EGeelong Repair Cafe Highton\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/repaircafes\/\"\u003EGeelong West Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RepairCafeBellarine\/\"\u003EBellarine Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RepairCafeSurfCoast\/\"\u003ERepair Cafe Surf Coast\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SouthernPeninsulaRepairCafe\/\"\u003ESouthern Peninsula Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/morningtonrepaircafe\/\"\u003EMornington Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/portfairyrepaircafe\/\"\u003EPort Fairy Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wyndhamrepaircafe\/\"\u003EWyndham Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mooneevalleyrepaircafe\/\"\u003EMoonee Valley Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DarebinRepairCafe\/\"\u003EDarebin Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/northbalwynrepaircafe\"\u003ENorth Balwyn Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/394065694825405\/\"\u003EWarrandyte Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RingwoodRepairCafe\/\"\u003ERingwood Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/knoxcityrepaircafe\/?hc_location=ufi\u0026amp;comment_id=Y29tbWVudDoyNDgxODU1MDc1NDEzNDQ0XzI0ODE5MzU1ODIwNzIwNjA%3D\"\u003EKnox Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/repaircafesunbury\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESunbury Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/StKildaRepairCafe\/\"\u003ESt. Kilda Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RepairCafeLatrobeValley\/\"\u003ELatrobe Valley Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ballaratrepaircafe\/\"\u003EBallarat Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/365506331054586\/\"\u003EWoodend Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AlexRepairCafe\/\"\u003EAlexandra Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/castlemainerepaircafe\/\"\u003ECastlemaine Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SeymourRepairCafe\/\"\u003ESeymour Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BendigoRepairCafe\/\"\u003EBendigo Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wangrepaircafe\/\"\u003EWangaratta Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/repaircafeaw\/\"\u003EAlbury Wodonga Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Bairnsdalerepair\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBairnsdale Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/repaircafehastings.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHastings Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nACT\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/canberrarepaircafe\/\"\u003ECanberra Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nNEW SOUTH WALES\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/repaircafewollongong\/\"\u003EWollongong Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BegaRepairCafe\/\"\u003EBega Valley Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe Bower Repair Cafe – \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/bower.org.au\/repairs\/\"\u003Evarious Sydney locations\u003C\/a\u003E including \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OatleyRShub\/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R\u0026amp;eid=ARBrsLuxUYIqODqU5e3uIUgZZpo-kvtJpbtzYnr92dfwgcjEs1LuRaC484tg98nMwCVrWJs0GAlNpwmd\"\u003EOatley\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RepairCafeSydneyNorth\/\"\u003ENorth Sydney Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/therepaircafe\/\"\u003EMullumbimby Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nNORTHERN TERRIRTORY\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/repaircafe.org\/en\/location\/alice-springs-repair-cafe\/\"\u003EAlice Springs Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nSOUTH AUSTRALIA\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/adelaiderepaircafe\/\"\u003EAdelaide Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/unleyrepaircafe\/?eid=ARD8ZtzWNc-QdLSWUIpvpIH6bdA8SaForiVVv3qKaWx2ER96GMo-NgDHHj5eWKASRZLWnDKkedVyn0at\"\u003EUnley Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Repair-Cafe-Campbelltown-SA-103728601451735\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECampbelltown Repair Cafe \u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RepairCafePayneham\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPayneham Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RepairCafePayneham\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ERepair events held at the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GawlerEnvironmentCentre\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGawler Environment Centre\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nWESTERN AUSTRALIA\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RepairLabPerth\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ERepair Lab Perth\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(covering East Vic Park, Victoria Park, Wembley, Fremantle, Claremont, Peppermint Grove, Mount Claremont)\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/thehub6163\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Hub 6163\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/641544632933466\/\"\u003EAlbany Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/RepairCafeJarrahdale\/\"\u003EJarrahdale Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/repaircafefremantle\/\"\u003EFremantle Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/repaircafebelmont\/\"\u003EBelmont Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/repaircafeperth\/\"\u003EPerth Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TransitionTownStirling\/?__xts__[0]=68.ARCJjFHeMMQzp59jp0DmFEH-hLCMsPG0CiPF7OyLgBWe0kKoL9jyihlwG6ZhJyAZH7POiNYMyorVfqdENzOfAiv40y3HQJzaUQ3em9QYrXDdAMlw74RkXuTI2r2I_JAGFfecdNAikpWa_5anV3fo6LjTEnISrqT28-SwvTfZ7VCZwaxlkeUhWCF8m5dE24F2rQmgpxx5cFZwiLXKFJPnCa7zeMMW0vXDUy7IUVkPoVRT1p6TaCOl7O4i076GmsLCnEKePjgmz1QnKAL-tScM0OpS1eZWSXXHrISZ5nUiwwBQZycne7KoT3VdFDpZ0x3TmO0xfTNPov2oWA7qpmhs0nbSVg\u0026amp;eid=ARB08uEsXLNy3LTuzHmTMfMh3tKUVUlK7kR1EGAFP7ENBzDB2jX1MZIUIY5CeTgWjNSAy32u_m8qKZvi\"\u003EDoubleview Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RepairCafeBassendean\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBassendean Repair Café\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/357571605002811\/?ref=share\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECockburn Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nTASMANIA\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RepairCafeHobart\/\"\u003EHobart Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nQUEENSLAND\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/534935270563384\/?event_time_id=534935277230050%3Fti%3Dicl\"\u003EMaleny Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/repaircafesandgate\/\"\u003ESandgate Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RepairCafeWoolloongabba\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWoolloongabba Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/repaircaferp\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ERedcliffe Peninsula Repair Cafe\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Repair-Caf%C3%A9-Brisbane-Bayside-102635385398760\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBrisbane Bayside Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CaloundraRepairCafe\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECaloundra Repair Cafe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe list is up to date as of 17.06.2021. Feel free to contact me if I need to add or remove a repair cafe.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EResources\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EFollow the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RepairCafeAustralia\/\"\u003ERepair Cafe Australia\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;page for national repair cafe news and events.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EInternational readers can visit the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/repaircafe.org\/en\/visit\/\"\u003Emap\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;for repair cafe locations in your country.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EVisit the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.repairshareoz.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ERepair and Share Oz\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;web map to locate repair groups, sharing centres and tool libraries, plus helpful resources. (\u003Ci\u003Ethank you Kristian for alerting me to this resource\u003C\/i\u003E)\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mendaussie\/\"\u003EMend it, Australia\u003C\/a\u003E run by Karen and Danny Ellis feature stories from their travels to community repair events, discuss important topics and advocate for businesses and government to encourage repairing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.griffith.edu.au\/law-futures-centre\/our-research\/australian-repair-network\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EAustralian Repair Network\u003C\/a\u003E \"engage with all levels of government, policy makers, industries, repairers and the community to facilitate the need for a right to repair in Australia.\"\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ifixit.com\/\"\u003EiFixit\u003C\/a\u003E is a website everyone should bookmark. They have repair guides, forums, communities, comprehensive technical videos. There are tools for sale to help fixers repair. The organisation wants to be bring about radical change in our rights to repair, empowering customers to speak up and ensure our stuff is made to last.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nRepairing our stuff is one of the many individual steps we can all take to help fight climate change. Manufacturing new items requires raw materials and energy, producing pollution along the way. By repairing we are challenging the make, buy, throwaway culture that is at the heart of the environmental and social issues our world is facing. Repairing teaches us to value, care, learn and connect.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThank you to every person donating their time to repair items and help run these cafes. I think you are all superheros. And so does my kid.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5317733968599619600"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5317733968599619600"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2020\/02\/repairing-australia-rise-of-repair-cafes.html","title":"Repairing Australia: Community repair cafes, hubs and labs"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjDSPnqkpEYBE3CGk-qOwHqAegJMQ4-IEWrXRc0h3VU8ZcM4pGSDnNhLeXC91A9wH-QPy8MlNIKheiOVZH6wlQiEgL5hz-ARQXnzOdjDeFu6lYc8H8Uq6g4PLDojIv_jhNayLCFqMeDdwU\/s72-c\/therogueginger_Repairing+Australia-+the+rise+of+Repair+Cafes+01.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-5405313910649278476"},"published":{"$t":"2019-10-31T13:39:00.011+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2023-02-27T08:26:40.347+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Zero-waste and plastic-free underwear: my review of The Very Good Bra"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi7dm8bhfoH8Qz0z6IgMtVIwgtX8BOvlj8eCjJKm-4G6kTJVa7HgwI02tpDkjrYOb-4Ho9AOvdI68ZCRjSHdkq_ASkr17mi2GmeL4aeEDB4FovVfqwZqGr_g-Jrpp-iLN9FSFyODn8CwZk\/s1600\/therogueginger_Zero-waste-plastic-free-underwear.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Zero-waste-plastic-free-underwear: a review of The Very Good Bra\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi7dm8bhfoH8Qz0z6IgMtVIwgtX8BOvlj8eCjJKm-4G6kTJVa7HgwI02tpDkjrYOb-4Ho9AOvdI68ZCRjSHdkq_ASkr17mi2GmeL4aeEDB4FovVfqwZqGr_g-Jrpp-iLN9FSFyODn8CwZk\/s1600\/therogueginger_Zero-waste-plastic-free-underwear.jpg\" title=\"Zero-waste-plastic-free-underwear: a review of The Very Good Bra\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\nI have a few rules when it comes to buying apparel for myself: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Col\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ESecondhand first\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EIf a particular piece cannot be sourced secondhand then I choose clothing made of natural fibres grown and sewn in Australia by brands with ethical values and full transparency\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EChoose materials that are as natural as possible so they can break down in my compost after it's beyond repairing and repurposing. \u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003C\/ol\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThese above rules have been fairly easy to follow. In the past seven years I have purchased 90% of my clothing secondhand, three new jumpers that adhere to rule 2 and 3 (all were from Woolerina). And my shoes have been bought secondhand. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nBut underwear is where I draw the line, for now.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\nRule 2 was always hard to follow when it came to buying underwear especially bras as they can contain quite a few components like elastic and clips that can't make it zero-waste. So I chose brands with ECA accreditation (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/ethicalclothingaustralia.org.au\/\"\u003EEthical Clothing Australia\u003C\/a\u003E). Obviously wearing no bra would be the most zero waste option but I like the added warmth in winter! In summer I'm happy to go without sometimes. Plus I found a bra a non-negotiable when breastfeeding because I leaked for a year.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\nWhen I was pregnant \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theverygoodbra.com\/?ref=6owDvY3nh3NTv\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Very Good Bra\u003C\/a\u003E appeared on the scene with their zero-waste bra. Naturally I bookmarked them for when I would be free of maternity bras. Just as my son was starting to reduce his breastfeeding a timely email from CEO and founder Stephanie Devine landed upon my inbox asking if I'd like to try the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theverygoodbra.com\/?ref=6owDvY3nh3NTv\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eblack zero-waste bra\u003C\/a\u003E for free.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nNow, anyone who has breastfed will know just how worn maternity bras become. Your breasts morph significantly throughout, stretching the fabric. And at the beginning the poor bra can become saturated with milk, no matter how many breast pads or towels are shoved down there. At least mine did. So after two years of my breasts belonging to someone else, being sucked and chewed at all hours of the day you can understand why I would be excited for a new bra? And this wasn't just any bra, it was a zero waste bra! Meaning the life cycle had been accounted for and it could avoid landfill. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI've worn the bra for six months and I must say, it's incredibly soft. It felt so nice to slip it on during winter especially. The fabric is made of Australian knitted and dyed Lenzing fibre Tencel, with tree rubber and organic cotton elastic and custom made organic hooks and eyes. If you would like to learn more about Tencel visit \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/goodonyou.eco\/how-ethical-is-tencel\/\"\u003EGood On You\u003C\/a\u003E. I do understand Tencel is not perfect, but then most massed produced fabrics seem to have a negative impact of some type. It is worth noting the company Lenzing are working to reduce those environmental impacts.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe thread holding it all together is tencel too. Most clothing thread is a cotton polyester mix chosen for durability. So if a cotton t-shirt was placed into a backyard compost - after being reused as a rag obviously!) everything will break down quickly except for the polyester part of the thread. When the zero-waste bra is at the end of its life the metal hooks and eyes can be removed for recycling and the rest buried where it will return to the earth. Metal, even those small parts can be recycled. In Australia check with your local council how best to collect and drop off. For instance I can take metal to my local Transfer Station.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI'm pretty sure I would repurpose the material before composting, but thats me! I treat composting like I treat recycling; as a last resort. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nBut how does it fit? \u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI have the bra in a 32C and the fit is supportive throughout the day. The straps never fall off my shoulders, a problem I have had often in the past and the three clasps at the back are easy to use. So far it washes well with no pilling. This bra is underwire free. I will be buying the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theverygoodbra.com\/?ref=6owDvY3nh3NTv\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Epeach version\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;for myself so I have more than 1 bra though I might try the 32B as that is what I used to be pre-nursing so I can compare. There is a small amount of room towards the top of the 32C but not enough that anything slips out when I bend over.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nTammy Logan from Gippsland Unwrapped wrote a review last year if you'd like to read it \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/gippslandunwrapped.com\/2018\/11\/08\/review-the-very-good-bra-its-zero-waste\/\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E. Her blog post also includes other reviews within the\u0026nbsp;with people of different bust sizes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThere is a lack of machinery and skills available for this type of bra to be made locally since Bonds took their production offshore to China. The cost would also jump to over $120 if produced locally. I do know founder Stephanie Devine would love to have everything sourced and made locally. It's just not an option presently. Stephanie has such passion and drive that I can only see her brand continuing to do great things.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe bra currently costs $95 which I understand is a big investment when compared to a cotton bra from a brand like Bonds. But the fair treatment of garments workers and brands like The Very Good Bra is important to me. I'm investing in a sustainable fabric, carefully thought out materials and living wages. If more people that can afford this kind of bra and choose to invest into this system then the price would reduce. So share with others and let them know.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe Very Good Bra has started making zero-waste undies too. Most undies (knickers, panties) contain a plastic elastane which is not compostable. Elastane is a plastic fibre that helps give underwear that stretch. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI am holding onto my maternity bras just in case we decide to try for a sibling. For those with old maternity bras that are in good shape you can pass them onto the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.upliftbras.org\/\"\u003EUplift Project\u003C\/a\u003E. They would love reusable nursing pads if you have any laying around.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe Very Good Bra is packed by workers at \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/\"\u003E\u003Cspan id=\"goog_2079511453\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EAvenue\u003Cspan id=\"goog_2079511454\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;Avenue is a Co-Working Space in Parramatta where people of all abilities are supported to work, socialise and develop their individual skills, regardless of their support needs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EUPDATE from founder Stephanie 24.02.2020:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nStephanie was sent an unfinished sample of the hook and eye used in the bras. Even though she was told there was no plastic there was indeed a small piece of polyproplene stabiliser within the hook and eye. She is currently searching for a hook and eye without the plastic. I'll update once it has been found.\u003Cb\u003E This means the hook and eye cannot be recycled.\u003C\/b\u003E Thank you to Stephanie for being transparent with her customers. Transparency is not radical, and her honesty in a time when so many \"ethical\" clothing companies use a weak definition of transparency as a selling point. You can read more on the companies blog \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theverygoodbra.com\/?ref=6owDvY3nh3NTv\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nAre there any other zero-waste underwear options out there?\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\nNow I don't like doing reviews on products I have not tried myself but I will share with you some brands I've found throughout the years worth checking out: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cu\u003ERawganique\u003C\/u\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.rawganique.com\/elastic-free-organic-cotton-linen-hemp-products-s\/234.htm\"\u003Eunderwear in this link\u003C\/a\u003E contains no elastane. The fabric used is either 100% hemp or organic cotton depending on the style. But the thread used is poly core (a cotton polyester mix). This is because when a cotton thread is used in the leg area and waist it can break easier due more movement. So technically the seams can be cut off and compost the rest. I'd do that. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cu\u003ECottonique\u003C\/u\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI found this brand while looking for zero-waste maternity bras when I was pregnant. There are some interesting bra and underwear options without elastane. Pieces in Natural are sewn with 100% cotton thread so technically these could be composted with the metal loops recycled. I have linked those options here: \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cottonique.com\/collections\/womens-bottoms\/products\/womens-drawstring-brief-2-pack\"\u003EWomen's Drawstring Brief (Natural)\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cottonique.com\/collections\/bras\/products\/womens-drawstring-bra\"\u003EWomen's Drawstring Bra (Natural)\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cu\u003EUp and Undies\u003C\/u\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThis a small US business based in Seattle, Washington selling \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.upandundies.com\/\"\u003Eundies made out of used material like t-shirts\u003C\/a\u003E found at secondhand stores.\u0026nbsp; These won't break down completely in the compost but I \u003Ci\u003Elove\u003C\/i\u003E the ingenuity of using a resource already in existence and the fun designs of the brand. All scraps are kept to knit rugs too.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThere is a wonderfully detailed blog post by \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blog.megannielsen.com\/2017\/12\/acacia-underwear\/\"\u003EDesign Diary\u003C\/a\u003E on how to sew your own underwear should you be inspired to try it yourself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI'd love to know if I have missed any brands as I'd love to add then. Send me an email via my contact page and I'll put your suggestions onto the list. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nReaders suggestions:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/farmtohanger.com\/collections\/the-bio-range-farm-to-hanger\"\u003EFarm To Hanger - The Bio Range\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ci\u003E#trgcollab: The bra was a gift by The Very Good Bra. I use the hashtag #trgcollab to help readers idenifty items or services that were gifted to me or are a paid post. This item was an unpaid gift and I was not compensated financially\u0026nbsp;to write about. All views are my own. I only accept gifted items or services I would use personally.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5405313910649278476"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5405313910649278476"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2019\/10\/zero-waste-plastic-free-underwear.html","title":"Zero-waste and plastic-free underwear: my review of The Very Good Bra"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi7dm8bhfoH8Qz0z6IgMtVIwgtX8BOvlj8eCjJKm-4G6kTJVa7HgwI02tpDkjrYOb-4Ho9AOvdI68ZCRjSHdkq_ASkr17mi2GmeL4aeEDB4FovVfqwZqGr_g-Jrpp-iLN9FSFyODn8CwZk\/s72-c\/therogueginger_Zero-waste-plastic-free-underwear.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-8462667230539892134"},"published":{"$t":"2019-07-21T07:09:00.017+10:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2023-10-24T13:28:48.963+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Books That Will Inspire Kids to Protect Our Planet"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiq0dxRhwcwQKBzOH9arsjYo4mmlP-jAB3OQrLzQBiUtlvZRaycQ-NBJZoPkUS1yxyWi97JnEWINCagbrBBrvgLv8Y5D3E-8PC_mMoSdKWfpfd_SkGFvOIW5o4dXQyr1e2BxtH9eFuu50o\/s1600\/therogueginger_Books+That+Will+Inspire+Kids+to+Protect+Our+Planet.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Books That Will Inspire Kids to Protect Our Planet\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiq0dxRhwcwQKBzOH9arsjYo4mmlP-jAB3OQrLzQBiUtlvZRaycQ-NBJZoPkUS1yxyWi97JnEWINCagbrBBrvgLv8Y5D3E-8PC_mMoSdKWfpfd_SkGFvOIW5o4dXQyr1e2BxtH9eFuu50o\/s1600\/therogueginger_Books+That+Will+Inspire+Kids+to+Protect+Our+Planet.jpg\" title=\"Books That Will Inspire Kids to Protect Our Planet\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n  \n  \n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n  \n  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\nMuch like the audience they are intended for, kids books are successful at getting to the point on an topic quickly! There are many inspiring titles helping young minds understand the big environmental and social problems our world is facing without the doom and gloom adult books can contain.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAt some point in the not to distance future I know our son will want to have chat about why we hire toys from the toy library instead of buying brand new or why we don't buy most of our food in plastic packaging plastic. Unless of course by some miracle there has been a sweeping change in the next year (I can dream!). Instead of listening to Mum go on a spiel about pollution and the devastating effects our overflowing bins can have, books can help start the conversation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI thought it would be nice to share the books I have collected to help start those conversations and hopefully inspire. Thank you to Penguin Books Australia,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003EScribe Publications and Hardie Grant for sending some some of the kids books below to add to our collection. These have been marked with an asterisk*.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003EIf you have any other books that have helped you and your family, send me an email as I'd love to add them to the list.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bookdepository.com\/How-Save-Whole-Stinkin-Planet-Lee-Constable\/9781760890261?ref=grid-view\u0026amp;qid=1563623440235\u0026amp;sr=1-1\" onclick=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/54186?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.bookdepository.com%2fHow-Save-Whole-Stinkin-Planet-Lee-Constable%2f9781760890261%3fref%3dgrid-view%26qid%3d1563623440235%26sr%3d1-1\u0026amp;UniqueId=Books+That+Will+Inspire+Kids+to+Protect+Our+Planet';\" rel=\"noindex,nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHow to Save the Whole Stinkin' Planet : A Garbological Adventure\u003C\/a\u003E*\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\nby Lee Constable and Illustrated by James Hart\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nTV Host and science communicator uses her skills to train up young readers to be ultimate waste warriors. Lee explains where our stuff goes when we put our rubbish and recycling bins out, the ways we can reduce and divert waste from landfill properly, how to set up a compost. As kids work their way through the book they earn badges. Sections of the book are hands on with fun DIY activities, big information is turned into accessible facts, plus questions are asked along the way to help this new knowledge stick. It's a fun hands on book that would be suit that would be great for the whole family to work through together. For those who have read the book and wondering what my Waste Warrior recruit name is, well it's The Great Splatto. This book was a gift from Penguin Books Australia.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bookdepository.com\/Plastic-Eun-Ju-Kim\/9781925849196?ref=grid-view\u0026amp;qid=1563623672304\u0026amp;sr=1-1\" onclick=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/54186?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.bookdepository.com%2fPlastic-Eun-Ju-Kim%2f9781925849196%3fref%3dgrid-view%26qid%3d1563623672304%26sr%3d1-1\u0026amp;UniqueId=Books+That+Will+Inspire+Kids+to+Protect+Our+Planet';\" rel=\"noindex,nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EPlastic: Past, Present and Future\u003C\/a\u003E*\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Cspan\u003Eby Eun-Ju Kim and Illustrated by Ji-Won Lee\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEun-Ji Kim book details plastics invention and history, from its uses throughout society to looking at how complacent we became leading to the devastating impact on our environment. The book then looks at attempts being made to reduce our reliance and what is happening around the world to fight plastic pollution. I love Ji-Won Lee's bright illustrations and diagrams help explain the complex processes of plastic production and recycling in an easy to follow method. The overall book is the first children's book one I've read that explains in depth everything about plastic. This was a gift from Scribe Publications.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bookdepository.com\/I-Like-Old-Clothes-Mary-Ann-Hoberman\/9780375869518\" onclick=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/54186?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.bookdepository.com%2fI-Like-Old-Clothes-Mary-Ann-Hoberman%2f9780375869518\u0026amp;UniqueId=Books+That+Will+Inspire+Kids+to+Protect+Our+Planet';\" rel=\"noindex,nofollow\" style=\"font-weight: normal;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EI like Old Clothes\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan\u003Eby Mary Ann Hoberman\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis poem was published in 1976 follows two children as they talk about their love for used clothing. To them wearing hand-me-downs, clothes from friends and charity stores is normal. I enjoy when topics like this are presented as normal and now more than ever second-hand clothe shopping needs to be made regular. It would make a great book to read with kids helping them understand where clothes come from, how to care for them and where they can go after we stop wearing them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bookdepository.com\/Sea-Change-Harper-Harper-Joel-Harper\/9780971425453\" onclick=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/54186?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.bookdepository.com%2fSea-Change-Harper-Harper-Joel-Harper%2f9780971425453\u0026amp;UniqueId=Books+That+Will+Inspire+Kids+to+Protect+Our+Planet';\" rel=\"noindex,nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESea Change\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nby Joel Harper and Illustrated by Erin O'Shea\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe main character has red hair, but you never know her name because there are no words in the book. Instead it's purely beautiful illustrations that take us through a young girls trips to the beach where she encounters a plastic rubbish that she then starts picking up. The rubbish is then taken home and turned into a sculpture to be used as school to inspire fellow classmates to help clean up the beach that then leads to the whole school community to also clean up the bach; one person can make and inspire others. The book is printed on 100% recycled fibers using 100% post consumer waste.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bookdepository.com\/All-Way-Ocean-Joel-Harper\/9780971425415?ref=grid-view\u0026amp;qid=1563624330876\u0026amp;sr=1-1\" onclick=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/54186?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.bookdepository.com%2fAll-Way-Ocean-Joel-Harper%2f9780971425415%3fref%3dgrid-view%26qid%3d1563624330876%26sr%3d1-1\u0026amp;UniqueId=Books+That+Will+Inspire+Kids+to+Protect+Our+Planet';\" rel=\"noindex,nofollow\" style=\"font-weight: normal;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EAll The Way To The Ocean\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\nby Joel Harper and Illustrated by Marg Spusta\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAnother Joel Harper book and this one does have a written story along with illustrations by Marg Spusta. Issac shows his friend James what happens to rubbish that ends up in our gutters as it travels through the storm water drains, leading to our oceans, lakes and rivers. The book focuses the marine life directly affected by plastic pollution. Similar to Sea Change the book ends with the two kids sharing what they know with others and encouraging a clean up at school.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/clearoceans.co\/loveclearoceans\/lifestyle\/travel\/ocean-warriors-book\/\"\u003EOcean Warriors: Plastic in Paradise\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\nby Cath Witten and Illustrated by Jasmine Kammeyer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThis book was a gift to my son from my sister and her family. You know the cool sister that told me I should watch \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2013\/05\/clean-bin.html\"\u003EThe Clean Bin Project\u003C\/a\u003E. The story is in Bahasa Indonesian and translated into English underneath.\u0026nbsp;Which makes sense since all proceeds from the book go to creating a sustainable waste management system in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, the Amazon of the Ocean. Two siblings work together to reduce plastic pollution after rescuing a tea turtle from eating a plastic bag.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bookdepository.com\/Lelani-and-the-Plastic-Kingdom-Robb-N-Johnston\/9781935356417\" onclick=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/54186?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.bookdepository.com%2fLelani-and-the-Plastic-Kingdom-Robb-N-Johnston%2f9781935356417\u0026amp;UniqueId=Books+That+Will+Inspire+Kids+to+Protect+Our+Planet';\" rel=\"noindex,nofollow\" style=\"font-weight: normal;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELelani and the Plastic Kingdom\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\nby Robb N. Johnston\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nLelani opens a plastic bottle floating in the ocean to find a note inviting her to visit an island made of rubbish from all over the world. It's on this Island she meets Sam, who shows her the plastic straw forest and and marine animals entangled in rubbish, all caused by the waste sent to this now growing island from the Fast Lands. Lelani is inspired to make changes when she returns to her home and share this knowledge with her community. This book would be suited for older childern around the age of 8-10. The watercolour illustrations are beautiful and worth purchasing the book for alone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/friendsofourworld.com\/products\/friends-of-our-world-storybook\" style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003EFriends of Our World\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\nby Alexis Todorovski and illustrated by Azzalene Todorovski\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAlexis's book focuses on illegal dumping of items which is huge problem. It's not just the dumping of rubbish in remote locations, but right here in our own neighbourhoods. The characters Mondo and Amigo ask their friends from around the world to share the message of reusing and recycling instead of dumping stuff like clothing, furniture and other household goods.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bookdepository.com\/Bag-Bird-Pamela-Allen\/9780143783909?ref=grid-view\u0026amp;qid=1563626789088\u0026amp;sr=1-2\" onclick=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/54186?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.bookdepository.com%2fBag-Bird-Pamela-Allen%2f9780143783909%3fref%3dgrid-view%26qid%3d1563626789088%26sr%3d1-2\u0026amp;UniqueId=Books+That+Will+Inspire+Kids+to+Protect+Our+Planet';\" rel=\"noindex,nofollow\" style=\"font-weight: normal;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EA Bag and a Bird\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\nby Pamela Allen\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nSet in iconic Sydney, A Bag and a Bird follows Alex and his mum on a picnic outing when one of their plastic bags blows away and gets stuck on an Ibis (a well known bird in Sydney!). Through Alexander's story we learn how plastic bags can damage the environment and those that depend on it. A great story to help kids to becoming more aware of the impact of their choices.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bookdepository.com\/Compost-Stew-Mary-McKenna-Siddals\/9781582463162?ref=grid-view\u0026amp;qid=1563626832473\u0026amp;sr=1-2\" onclick=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/54186?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.bookdepository.com%2fCompost-Stew-Mary-McKenna-Siddals%2f9781582463162%3fref%3dgrid-view%26qid%3d1563626832473%26sr%3d1-2\u0026amp;UniqueId=Books+That+Will+Inspire+Kids+to+Protect+Our+Planet';\" rel=\"noindex,nofollow\" style=\"font-weight: normal;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ECompost Stew\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\nby Mary McKenna Siddals\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nKeeping those organics like food scraps out of landfill is important to helping fight climate change and putting much needed nutrients back into the soil. Mary's book aim is to show how easy it is to do this by composting, how to start and what can and can't go into a compost.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bookdepository.com\/Sullie-Saves-Seas-Goffinet-McLaren\/9781519762467?ref=grid-view\u0026amp;qid=1563626899354\u0026amp;sr=1-1\" onclick=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/54186?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.bookdepository.com%2fSullie-Saves-Seas-Goffinet-McLaren%2f9781519762467%3fref%3dgrid-view%26qid%3d1563626899354%26sr%3d1-1\u0026amp;UniqueId=Books+That+Will+Inspire+Kids+to+Protect+Our+Planet';\" rel=\"noindex,nofollow\" style=\"font-weight: normal;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESullie Saves The Seas\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\nby Goffinet McLaren\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nFollowing Memorial Day weekend a seagull calls a meeting with other beach birds asking for help to do something about the rubbish left behind on the beach. They then go about teaching humans how to reduce their rubbish and not litter. I did find some parts of this story sad and think the book is best suited for older children 8-12.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/storyantics.com\/product\/the-bin-chicken\/#!\" style=\"font-weight: normal;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Bin Chicken\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003Eby Kellie Marks and Illustrated by Jackson Lian, Ari Lobos\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThis book can be personalised with a kids name and even change skin, hair and eye colour for the main character which I think is neat. The main character wakes up one morning to the sound of a bin chicken (a nickname Australian's use for the white Ibis) going through the bin. Curiosity leads them to find out why the Ibis eats from a bin discovering the local habitat is polluted because of our wasteful habits. Sadden by the state of the Ibis home the main character then begins educating his friends at school creating a ripple effect of change in the community.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.booksdirect.com.au\/lets-change-the-world-zero-waste\/megan-anderson\/book_9781760509460.htm\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EZero Waste\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.booksdirect.com.au\/lets-change-the-world-slow-fashion\/megan-anderson\/book_9781760509477.htm\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESlow Fashion\u003C\/a\u003E*\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003Eby Megan Anderson, Genna Campton, Carolyn Ang\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThese two picture books are great conversation starters for little people. They look at simple ways we can reduce waste at home and looking after our clothing. The illustrations are bright and joyful too. I enjoyed reading these with my four year old - it was nice to see him connect actions we do at home with the ones in the books.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/i-wonder-allison-paterson\/book\/9781922488473.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EI Wonder Why\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003Eby Allison Paterson\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EAllison's book prompts children is ask why would someone litter and what litter actually is, the affect it can have on our environment, animals and each other. It was a wonderful story that will help children understand the need to care for our belongings and that we can all do our part.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/somebody-swallowed-stanley-sarah-roberts\/book\/9781407195100.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESomebody Swallowed Stanley\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003Eby Sarah Roberts\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EStanley is a plastic bag that keeps getting mistaken for a jelly fish. It's a beautifully illustrated story highlighting how easy animals confuse plastic for food. I think Sarah's book, who is also an animal behaviourist herself, would make a fun resource for classrooms (and in the home) to help children understand the dangers plastic and other types of packaging have in the natural world. This was a cute gift from Isabel at \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.partykitnetwork.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EParty Kit Network\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/superpower-renewable-energy-what-it-is-how-we-get-it-and-why-we-need-it-philip-bunting\/book\/9781760507930.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESuper Power\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003Eby Philip Bunting*\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThis engaging and funny book has been popular with my five year old who is very interested about electricity, where comes from, what solar panels are and how wind farms work. I liked there was also a focus on the history of electricity and tips for reducing our use and why it's necessary to do so.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/464Hegb\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EBondi \u0026amp; Poppy Help Heal The Planet\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003Eby Judith A Proffer\u0026nbsp;and Illustrated by Yoko Matsuoka*\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EMeet Bondi and Poppy, an adorable koala and bear duo who hail from opposite sides of the world. Their shared passion? Healing our wonderful planet! This delightful rhyming book is a joyful way to introduce kids to the importance of caring for our Earth, climate change and the everyday activities we can do to tread lighter. The book's sweet illustrations and the author's passion for this topic bring an uplifting and heartwarming feel to the story.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/the-little-red-stroller-joshua-furst\/ebook\/9780525553649.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Little Red Stroller\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003Eby Joshua Furst and Illustrated by Katy Wu\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThe Little Red Stroller is a delightful picture book that embodies the essence of community, diversity, and the joy of sharing. This enchanting story revolves around a tiny red stroller that serves as a symbol of love and connection among families. The narrative follows Luna and her red stroller, a cherished gift from her mother. As Luna grows, so does her attachment to the stroller, becoming an integral part of her daily adventures. However, the day arrives when Luna has outgrown the stroller, and it's time to pass it on to a toddler in their neighbourhood who needs it. Thus begins a heartwarming journey as the red stroller is handed down from one child to the next showing the power secondhand goods has to create connection.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\nHappy reading :)\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ci\u003E#trgcollab: The books 'Plastic: Past, Present and Future', 'How to Save the Whole Stinkin' Planet', 'A Garbological Adventure' 'The Bin Chicken' 'Zero Waste' 'Slow Fashion' and 'Super Power'\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E'\u003Ci\u003EBondi \u0026amp; Poppy Help Heal The Planet\u003C\/i\u003E'\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003Ewere gifts by the publishers. I use the hashtag #trgcollab to help readers idenifty items or services gifted to me or are paid post. These items were unpaid gifts and I was not compensated financially to post about them. All views are my own. I only accept gifted items or services I would use personally.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\n\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/8462667230539892134"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/8462667230539892134"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2019\/07\/Books-That-Will-Inspire-Kids-to-Protect-Our-Planet.html","title":"Books That Will Inspire Kids to Protect Our Planet"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiq0dxRhwcwQKBzOH9arsjYo4mmlP-jAB3OQrLzQBiUtlvZRaycQ-NBJZoPkUS1yxyWi97JnEWINCagbrBBrvgLv8Y5D3E-8PC_mMoSdKWfpfd_SkGFvOIW5o4dXQyr1e2BxtH9eFuu50o\/s72-c\/therogueginger_Books+That+Will+Inspire+Kids+to+Protect+Our+Planet.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-507330893416044314"},"published":{"$t":"2019-07-21T06:10:00.003+10:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2023-11-29T11:57:55.559+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Waste Not Everyday"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEijARfih_kxAcdLrGIZwaMEMhtuUdsCDfx24Ab_43r-4gXJ4RxElWUf_aszh6PWSidsr-8n9sqpeMbAQlNybWs9ZAATIRozQgCI5rdowIRjpgqZz9zbn2Dm0Nu5DDSJFFZF6BQwGadZnGk\/s1600\/therogueginger_Waste+Not+Everyday.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Waste Not Everyday\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"595\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEijARfih_kxAcdLrGIZwaMEMhtuUdsCDfx24Ab_43r-4gXJ4RxElWUf_aszh6PWSidsr-8n9sqpeMbAQlNybWs9ZAATIRozQgCI5rdowIRjpgqZz9zbn2Dm0Nu5DDSJFFZF6BQwGadZnGk\/s1600\/therogueginger_Waste+Not+Everyday.jpg\" title=\"Waste Not Everyday\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\nMy second book \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/booktopia.kh4ffx.net\/jrjqLv\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWaste Not Everyday\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E is out in the world! Did you get your copy yet?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThis book is the younger sister to my first book \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/p\/books.html\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWaste Not\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWaste Not Everyday\u003C\/i\u003E has 365 tips, one for each day of the year. My goal with this book was to provide digestible information in an easy to use format that would help get people started on reducing their waste. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIt’s broken up into three sections using the same structure of a professional bin audit; food and organic, recyclables and other. A bonus fourth section is focused on reducing waste in the wider world. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIt can work as a companion to \u003Ci\u003EWaste Not\u003C\/i\u003E or given to someone who wants to make changes but feels overwhelmed or doesn’t want to subscribe to a particular lifestyle, but is determined to start somewhere. There is no preaching. No guilt. Only solutions to help fight climate change through reducing, reusing and reconnect.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nJust like my first book 5% of the profits I make will be passed onto Waste Aid Australia. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003EWaste Not Everyday\u003C\/i\u003E is available in all places where books are sold and of course, at your local library.\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/507330893416044314"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/507330893416044314"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2019\/07\/waste-not-everyday.html","title":"Waste Not Everyday"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEijARfih_kxAcdLrGIZwaMEMhtuUdsCDfx24Ab_43r-4gXJ4RxElWUf_aszh6PWSidsr-8n9sqpeMbAQlNybWs9ZAATIRozQgCI5rdowIRjpgqZz9zbn2Dm0Nu5DDSJFFZF6BQwGadZnGk\/s72-c\/therogueginger_Waste+Not+Everyday.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-4592410384470407679"},"published":{"$t":"2019-06-29T23:09:00.004+10:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2019-06-29T23:09:21.999+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Why I will never buy clothing made of recycled plastic (and it's not because of the plastic microfibers)"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n \n \n \u003Cstyle type=\"text\/css\"\u003E\n \u003C!--\n  @page { margin: 2cm }\n  P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm }\n  A:link { so-language: zxx }\n --\u003E\n \u003C\/style\u003E\n\n\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEibgOx8W2Ey1iKWenEdQ1630V9Znu-vb4I_M7WRqzvbadh3qfW07PHQA2_Qigbo720Z731EOl7NViUPoU4hxvoZ2Q18-sLOegLQ65yNNfXjWqMWJQhhpdC22nHCNUqB3Xr6AYgV7GMLtZI\/s1600\/therogueginger_Why+I+will+never+buy+clothing+made+of+recycled+plastic.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEibgOx8W2Ey1iKWenEdQ1630V9Znu-vb4I_M7WRqzvbadh3qfW07PHQA2_Qigbo720Z731EOl7NViUPoU4hxvoZ2Q18-sLOegLQ65yNNfXjWqMWJQhhpdC22nHCNUqB3Xr6AYgV7GMLtZI\/s1600\/therogueginger_Why+I+will+never+buy+clothing+made+of+recycled+plastic.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small; text-align: left;\"\u003EWater photo created by\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/%3Ca%20href=%22https:\/\/www.freepik.com\/free-photos-vectors\/water%22%3E\" style=\"font-size: medium; text-align: left;\"\u003Ejcomp\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe other day I was scrolling through\nInstagram when a post stopped me. The image featured a jumper made of\nrecycled plastic. 12 plastic bottles to be exact. However it was the\ncaption explaining how the item of clothing was going to save us from\ndrowning in a sea of plastic that had me rolling my eyes. I looked\nthrough the comments hoping to find someone else as unimpressed.\nInstead all I found was praise.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nClothing made of recycled plastics is a\ngrowing  market. Shoes, pants, tops, activewear, accessories and much\nmore are being sold to us as the solution to keeping plastics out of\nour oceans and landfill. These items are made of bottles and fishing\nnets, discarded in the ocean. Well that's how it's sold to us. Yes,\nthe fishing nets made of plastic fibres (also known as \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/oliveridleyproject.org\/what-are-ghost-nets\"\u003Eghost nets\u003C\/a\u003E)\nare discarded. But I was not as convinced about the bottles. I asked\nseven companies selling clothing made of recycled bottles where these\nbottles were collected from and the response was a country or region;\nIndia, China and around South-East Asia. No other information was\noffered. \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nWhen I first started learning about\nplastics plaguing our oceans the idea of clothing made of ocean\nplastics was very appealing and sounded like it could be part of a\nsolution. I even wrote a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2014\/02\/g-star-raw-turn-ocean-plastic-into-denim.html\"\u003Eblog post\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in 2014. However, my views\nhave changes considerably and it's not because of \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2015\/08\/synthetic-clothing-fibers-in-our-oceans.html\"\u003Eplastic microfibres\u003C\/a\u003E or the impact recycling plastic has on the environment. Well,\nthese are part of it but not the sole reason for my change of mind.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nPlastic bottles and discarded fishing\nnets turned into clothing, shoes and accessories will not save the oceans. This is simply a\nbandaid. Obviously halting plastic production would be the ultimate\nfix. Since we don't have access to the off switch in the plastic\nmanufacturing facilities, one of the next best steps is providing\nfinancial assistance to organisations focusing on education and\nsetting up clean drinking water facilities.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nWhen I see sweatshirts made of plastic bottles selling for $55 by the brand Everlane, all I can\nthink of is \u003Ci\u003E“gosh, that money could be better spent going to\neducation programs helping communities understand the need to break\nfree from plastic.”\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nSimilarly $68 on a pair of\nGirlfriend leggings would be much better invested in creating safe\naccessible drinking water in areas of this world where there is none\nor setting up recycling in communities that have nothing. Safe drinking water would have a huge impact beyond plastic pollution.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nImagine what 1,110 Euros, the price of\nPrada's new Re-Nylon backpack, could do for a community group\nlobbying government to set up legislation to reduce plastic use in a country with inadequate waste collections.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nIt's hard for me to watch the praise these companies receive. They are profiting from this so called solution by tapping into our habitual need we've learned to buy new stuff. Shouldn't we pass it onto those doing meaningful work in areas of the\nworld where clean water is lacking, recycling systems are poor or\nnon-existent and waste education needed?\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nWith second hand clothing\nstores in most of our neighbourhoods filled with so much inventory\nor the many second hand online outlets popping up these days, wouldn't it be smarter and kinder to choose\nsecond hand or even go without, and pass on the $55 to help fix the real issues?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhAEP1M3mjopvy_Q0fRE1VlOeZixJYJTkwPEHgtF0xuq3zfTPiFZiwkamVVibmsrWgZ5YrlyHfk6ISZ-3qS1_VbtyWvFKBl3nv5mwIuhnTw1-UnxO9IyGnCxd7QMV25angIAMlYJqOC4MM\/s1600\/therogueginger_Why+I+will+never+buy+clothing+made+of+recycled+plastic+01.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"624\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhAEP1M3mjopvy_Q0fRE1VlOeZixJYJTkwPEHgtF0xuq3zfTPiFZiwkamVVibmsrWgZ5YrlyHfk6ISZ-3qS1_VbtyWvFKBl3nv5mwIuhnTw1-UnxO9IyGnCxd7QMV25angIAMlYJqOC4MM\/s1600\/therogueginger_Why+I+will+never+buy+clothing+made+of+recycled+plastic+01.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EIt's only easy to throw out when communities have no access to education or waste services. By the way this jacket costs $175 which would provide THREE water dispensers for a school canteen in Indonesia.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nBut what to do with all the bottles out there? I hear you and I don't have the best solution. Ultimately I would rather see a plastic bottle\nturned back into a plastic bottle. Not clothing. Until plastic\nbottles are potentially phased out then it makes much more sense to collect and repurpose as a bottle for people in areas without access to clean drinking water.\nInstead of clothing companies using fishing nets while selling washing machine filters to catch the microfibres, they should change their business model. These companies just want you to continue buying their stuff without the guilt. It's part of that belief consumers should change, not the companies. It has to be both. Cute active wear is not a necessity. Clean drinking water is.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nI understand it might sound like a big\nask for people to donate $50 towards an environmental group without any tangible immediate return like a sweater. I don't know where\u0026nbsp;the need to have physical proof to prove we care comes from. T-shirts with eco slogans or recycled plastic backpacks have become a status symbol. This isn't just in the environmental movement, the practice is everywhere. We should be OK to pass on money to help without some kind of return.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I can assure\nhaving worked with and interacting in many grassroots environmental organisations, our donations are pivitol when it comes to fixing clean water, education, waste and recycling services.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003ERelated blog posts:\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2015\/09\/synthetic-and-natural-fibres.html\"\u003ENavigating the world of synthetic and natural fibres\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2014\/09\/charity-and-misuse-of-plastic.html\"\u003ECharity and the misuse of plastics\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cstyle type=\"text\/css\"\u003E\n \u003C!--\n  @page { margin: 2cm }\n  P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm }\n --\u003E\n \u003C\/style\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nThere are a number of organisations tackling plastic pollution closer listed below. But before clicking\nthrough think about your own neighbourhood or a region in your country\nwhere that money can uplift. Here in Australia half of Aboriginal communities have no rubbish bin or waste pick up service. This is why I have chosen to donate 5% of my profits from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/waste-not-erin-rhoads\/prod9781743794623.html\"\u003EWaste Not\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/waste-not-everyday-erin-rhoads\/prod9781743795552.html\"\u003EWaste Not Everyday\u003C\/a\u003E to the organisation \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/wasteaid.org.au\/\"\u003EWaste Aid Australia\u003C\/a\u003E to help change this. Here are suggestions for other groups and projects:\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nDonations for \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/plasticoceans.org\/donate\/\"\u003EA Plastic Oceans\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;go towards facilitator education programs within local communities in\nlocal languages, creating youth educational films, installing Elkay water\nrefill station at under-served schools and supporting local activism.\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/oliveridleyproject.org\/donate\"\u003EThe Oliver Ridley Project\u003C\/a\u003E works to not only remove ghost nets from oceans but also provide educational\noutreach while working with fisheries to minimise and reuse fishing gear. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bottleforbotol.org\/donate.html\"\u003EBottle for Botol\u003C\/a\u003E sets up education, reusable alternatives and tools to empower students to create change in their own communities. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere is also projects like Sri Lanka's \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/projects\/poseidon-army-1\/\"\u003EPoseidon Army\u003C\/a\u003E, Cambodia's first \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/projects\/build-cambodias-first-nature-discovery-center\/\"\u003ENature Discover Centre\u003C\/a\u003E, help build an \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/projects\/eco-friendly-library-for-the-disabled\/\"\u003Eaccessible library\u003C\/a\u003E out of eco-bricks in Malawi, fund a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/projects\/small-island-recycling-and-waste-management-dawasamu\/\"\u003Esmall island recycling \u0026amp; waste management\u003C\/a\u003E in Fiji,\u0026nbsp;provide assistance to \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/projects\/recycling-malaysia\/\"\u003EReef Check Malaysia\u003C\/a\u003E to create a waste management and recycling system on a Borneo island and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/projects\/reduce-plastic-in-tanzania\/\"\u003EReduce Plastic in Tanzania\u003C\/a\u003E. I could continue with this list.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe greatest teaching during my “journey” to create less waste and reduce plastic is learning to pause before buying anything and meditate on how the impact my money (or other resources like time and physical energy) can be used to help lift up others. I realise it's a luxury to think like this, so I don't take the responsibility lightly. And that's not to say I'm perfect in that thought 100% of the time. But as always, I try.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nI live in an area with robust recycling and waste management, quality environmental education within reach and clean drinking water in abundance. This scenario is not the same everywhere and by redirecting my purchase hopefully one day it will be.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/4592410384470407679"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/4592410384470407679"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2019\/06\/why-i-will-never-buy-clothing-made-of-recycled-plastic.html","title":"Why I will never buy clothing made of recycled plastic (and it's not because of the plastic microfibers)"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEibgOx8W2Ey1iKWenEdQ1630V9Znu-vb4I_M7WRqzvbadh3qfW07PHQA2_Qigbo720Z731EOl7NViUPoU4hxvoZ2Q18-sLOegLQ65yNNfXjWqMWJQhhpdC22nHCNUqB3Xr6AYgV7GMLtZI\/s72-c\/therogueginger_Why+I+will+never+buy+clothing+made+of+recycled+plastic.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-2605377780788267069"},"published":{"$t":"2019-06-20T13:16:00.001+10:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2019-07-21T05:00:52.378+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Sneaky plastics in our food packaging"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\nDid you see the video posted by MEL Science revealing the hidden layer of plastic inside aluminium cans? If you missed it, watch it below\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"YOUTUBE-iframe-video\" data-thumbnail-src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/EagzNomxTYg\/0.jpg\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EagzNomxTYg?feature=player_embedded\" width=\"320\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\nPlastic is typically used in canned food and drinks to stop metal leaching into the food or drink. Carbonated drinks and some foods have high acid levels meaning they leach faster. Even if the food are not high in acid the metal can still leach. If you see cans are BPA free this doesn't mean it's free of plastic, instead the BPA has been replaced with BPS or BPF. You can read here about studies being conducted on the BPA replacement as to whether they are safe or not \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/news\/2018\/09\/bpa-substitutes-may-be-just-bad-popular-consumer-plastic\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nBecause the plastic amount is small it's typically removed during the recycling process usually by high heat when cans are recycled. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThese type of plastic linings are not solely in aluminium cans either. The metal lids on glass jars will have a lining of plastic too just in case the food comes in contact with the lid. This is the main reason why businesses accepting glass bottles and jars for refill will not use the metal lids as the plastic will be removed during the sanitation process. Those metal lids are usually sent off for recycling and they buy new ones, or use plastic lids. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThere are other types of packaging with sneaky plastic hiding within. The most popular item most people will know is the cartons used for milk (including plant based milks) and juices, where the plastic is layered between the cardboard. The plastic helps stop the milk from leaking while lasting longer on the shelf. Take away cups used for coffee also have a layer of plastic otherwise that hot drink would leak also. Even some tea bags contain plastic. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nBelow are a few items that have have plastic linings and other chemicals you may not know about. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nA cardboard box at a conference (food was supplied), coffee cup found outside the house (my street sits just off a main shopping strip. Alot of coffee cups get left behind near us), ice cream (again, another littered item) and the chip cup (asked staff for the chips on the plate but the request didn't make it to the kitchen).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi8JZF5XWaro5Q6ImW-JuttFUc437EsWFXKkchvHMCItrfqlUE0cwUKeHb6KZ5iw8VYxjrQ5glYLceQuLWHlZn56dIrb9d-3UB8JuEZ0Az3Ke0ZcSVAvkPQDJdXOIPwds5-QMWpRTIZ6tY\/s1600\/therogueginger_sneaky+plastics+in+packaging+01.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi8JZF5XWaro5Q6ImW-JuttFUc437EsWFXKkchvHMCItrfqlUE0cwUKeHb6KZ5iw8VYxjrQ5glYLceQuLWHlZn56dIrb9d-3UB8JuEZ0Az3Ke0ZcSVAvkPQDJdXOIPwds5-QMWpRTIZ6tY\/s1600\/therogueginger_sneaky+plastics+in+packaging+01.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nTo find out if a cardboard or paper based item like the ones above have a lining of plastic is simple. I cut off a piece and place into hot water, then let it sit for 10 minutes. The plastic will seperate from the cardboard. Each one had a lining of plastic. It was the cardboard box which surprised me the most. But there you go, plastic is sneaky and almost everywhere. This type of plastic could be recycled via RedCycle soft plastic drop off at the major supermarkets...but who is going to do that?? Plus the resources going into creating these for a single use is not needed for most of us.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhzjlasZPEcoM5AR5gOkaQXB6bIaEtVv6OqM6yxwHzG1nmNNPgAlieh2k1vkIkdzz1I0gPh9WljbRkVF2lFmoMSvly7Xu4od3EfnVD4lmF3qXTImT3k3IqCMNpykL2A0Rx-eEmsKLEK97M\/s1600\/therogueginger_sneaky+plastics+in+packaging+02.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhzjlasZPEcoM5AR5gOkaQXB6bIaEtVv6OqM6yxwHzG1nmNNPgAlieh2k1vkIkdzz1I0gPh9WljbRkVF2lFmoMSvly7Xu4od3EfnVD4lmF3qXTImT3k3IqCMNpykL2A0Rx-eEmsKLEK97M\/s1600\/therogueginger_sneaky+plastics+in+packaging+02.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nA friend was going to throw out this pack of puff pastry. It has been over six year since I had used this kind of product but I knew there was thin layers of plastic between the pastry but as the cardboard outer packaging caught the light I saw a sheen that had me wonder if this had sneaky plastic. So I did the hot water test...and yes, there was hidden plastic again.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgSC6_I_6KdHYiI0vhm2dArZp4O3TIcq0DBkrNKfSL7vsBjfDBBujfa-fAs_-kRpsR30zbew-X32k4i6WrplAXW6DwOtfdW2P278ZC25hAgyHOuDfr4QfRpoqktZBPHOdAbcpSNTcw0QUQ\/s1600\/therogueginger_sneaky+plastics+in+packaging+03.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgSC6_I_6KdHYiI0vhm2dArZp4O3TIcq0DBkrNKfSL7vsBjfDBBujfa-fAs_-kRpsR30zbew-X32k4i6WrplAXW6DwOtfdW2P278ZC25hAgyHOuDfr4QfRpoqktZBPHOdAbcpSNTcw0QUQ\/s1600\/therogueginger_sneaky+plastics+in+packaging+03.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI'm not anti plastic, simply anti the misuse. With the rise in awareness of plastic pollution, I'm beginning to see more and more food businesses swap out takeaway food packaging for paper based options because they want to do the right thing. However these will be lined with petroleum based plastic or plant-based plastics. The thing is, how would a customer know there is even plastic lining these items let alone what type of plastic. If it can be recycled will the lining be recycled with the paper? will it break down? or will it be sent to landfill? If people think it's compostable at home will the sneaky plastic end up in the compost pile? None of this information is available on the packaging and staff rarely know themselves. And if it's not lined with plastic will the packaging contain PFAS? \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003ERelated blog posts: \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2019\/05\/is-shopping-at-bulk-stores-or-co-op-the-best-way-reduce-packaging-waste.html\"\u003EIs shopping at bulk stores or co-ops the best way to reduce packaging waste?\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/zero%20waste%20shopping%20does%20not%20exist%20%E2%80%93%20is%20there%20a%20solution\/?\"\u003EZero waste shopping does not exist, is there a solution?\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nSo who needs to make changes. The Government should make it a requirement for all companies to explain in detail on the packaging what it's made of similar to the The\u0026nbsp;Australasian Recycling Symbol. Ingredients for food are mandatory so why not our packaging. If a cardboard based product is going to be easier to compost with a compostable plant based lining, then why not enforce this as the standard lining too. That way there is no confusion for composting at home and encourage more public composting bins. I'm not 100% aware what would happen should this kind of compostable plastic lined paper end up in the recycling stream and i've been waiting for answers from a couple of sources. Plastic water bottles and plastic containers made of compostable plastics do contaminate regular plastic recycling.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAs you can see there is a lot of processes that need to change. The funny thing is the solutions are easy for most of us when it comes to avoiding this confusion in take-away packaging: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Col\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ETake the time to sit down and eat a meal on a real plate. Get away from the office desk and use the time to enjoy a break.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EOrder takeaway in your own container. Simply phone ahead to see if the cafe or restaurant will allow you to bring a container to use instead of a single-use option. Visit \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/trashlesstakeaway.com.au\/\"\u003ETrashlessTakeaway.com.au\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026nbsp;for a list in your area.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EAustralian businesses \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/returnr.org\/\"\u003EReturnr\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/retub.com.au\/\"\u003EReTub\u003C\/a\u003E are partnering with business encouraging the reuse and refill of food containers. Customers simply put down a deposit for a reusable container when paying for the meal. Customers get the deposit back when the container is returned. This system is not new, India has been offering returnable tifins for a long time.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003C\/ol\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nI understand some of our food will always need packaging including takeaway. And I'm aware we won't give up take-away food, not because our modern society loves it, simply humans have always enjoyed some form of takeaway food.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\nHowever when I see what looks like complex “solutions” to the problems of packaging, in particular takeaway, rarely do there conversations address our need to change mindsets. Packaging made of seaweed or mushrooms....great, but how much would we need to create this for takeaway packaging alone. Does it just exacerbate the go go go loop we are stuck in. The packaging needs to change but also so do we.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/2605377780788267069"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/2605377780788267069"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2019\/06\/sneaky-plastics-in-our-food-packaging.html","title":"Sneaky plastics in our food packaging"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/EagzNomxTYg\/default.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-4682806505672336092"},"published":{"$t":"2019-05-14T13:08:00.000+10:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-03-04T09:41:44.625+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Is shopping at Bulk Stores or Co-Op's the best way to reduce packaging waste?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cstyle type=\"text\/css\"\u003E\n \u003C!--\n  @page { margin: 2cm }\n  P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm }\n  A:link { so-language: zxx }\n \u003C\/style\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjxqeVV8icjbmM7Fa_UvUwOeBeXCJ71TGsmqfUnamulngXXp18bsnS46YfySBDeYlorYAZuvtlnVqsQ-Hyg7GUDtl6I3MAlyP9XUR56CPwdJJR9Br33MwS_HpCCi6-TCBWYW7E0CpsIdM0\/s1600\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_04.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Is shopping at Bulk Store or Co-Op the best way to reduce packaging waste?\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjxqeVV8icjbmM7Fa_UvUwOeBeXCJ71TGsmqfUnamulngXXp18bsnS46YfySBDeYlorYAZuvtlnVqsQ-Hyg7GUDtl6I3MAlyP9XUR56CPwdJJR9Br33MwS_HpCCi6-TCBWYW7E0CpsIdM0\/s1600\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_04.jpg\" title=\"Is shopping at Bulk Store or Co-Op the best way to reduce packaging waste?\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nHave you ever walked into a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2014\/08\/bulk-food-store.html\"\u003Ebulk store\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;or \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2016\/03\/bulk-co-op-rural-victoria-beam.html\"\u003Eco-op\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;with cloth bags and jars tucked\nneatly into your basket ready to do a zero-waste shop, feeling a\nlittle smug you won't be creating any rubbish? Only to spot an\nemployee filling up the bulk bins from a plastic or paper bag. The\nrealisation there is packaging in waste-free shopping has you turning\naway in horror, wondering if you are even making a better choice by\ntrying to shop so called 'package free'.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nSo if there is packaging at a bulk food\nstore, is it this the best choice compared to buying packaged food at a\nsupermarket?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nLet's compare cashew nuts packaging from the supermarket to those found at bulk food stores.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003EI don't normally\u0026nbsp;buy cashews because they are not local to me but it was the only bag they had at the bulk store available on the day.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEguA9IQe-5h8y9wYll40dtn4gfxBk_zDd4xsEE-pWNQYWuhhDze243s2FfY5t3c5BGQiErUgf8nl4n_QRFBmoNDt1yjoHqrEkOZ5v5Ah0zDcrc-bO0byg7wDEkUqul3l-zHABAo6ruFk6A\/s1600\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_00.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Is shopping at Bulk Store or Co-Op the best way to reduce packaging waste?\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEguA9IQe-5h8y9wYll40dtn4gfxBk_zDd4xsEE-pWNQYWuhhDze243s2FfY5t3c5BGQiErUgf8nl4n_QRFBmoNDt1yjoHqrEkOZ5v5Ah0zDcrc-bO0byg7wDEkUqul3l-zHABAo6ruFk6A\/s1600\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_00.jpg\" title=\"Is shopping at Bulk Store or Co-Op the best way to reduce packaging waste?\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nOn the left is a 200g packet of cashew\nnuts purchased at a supermarket in exactly the same way I shopped for food before I went\nzero-waste; grabbing the first bag of affordable\nnuts I saw and rushing to the cashier to pay.\u0026nbsp; Never stopping to consider the packaging at all or where they came from.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nTo the right is a large plastic bag I\ncollected from a bulk food store that originally held 2.5kg of cashew\nnuts. The contents of this plastic bag was emptied into a bulk\ndispensing bin at the store. \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nBoth the supermarket and bulk store\nnuts were delivered in cardboard boxes, with the supermarkets version\ncontaining more individually wrapped packets of nuts within that same\nbox. The bulk delivery contained this one bag. \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nMost cardboard boxes delivered to the supermarket\nare flattened and recycled, while bulk stores allow customers reuse these boxes first before they will be recycled. Some\nsupermarkets are setting aside a small collection of boxes for\ncustomers to use as an alternative to plastic bags but again this is\na small number. Already the bulk store gets extra points for\nreusing this component of the packaging before recycling.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003ELet's look at the packaging:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003E200g packet of cashew nuts purchased\nat the supermarket:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nThis packaging is brightly coloured with text and images. On the inside is a foil lining. The bag would have been produced first. To attach the colours, images and writing the printer would attach a film, printing ink, laminating adhesive and laminating film. Four seperate components to get those snazzy logos onto the plastic. Each one created and stored within its own packaging in the printing warehouse.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThese are some of the ingredients need to make inks alone. A solvent made of an oil, either mineral, vegetable (hi palm oil!), fatty acid esters. Solvents can also be an ethanol base or an aqueous polymer is water based. There are resins needed. There are many others mixes depending on what kind of ink. And of course there are the pigments. The above components are in conventional ink production and the most widely used. Each of these needed to be made. Every single ingredient.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThere are also adhesives or a heating mechanism used to keep the bags shut.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI also don't know if this packaging was created in Australia or made elsewhere. Same with each of the ingredients needed to manufacture the film, printing ink, laminating adhesive and laminating film. How much shipping was needed to create the many parts of the packaging alone?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIt doesn't pass the scrunch test so it's not recyclable at any of the\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2013\/10\/excitment-in-almost-plastic-free-kitchen.html\"\u003Esoft plastic drop off locations\u003C\/a\u003E. I double check the back of the\npackaging to see if the new\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/planetark.org\/recyclinglabel\/\"\u003EAustralasian Recycling Symbol\u003C\/a\u003E can confirm this. They don't have it - only the Do The Right Thing landfill logo. Even if it was recyclable it still has a bigger footprint over the clear plastic bulk bags.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjp_bjY5JfTTyPuy0qQ_C2_c8Nn0nFBRtvNzqIyNaJ6Vf5WqR28as61wVTI0V30PJw-oyvgRHQAET2sgz55-0-HWYPgEAs-ezWwLSJAEaN2J5AQQzp0UDEUNER6XiB4kWZ3yzsKZEgi6u0\/s1600\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_05.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Is shopping at Bulk Store or Co-Op the best way to reduce packaging waste?\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjp_bjY5JfTTyPuy0qQ_C2_c8Nn0nFBRtvNzqIyNaJ6Vf5WqR28as61wVTI0V30PJw-oyvgRHQAET2sgz55-0-HWYPgEAs-ezWwLSJAEaN2J5AQQzp0UDEUNER6XiB4kWZ3yzsKZEgi6u0\/s1600\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_05.jpg\" title=\"Is shopping at Bulk Store or Co-Op the best way to reduce packaging waste?\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThis is the Australasian Recycling Symbol beginning to appear on packaging. It helps tell the shopper what can and can't be recycled. Especially handy when trying to figure out if there is sneaky plastic inside a cardboard box:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjxAPfgGTW4z2bzHNoSWNUZf5nhWUdGnSDRaWur4NWMRIJmEnMnPo4NtrIdA_3AjThrkGguntQoaVtIniuqgYdqqdvsQZIoE7shcHOHIZ0EVvB6aMb5xjsIgZJRaKK8pipxVF13KF47MNo\/s1600\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_06.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Australasian Recycling Symbol\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjxAPfgGTW4z2bzHNoSWNUZf5nhWUdGnSDRaWur4NWMRIJmEnMnPo4NtrIdA_3AjThrkGguntQoaVtIniuqgYdqqdvsQZIoE7shcHOHIZ0EVvB6aMb5xjsIgZJRaKK8pipxVF13KF47MNo\/s400\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_06.jpg\" title=\"Australasian Recycling Symbol\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003E2.5kg bag of nuts from bulk store:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nThe see through plastic is similar to a bread bag and passes the scrunch test. It can be recycled. Well\ndown-cycled. What is worth noting is the lack of colours or other materials, meaning there is no ink used in the manufacturing process. No advertising. No logos. Just a simple (big) bag of nuts. Fewer resources compared to the other packaging.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe bag is large and with a wash in\nsoapy water I can use them again to store clothes or other items. They are also super handy for rubbish clean ups instead of buying new rubbish bags. These hold alot of litter, trust me :) And bulk stores will happily give pass them on.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgkWk72pdoDnOJG3yoot-AIHRrjJPNSOe_TawFGMABRExsqa7f9RpnUyp_2t3vEnsIZIVhTA3gc-AZobgi2XjIodr6T4hW9FMmUnXppqYNxvffJGDmAkS1CqjOqNGYQzT1G1LLtyFrdlho\/s1600\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_01.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Is shopping at Bulk Store or Co-Op the best way to reduce packaging waste?\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgkWk72pdoDnOJG3yoot-AIHRrjJPNSOe_TawFGMABRExsqa7f9RpnUyp_2t3vEnsIZIVhTA3gc-AZobgi2XjIodr6T4hW9FMmUnXppqYNxvffJGDmAkS1CqjOqNGYQzT1G1LLtyFrdlho\/s640\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_01.jpg\" title=\"Is shopping at Bulk Store or Co-Op the best way to reduce packaging waste?\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjw-cC_LmetHA0fy-_8eyIONWKi9xMNkzB2V_m2VKtGRaaP1Y635IYN4nmdsqZtRqsAY3iB7NQmiUepINEXPvLZaj0-4xkoESikYcRoVboVy17qSoTkAvMLweyT8-cjOUKYsvRuysODiNs\/s1600\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_03.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Is shopping at Bulk Store or Co-Op the best way to reduce packaging waste?\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjw-cC_LmetHA0fy-_8eyIONWKi9xMNkzB2V_m2VKtGRaaP1Y635IYN4nmdsqZtRqsAY3iB7NQmiUepINEXPvLZaj0-4xkoESikYcRoVboVy17qSoTkAvMLweyT8-cjOUKYsvRuysODiNs\/s640\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_03.jpg\" title=\"Is shopping at Bulk Store or Co-Op the best way to reduce packaging waste?\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nMost (not all) bulk food stores are\nfounded with an environmental focus and make sure the packaging from\ntheir products is disposed of properly. I know many bulk food stores\nactively engaging with their suppliers on ways to reduce the need to\neven recycle or at worst throw away anything, instead working together to return and refill. They don't exist to make us feel better about shopping zero-waste.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003ERelated blog posts:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2017\/03\/zero-waste-shopping-does-not-exist.html\"\u003EZero waste shopping does not exist – is there a solution?\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2017\/08\/recycling-is-not-solution.html\"\u003ERecycling is not the solution, but we can't abandon it yet\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2014\/08\/bulk-food-store.html\"\u003EWhat is a bulk food store?\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2016\/04\/Beechworth-Food-Co-Op.html\"\u003ELearn how a bulk food co-op works\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nThis 2.5kg bag of cashew nuts equals 12.5 of the 200g packets. 12.5 pieces of foil, plastic and\nink  ending up in landfill and that's if every single packet goes into a bin.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nShould the packaging have been recyclable, then we have to hope all\n12 would even be recycled. There is no way we can guarantee the customer\nwill make the choice to do so. And then it's only being delayed from landfill.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nThe single plastic bag from the bulk store is\neasier to manage since there is only one to take responsibility for.\nIn this case it will be down-cycled into outdoor furniture such as\npark seats, bollards, play equipment, boardwalks amongst other items. It's not perfect but again it's a step in the right direction of resource value. And customers like me can reuse it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\nLook at how this pancake mix is shipped to the store. Plastic upon plastic plus stickers galore. The inks and adhesives, the associated waste from those small often overlooked components.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgKIrcoPP9h9vw1c9gV14NFavIEzsmkh8ejAmboP0aRHC7vGcAhpz02GwHO4QIUAfINMoMiQQyJ-23C99J0TTnalg2YiCicX0_XCVMi_zXoqferi71Lo2_WfR0c-Im2GbmKoxLKC4gGdIQ\/s1600\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_07.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Is shopping at Bulk Store or Co-Op the best way to reduce packaging waste?\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgKIrcoPP9h9vw1c9gV14NFavIEzsmkh8ejAmboP0aRHC7vGcAhpz02GwHO4QIUAfINMoMiQQyJ-23C99J0TTnalg2YiCicX0_XCVMi_zXoqferi71Lo2_WfR0c-Im2GbmKoxLKC4gGdIQ\/s1600\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_07.jpg\" title=\"Is shopping at Bulk Store or Co-Op the best way to reduce packaging waste?\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI often hear the argument plastic packaging is needed to reduce food waste but this is more for vegetables and fruit travelling long distances. But when it's individually packaged like this i feel it it promotes food waste. Bulk food shopping allows me to dictate how much food I need. If a recipe calls for two tablespoons of cashews or one cup of lentils, then I can buy exactly what I need and not forced to buy more.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe lack of logos and advertising at bulk stores and co-ops is not only more pleasing on the eye making the experience relaxing, as I'm bombarded with gimmicky words or 2 for 1 deals telling me to buy more more more!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nBulk stores and co-op's are having a resurgence and with more people waking up to the packaging waste I can only foresee more change to come. It's hard to tell now if the answer will be bulk stores. Until then I'll happily support my local store pleased to know they are on my side when it comes to fighting the war on waste.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/4682806505672336092"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/4682806505672336092"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2019\/05\/is-shopping-at-bulk-stores-or-co-op-the-best-way-reduce-packaging-waste.html","title":"Is shopping at Bulk Stores or Co-Op's the best way to reduce packaging waste?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjxqeVV8icjbmM7Fa_UvUwOeBeXCJ71TGsmqfUnamulngXXp18bsnS46YfySBDeYlorYAZuvtlnVqsQ-Hyg7GUDtl6I3MAlyP9XUR56CPwdJJR9Br33MwS_HpCCi6-TCBWYW7E0CpsIdM0\/s72-c\/therogueginger_Is+buying+items+from+bulk+bins+with+reusable+containers+more+environmentally+friendly_04.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-2962603375232502886"},"published":{"$t":"2019-01-10T22:52:00.006+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2023-07-26T09:36:42.679+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"My water only hair washing routine and why I love it"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cstyle type=\"text\/css\"\u003E\n \u003C!--\n  @page { margin: 2cm }\n  P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm }\n \u003C\/style\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjhns3Pq6Rb1ZiDVjDCwoMPNsTVxsH8J3i5hmcBhrCnzjhXKdObPz3Tog-lj0ZdXskwYqbqEbNQIf4ajiSqBHWpK2i2Qg7QkwJMTG8y4NO-7UDHFYm_GKPNafzUrC4UAp0LBnnKdZclVds\/s1600\/therogueginger_my+zero+waste+hair+care+no+shampoo.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"water only zero waste hair care no shampoo\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjhns3Pq6Rb1ZiDVjDCwoMPNsTVxsH8J3i5hmcBhrCnzjhXKdObPz3Tog-lj0ZdXskwYqbqEbNQIf4ajiSqBHWpK2i2Qg7QkwJMTG8y4NO-7UDHFYm_GKPNafzUrC4UAp0LBnnKdZclVds\/s1600\/therogueginger_my+zero+waste+hair+care+no+shampoo.jpg\" title=\"water only zero waste hair care no shampoo\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI started washing my hair with only water three years ago. To be fair, I don't use\u0026nbsp;water alone. Here is what I do:\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E1.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp; Using my fingers I massage the scalp\nfollowed by a thorough brush twice a week, usually after my son goes\nto bed. If you are new to water only, scalp massage and brushing is key. Regular scalp massage and brushing helps to release the oil from\nbuilding up at the scalp. It will be over a week before my roots start to look oily. Yay to washing hair less often!\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nMy mum bought me a boar bristle\nbrush after my Acca Kappa brush \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BdFSiLgAgcn\/\"\u003Efell apart\u003C\/a\u003E. I have read claims from\nothers who wash with water only that boar bristles help move oil from\nthe roots down through the hair with greater efficiency, but I can't\nsay there was a huge difference between the boar bristles and a\nwooden pin brush.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe boar bristle brush is not my\nfavourite as it's difficult to work through all of my hair (I have alot\nof hair!) and I can only guess it would suit those with less hair.\nPlus there is the whole animal exploitation issue of using boar\nbristles. There are \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.biome.com.au\/natural-styling-products\/20497-vegan-agave-fibre-hair-brush.html\" onclick=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/14846?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.biome.com.au%2fnatural-styling-products%2f20497-vegan-agave-fibre-hair-brush.html\u0026amp;UniqueId=My+zero-waste+hair+care';\" rel=\"noindex,nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Evegan agave fibre hair brushes\u003C\/a\u003E if you are looking\nfor something similar to the boar bristle style.\nI'll continue using mine until it's broken then go back to a wooden\nbristle brush like this \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.biome.com.au\/natural-hair-care\/16983-wooden-hair-brush-oblong.html\" onclick=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/14846?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.biome.com.au%2fnatural-hair-care%2f16983-wooden-hair-brush-oblong.html\u0026amp;UniqueId=My+zero-waste+hair+care';\" rel=\"noindex,nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHolzstifte hair brush\u003C\/a\u003E.\nSimilar to my old Acca Kappa the Holzstifte is made of FSC Beechwood\nwith a natural rubber cushion, making it compostable at the end of\nit's life if there are no adhesives used (I'll update this once Holzstifte get back to Biome who are chasing this information up for me). Only downside is the brush\ncomes all the way from Germany. I would love to know if there are any similar hair brushes made within Australia or NZ.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E2.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E On the day I wash my hair (about every\n10 - 12 days) I'll take sprigs of rosemary, steep them in hot water until\ncool or an overnight cold brew the evening before. Transferring to a spray bottle I'll work it through my hair\nfocusing on my scalp. Rosemary helps to remove any build up, reduces scalp irritation and alleviate dandruff while promoting hair growth. Plus it smells pretty.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThen I get into the shower, using my fingers to\nscrub at the scalp. I don't put anything into my hair like a\nconditioner since the natural oils in my hair conditioned perfectly\nwell. It all sounds very lovely, washing rosemary through my hair la la la.\nTruthfully my son and I shower together, making it anything but a\nrelaxing experience.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nOnce a month I like to use Ethique's Conditioner Wonderbar to add extra moisture too. Their packaging is compostable paper and cardboard. Being true to zero-waste I reuse the cardboard for writing lists or craft projects with my son, before I consider composting or recycling. One solid conditioner bar is the equivalent of five liquid conditioners, meaning I don't need much at all.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E3. \u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EWhen I want to accentuate my waves I'll\nwork through a teaspoon of linseed gel after the shower. Marshmallow\nroot is useful with waves and curls too. Similar to the rosemary, I\nsteep the marshmallow root in warm water, let cool and spray through\nmy hair. The rosemary is collected from the garden or around the\nneighbourhood, while linseed and marshmallow root are sold at Friends of the Earth bulk store in Collingwood. Linseeds also makes a great egg substitute in cooking. I also share a homemade hair wax with the builder. Recipes for the hair wax and linseed gel are in my \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/smarturl.it\/WasteNotBook\"\u003Ebook\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgMLv6Z-6g6cE6JeCSsuwhCTZsAuL-AaXEOA_HLR6PnG3Yvp2vEgdOyGdZNfYHTlEsfAwHPB9qU_pkw5sirYazy_V__oF9C_nucW8FsjyIwrSjz-DkYMcwOk5M8T0XFO_ZQMkReX9Tq7Yw\/s1600\/therogueginger_my+zero+waste+hair+care+no+shampoo+01.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"water only zero waste hair care no shampoo\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgMLv6Z-6g6cE6JeCSsuwhCTZsAuL-AaXEOA_HLR6PnG3Yvp2vEgdOyGdZNfYHTlEsfAwHPB9qU_pkw5sirYazy_V__oF9C_nucW8FsjyIwrSjz-DkYMcwOk5M8T0XFO_ZQMkReX9Tq7Yw\/s1600\/therogueginger_my+zero+waste+hair+care+no+shampoo+01.jpg\" title=\"water only zero waste hair care no shampoo\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EBoar bristle hairbrush, upcycled glass spray bottle that I've had for years, rosemary from the garden and a wide tooth comb for use post shower that I've owned since so long that I can't remember.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nSince giving birth my hair has lost some of its wave and volume, but that might be because I'm still\nbreastfeeding. At least that's what a friend suggested. If you have\nknotty hair, marshmallow roots slippery properties help to keep hair\ntangle free. Simply spray on post shower. I still use a wide tooth\nplastic comb after a shower, especially if I'm putting linseed gel or my salt spray for a beach wave look. \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nThe water only method was a movement I\nchanced upon by accident. We were tossing three avocado seeds into\nour compost each week and I began to wonder if there was another way to use them before sending to compost. I didn't expect to find a\nrecipe for \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2015\/10\/avocado-seed-shampoo.html\"\u003Eavocado seed shampoo\u003C\/a\u003E.\nOver time I began decreasing how much shampoo I was adding until it\nwas just the avocado seed water then simply made the switch to water\nonly. I'm not sure if it was gradual reduction in shampoo or the\navocado seed that allowed me to skip the whole greasy hair issue\nother water only washers experience at the beginning. \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nPrior to the avocado seed shampoo I\nrefilled my shampoo and conditioner at the local bulk store. I used a\u0026nbsp;shampoo bar like the brand Ethique\u0026nbsp;when I travelled as they were light, before I knew\nzero-waste was a thing or that our obsession with plastic was an\nissue. \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nI did try the popular zero-waste no poo\nmethod of bicarb soda and apple cider vinegar. This never worked for\nme. The bicarb left my scalp red and sore, the apple cider vinegar\ndidn't seem to do anything either. Rye flour was OK, but I have a lot of hair and I found it took a long time to get out.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nWhen it comes time for a haircut I do\nlet the hairdresser wash my hair with their shampoo. It's only a\ncouple times a year so I treat it as a deep clean. My hair doesn't\nchange and there is never a transition phase back. But this could be\nbecause the salon I go to uses gentle products. They are part of\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/sustainablesalons.org\/\"\u003ESustainable Salons Australia\u003C\/a\u003E.\nSustainable Salons Australia help hair salons recover up to 95% of\nsalon waste, diverting it from landfill through different programs.\nThink items like chemicals, paper, hair, plastics, razors and tools.\nProceeds from selling materials such as foil goes to OzHarvest\nproviding meals for the homeless. If your salon is not with\nSustainable Salons Australia, let them know about this zero waste\ncommunity initiative.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nI was very nervous in the lead up to\nthe photoshoot for my book. Part of me wanted to get my hair washed\nand blow dried, plus my makeup professionally done. But I decided to\nstick to what I do in my day to day to keep it authentic. I even went water only for my \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2016\/10\/zero-waste-wedding.html\"\u003Ewedding day\u003C\/a\u003E. When I have\na speaking event or TV interview I'll usually style it straight or\ncurl with my hair straightener. If I have time I'll use my blow dryer\ntoo.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nAs my hair gets closer to wash day, I\ndo need to sprinkle dry shampoo at the roots which is simply tapioca flour. It\ndoubles as my face powder too. Usually by this time my waves have vanished.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nMost of the time I wear my hair down or in a bun using a hair stick stick gifted to me by\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/sayadesigns.com\/\"\u003ESaya Designs\u003C\/a\u003E, braided, braids pinned up and if I have time a crown braid (my fave).\u0026nbsp;The wood used to make these plastic-free hair sticks are from the large roots left behind from logging plantation sites in Indonesia. Their packaging is made of 100% recycled materials too. I love the hair stick because when when someone asks where my beautiful hair stick is from (which is often) it’s an opportunity to tell them about the issues with deforestation and mass production. Wearable activism, I like that.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe kind folk from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/rubbercuppy.com.au\/\"\u003ERubber Cuppy\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;gifted me hair bands made from recycled bike inner tubes. They are a bit stiff at first but with some wear they begin to soften nicely. Rubber Cuppy are a Melbourne based reusable coffee cup company using old bike inner tubes as the protective covering around the glass. They are not selling the hair ties at the moment though. But they might if you ask!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI\u0026nbsp;have hair ties collected off the street too,\nboiled to remove germs. If the thought of picking up hair ties sounds\ntoo germy then I'd recommend the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.biome.com.au\/natural-hair-care\/19976-kooshoo-organic-hair-tie-brownblack.html\" onclick=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/14846?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.biome.com.au%2fnatural-hair-care%2f19976-kooshoo-organic-hair-tie-brownblack.html\u0026amp;UniqueId=My+zero-waste+hair+care';\" rel=\"noindex,nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EKooshoo\u003C\/a\u003E a natural and biodegradable hair tie made of organic cotton and natural rubber, instead of the\nsynthetic kind you'd find at most stores.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhkPfa4ULonuPaX9oPzTSqQrJjIfYCqSM9gRjMlxaGIXiXGvyDZQusykNmBG1MbLaUretvJfQRzuKr1JbJXQdAslYvIeQpZUDsq1q9ngs7IOfC6bap4jOtNFYUs8kQ47wcoeUui6NwQ0SI\/s1600\/therogueginger_my+zero+waste+hair+care+no+shampoo+04.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"water only zero waste hair care no shampoo\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhkPfa4ULonuPaX9oPzTSqQrJjIfYCqSM9gRjMlxaGIXiXGvyDZQusykNmBG1MbLaUretvJfQRzuKr1JbJXQdAslYvIeQpZUDsq1q9ngs7IOfC6bap4jOtNFYUs8kQ47wcoeUui6NwQ0SI\/s1600\/therogueginger_my+zero+waste+hair+care+no+shampoo+04.jpg\" title=\"water only zero waste hair care no shampoo\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhmwnbkSaMh2It6kn-q35u_fjjcaLPXlAZYg2V7fJp2LeY16CaNZLebr0tJTOInxwilGcUMo-hb5lojKdRcACD_0U0nNnyYHl5x2AWnOrQXRe1L11_rZHJUtDL-JhEjhuIZNGEEnJokgGo\/s1600\/therogueginger_my+zero+waste+hair+care+no+shampoo+03.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"water only zero waste hair care no shampoo\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"510\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhmwnbkSaMh2It6kn-q35u_fjjcaLPXlAZYg2V7fJp2LeY16CaNZLebr0tJTOInxwilGcUMo-hb5lojKdRcACD_0U0nNnyYHl5x2AWnOrQXRe1L11_rZHJUtDL-JhEjhuIZNGEEnJokgGo\/s1600\/therogueginger_my+zero+waste+hair+care+no+shampoo+03.jpg\" title=\"water only zero waste hair care no shampoo\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EMy upcycled hair ties, a Christmas gift from Rubber Cuppy and the beautiful Moonflower hair stick by\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/sayadesigns.com\/moonflower-hair-slide\" style=\"font-size: 12.8px;\"\u003ESaya Designs\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003ESo why the water only? Why not just\nstick to shampoo \u0026amp; conditioner if your bottles can be refilled at the bulk store? Or at least shampoo bars?\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nWhen I started thinking about how much\nrubbish I was making (and leaving for the next generation) I also began to question everything I've told been is\nnecessary. Turns out shampoo ended up being a product I did\nnot need for myself. Simple answer to what people think will be a long winded\nreply. Zero-waste\/minimal waste\/low waste (whatever you want to call it) isn't purely focused on reducing rubbish, it's also about questioning the status quo. At least it is for me. Much of the stuff we use and bring into our lives is probably not needed yet we do it simply out of habit. I like to question those habits and hope to gently nudge others to do the same.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWhat kind of hair do you have?\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\nTo give you context, my hair is thin but there is alot, making it look deceptively thick. As I mentioned before it is wavy which means my hair is on the drier side as wavy and curly hair tend to be. My hair is naturally red but does have some henna colouring through it after I left it in too long when I was doing a conditioning mask with it. Henna is to messy for me and I'll continue to stick with the regular hair masks that I share in my book \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/smarturl.it\/WasteNotBook\"\u003EWaste Not\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003Cstrike\u003EIf anyone in Melbourne is looking for bulk henna visit Wholefoods on Lygon Street, East Brunswick.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strike\u003E\u0026nbsp;No longer available but Lush might still sell blocks of Henna wrapped in paper.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\nFun fact, I used to work for a leading hair care brand. My hair was smothered and sprayed by a variety of products (I had a HUGE box of free hair products). It was dyed many fun shades when they needed hair models. I loved it :) But I love my zero-waste hair care routine more.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E#trgcollab: The Moonflower hair stick was gifted to me by Sava Designs. I use the hashtag #trgcollab to help readers idenifty items that were gifted to me or are paid post. This item was an unpaid gift. All views are my own. I only accept gifted items I would use personally.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/2962603375232502886"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/2962603375232502886"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2019\/01\/water-only-zero-waste-hair-care-no-shampoo.html","title":"My water only hair washing routine and why I love it"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjhns3Pq6Rb1ZiDVjDCwoMPNsTVxsH8J3i5hmcBhrCnzjhXKdObPz3Tog-lj0ZdXskwYqbqEbNQIf4ajiSqBHWpK2i2Qg7QkwJMTG8y4NO-7UDHFYm_GKPNafzUrC4UAp0LBnnKdZclVds\/s72-c\/therogueginger_my+zero+waste+hair+care+no+shampoo.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-7269536766385045338"},"published":{"$t":"2019-01-02T17:48:00.006+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2024-05-05T12:27:22.013+10:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Our son's 1st low waste birthday party"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\nWe had our child's first birthday! Learn how we celebrated our kids 1st zero waste birthday party. Here is a break down on the eco and sustainable choices we did made for their special day without the waste:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\nInvitations\u003C\/h4\u003E\nDigital invitations were sent out via SMS using the location as the party theme. We invited around 70 people and 65 attended. Everyone was punctual with their responses however I did make the RSVP ten days before the party so we could plan what we needed accordingly. If you don't fancy using the SMS option try GreenInvite or even a private Facebook event.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEheWgsts_7so4uyaNYwTb5dCfxOVjaW1QlNxVRjqQfHvndP660JQ1FpHbANPJMYSefSWZ_YyryVJUCKO_yaIp_fzAFzOadsEoGfkXuSV8cJQb8hweioTNkUtNaOH8Myo8ZxxcGGNXG1nxE\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday.png\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1156\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"462\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEheWgsts_7so4uyaNYwTb5dCfxOVjaW1QlNxVRjqQfHvndP660JQ1FpHbANPJMYSefSWZ_YyryVJUCKO_yaIp_fzAFzOadsEoGfkXuSV8cJQb8hweioTNkUtNaOH8Myo8ZxxcGGNXG1nxE\/s640\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday.png\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nLocation\u003C\/h4\u003E\nWe are very lucky to be surrounded by parks and bushland where we live. I decided to utilise one of the local parks to host our sons party as it had BBQ facilities, toilets, water fountains and a playground. The Black Pearl Pirate Ship located on the Maribyrnong River in Aberfeldie provided the perfect backdrop and entertainment for free. Next to it was a pavilion with picnic tables and seats, meaning we didn't have to bring much from home apart from ourselves and the food.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nBeing the tail end of summer, we crossed our fingers the weather would hold out. It did by an hour.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhoaglcnXvwHjZmib_IGn0Rf5Ly8m4UphQ52TVBFOSS8lYqx9PXxAOb3uBFVb14FwB5Ny4EV-3bhxWrA7WYyLhWgsPIquwO5hcR9PRx3gTqluZ2vls_gnjpCpn18aOTQmKjVEmXODGIRNs\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday_03.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"451\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhoaglcnXvwHjZmib_IGn0Rf5Ly8m4UphQ52TVBFOSS8lYqx9PXxAOb3uBFVb14FwB5Ny4EV-3bhxWrA7WYyLhWgsPIquwO5hcR9PRx3gTqluZ2vls_gnjpCpn18aOTQmKjVEmXODGIRNs\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday_03.jpg\" title=\"our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\nFood and Drink\u003C\/h4\u003E\nWe served popcorn, fruit, biscuits, small baked goods, 'sausage' rolls and 'cheesy'mite folls, followed by a falafel station with bread, dips and salad. Everything was easy to grab and vegan. The day ended with a homemade cake.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIt was the kind of food we wanted people to be able to eat while standing up and moving, because with younger kids adults are always rushing off making sure everything is OK and well, bigger kids are always moving. I didn't get any photos of the food, or many photos at all! My time was split between socialising and making sure nothing was flying away.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nEverything but the biscuits and cake were purchased pre-made and this is when we ended up with plastic, some obvious and some sneaky. The Lebanese bread used to eat the falafel with comes in plastic, but we did try to purchase without. The owner of the bakery told us that if we were to buy the bread without plastic it would dry out by lunch time. We cringed and went ahead. It was only three bags (we quartered the bread) but still the decision was agonised over. The plastic is a soft plastic that can be recycled (ahem, downcycled!) through the major supermarkets recycling programs. Three bread bag ties went into my \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2015\/06\/my-first-year-living-zero-waste.html\"\u003Ewaste bin\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nOur falafel and dip were bought in our own containers that we organised before the day. Nuts and popcorn came from local bulk food stores. We assembled a fruit platter but I think in the future we'll just serve watermelon as it was the only fruit devoured by everyone. The ingredients to make the biscuits and cake were purchased at the local bulk food stores too. My mother in law provided a salad to have with our falafels, and used tea towels instead of cling wrap.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nNow the sneaky plastic came from our small baked goods. I had intended to drop off reusable plastic containers to the bakery the day before but simply forgot. I wasn't to worried at the time since I had seen cardboard carry boxes. When we took the empty boxes home after the party I noticed the inside\u0026nbsp; was shiny and I did the hot water test to see if there was a plastic coating. Sure enough there was. So I separated all the plastic (polyethylene) from the cardboard, took the plastic lining to the soft plastic drop off with the Lebanese bread bags and recycled the rest of the cardboard in our normal kerbside recycling bin. It was less than a handful of plastic but still, it was plastic and would have ended up in landfill during the recycling process. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe Builder accidentally dropped the esky carrying the beer and wine, smashing two beer bottles on the footpath. These were swept up and put straight into the bin at the park. This is kind of funny because the effort I went to find second hand plastic plates and plastic drinking glasses was done so we wouldn't have to worry about any of the children breaking glass in a popular public location.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nApart from beer and wine, there was a drinks dispenser from home full of lemonade, the same recipe from my book and used at our wedding. We had several glass bottles of water for guests to fill their cups up with too.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nWe set up a recycling bin for bottles and a small compost bin for any scraps too.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhvnaEMfr89y9Ztw1bY8Bo5rUok0_RK_YLm-dx6gwyppD2N5rlApQiVL4zlnH3b-o13c6DHAwjMx4PPAt7dAEDt2X4Qd0QbiqVGoL353KugBbWZBxllO3eXJk2RcgO7MYgLH0y4DgRwUfg\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday_02.jpg\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"451\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhvnaEMfr89y9Ztw1bY8Bo5rUok0_RK_YLm-dx6gwyppD2N5rlApQiVL4zlnH3b-o13c6DHAwjMx4PPAt7dAEDt2X4Qd0QbiqVGoL353KugBbWZBxllO3eXJk2RcgO7MYgLH0y4DgRwUfg\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday_02.jpg\" title=\"our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\nPlates, cups and serving platters\u003C\/h4\u003E\nWe had regular plates for the adults and plastic plates for the kids, along with plastic drinking cups and wine glasses for the adults. As mentioned above I was trying to be cautious in a public area. I had the crockery plates from previous events on hand, so all I had to do was find the plastic kids plates and drinking cups. Luckily Savers had more than enough. Actually, I don't know if it is really lucky...goes to show just how much second hand plastic there already is. We've decided to hold onto these for future parties and loan out for friends and family to use. If you are in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, feel free to get in touch should you like to borrow anything. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nExtra serving platters and bowls were gathered from family and secondhand stores to. We used cotton napkins too. It was also a straw-free event but I did bring some of my metal ones from home just in case. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI will admit we are lucky to have storage space in our home to keep a lot of these party specific items. But we wouldn't hesitate to borrow everything instead of buy disposables. People are more helpful than we give them credit for so that's why I always encourage people to ask those around them to borrow and share. Otherwise buying from a secondhand store and returning is worth considering too as you can view it as a monetary donation while helping reduce waste. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIn my book I break down how I plan for parties to help reduce relying on disposables through to planning the food to be bought and cooked. Using a piece of paper, usually a scrap of paper from The Builders invoices, i'll draw a line creating two columns. The first column lists each dish to be served, with second column used to work out how many plates or serving platters I need. This helps me work out if I need to borrow or buy extra, and whatever is needed will go onto my shopping list.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003ERelated blog posts: \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2018\/03\/my-newborn-zero-waste-essentials-list.html\"\u003EMy newborn essentials list\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2017\/08\/zero-waste-baby-shower-gift-ideas.html\"\u003EBaby shower gift ideas\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2016\/10\/zero-waste-wedding.html\"\u003EOur Zero Waste Wedding\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEisZjnN3cPOHPTa0Lr9KwHfpDl5C2CBxOK5Da2eQaTkB9jB8c3BBjQ2a50t5ahYrhakutciWxOMiTv2kxDB8Kykmg_CdimnegM1jTYo_kYB7MbSrnj7TPgTa3itfnoZJ6nvaa7t5WzP4Vw\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday_04.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"451\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEisZjnN3cPOHPTa0Lr9KwHfpDl5C2CBxOK5Da2eQaTkB9jB8c3BBjQ2a50t5ahYrhakutciWxOMiTv2kxDB8Kykmg_CdimnegM1jTYo_kYB7MbSrnj7TPgTa3itfnoZJ6nvaa7t5WzP4Vw\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday_04.jpg\" title=\"our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgA0V6SAzaX0syZtWTcSptVEVNqmQSvyQzON9cUmmKaEGlhxxwuOjWJ5zRHc6WYnKNNqDadsVi7h4yOJ_zFGSMZ8zmM6wzfb3b8triuDnr4GrP7U2G-TCJ-2dqEsjuGqGbKFXvXQIIU-Lg\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday_05.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"451\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgA0V6SAzaX0syZtWTcSptVEVNqmQSvyQzON9cUmmKaEGlhxxwuOjWJ5zRHc6WYnKNNqDadsVi7h4yOJ_zFGSMZ8zmM6wzfb3b8triuDnr4GrP7U2G-TCJ-2dqEsjuGqGbKFXvXQIIU-Lg\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday_05.jpg\" title=\"our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEip3nbJWMud1OEYsvrZXU2GrGUnqS3bM2KE78YIly-AHRK8G2e5v3hQ-Q79cg74dGCFHjcUsx7dVKtXP2qxI3T5FDPBQyHVEBzoTZ0f7dYzHOoBS5OkpISdTr7JrUIEm12jwSTIdvwTdHI\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday_01.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"451\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEip3nbJWMud1OEYsvrZXU2GrGUnqS3bM2KE78YIly-AHRK8G2e5v3hQ-Q79cg74dGCFHjcUsx7dVKtXP2qxI3T5FDPBQyHVEBzoTZ0f7dYzHOoBS5OkpISdTr7JrUIEm12jwSTIdvwTdHI\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday_01.jpg\" title=\"our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nDecorations\u003C\/h4\u003E\nThe day of the party was VERY windy and it turned out the pirate ship was located in the windiest spot along the river. The linen table cloths, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.etsy.com\/au\/shop\/MariaBHandmade?ref=l2-shopheader-name\" onclick=\"this.href = 'https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/19358\/t\/36585?Url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.etsy.com%2fau%2fshop%2fMariaBHandmade%3fref%3dl2-shopheader-name\u0026amp;UniqueId=Our+son%27s+first+birthday+party';\" rel=\"noindex,nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ebunting\u003C\/a\u003E and fun pirate decorations I had collected stayed in the car. We had a hard enough time stopping the wind from blowing the food away! It was a calamity but I can laugh now at all the effort I put into decorations for them to not be seen. At least for this birthday. When you have a party outdoors everything is at mercy of mother nature. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe pavilion next to ours was also hosting a party and they had balloons, single-use plastic cups and plates blowing around. It was hard to watch, especially being on the river. Another reason to avoid disposables.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\nParty bags\u003C\/h4\u003E\nNo party bags were handed out but we did encourage kids to take home as many cakes they wanted.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\nGifts\u003C\/h4\u003E\nWe asked for no presents, but were aware some people would bring them. I've said before i'm not against presents, understanding people will bring them because some people are gift givers. And that's OK. Out of all our guests we received five presents, mainly champagne for us! But we were also happy to receive cuddles for our son. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe request for no presents was put into the SMS message like this:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003EWe kindly ask for presents, your presence and a cuddle with the birthday boy is enough.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\nThe gifts for our son were wrapped thoughtfully like this set of books in scraps of cloth and the leaves as the card and gift tag. Others wrapped gifts in old wrapping paper and even cloth bags.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\nTo be fair, everyone knows the lifestyle we live so we didn't have to ever bring up the subject of wrapping paper with anyone. If you'd like to but don't want to offend anyone, try sharing a blog post or an image from Pinterest to your personal Facebook page to help pass on the hint you are trying to reduce your plastic and rubbish.\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgTDpqYD87RVoCT1d2T4PYCTVvbsHObnfKa4xvx5WQmcicbJwSV-77J6XF5nwxBlJ_vU_8VoWFFCIiWHYMTCimw3FacRIAzfTZbcNqBft09oCCi3QVONh-0L8UOtZvo2DaMUJtRNV8glQk\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"451\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgTDpqYD87RVoCT1d2T4PYCTVvbsHObnfKa4xvx5WQmcicbJwSV-77J6XF5nwxBlJ_vU_8VoWFFCIiWHYMTCimw3FacRIAzfTZbcNqBft09oCCi3QVONh-0L8UOtZvo2DaMUJtRNV8glQk\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday.jpg\" title=\"our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh-r1S0AFbk-V0R2bxrX55M6wekJVQH72XJHuhrmZGghMMp9PI8qQEcIJT186I23NhgcxbO3DUiqILXK9iy2MBOB55lpdZWo7_30dgrtKbMXaLNetys7xJpyyDV0M6bqfXbN3jqRD7Ihl0\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday_06.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh-r1S0AFbk-V0R2bxrX55M6wekJVQH72XJHuhrmZGghMMp9PI8qQEcIJT186I23NhgcxbO3DUiqILXK9iy2MBOB55lpdZWo7_30dgrtKbMXaLNetys7xJpyyDV0M6bqfXbN3jqRD7Ihl0\/s1600\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday_06.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe party was easy to plan and this was because my son was turning one, so he had no say in what he wanted. Apart from the plastic, broken bottle and windy weather, it was a successful party. The party was also a learning experience, as are most things when we try them for the first time. We'll be better prepared for the next children's party which we might do when he turns 5. Hopefully my cake baking skills will improve by then and I can attempt a Woman's Weekly Birthday Cake.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nOur kid was happy, enjoyed his cake and we got to celebrate making it through the first year with our family and friends. A big thanks to my mum and dad who helped us get everything ready for the day and especially my mum, who saved the day with the cake. For anyone wondering, it was this \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.geniuskitchen.com\/recipe\/vegan-banana-cake-420289\"\u003Ebanana cake recipe\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;with a passionfruit glaze. The flour was substituted for a gluten free option and tasted great!\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EWant ore tips for kids birthday parties - read\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2022\/11\/zero-waste%20-eco-kids-birthday-party.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ETURNING 5! A ZERO WASTE KIDS BIRTHDAY PARTY\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/7269536766385045338"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/7269536766385045338"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2019\/01\/our-sons-first-low-waste-birthday-party.html","title":"Our son's 1st low waste birthday party"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEheWgsts_7so4uyaNYwTb5dCfxOVjaW1QlNxVRjqQfHvndP660JQ1FpHbANPJMYSefSWZ_YyryVJUCKO_yaIp_fzAFzOadsEoGfkXuSV8cJQb8hweioTNkUtNaOH8Myo8ZxxcGGNXG1nxE\/s72-c\/therogueginger_low+waste+first+birthday.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-5081285024161583628"},"published":{"$t":"2018-12-20T21:40:00.000+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-12-27T14:34:53.527+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Mainstream media the key to making zero-waste normal?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\nI have come to the conclusion that for zero-waste to become normal and mainstream, then we need to ask for help. Most of us who care deeply write to politicians and businesses (often) requesting them to propel this change through legislation, redesigning practices and packaging. While this is important (and please don't stop!) I'm wondering if we should carve out time for writing to another powerful group in the country:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe media! \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIn May 2017 ABC aired the TV show \u003Ci\u003EWar on Waste\u003C\/i\u003E reaching 4.3 million Aussies. It kickstarted conversations across the country with viewers paying closer attention to what they were throwing into their bins. The ABC's war on waste didn't end after the second series was shown this year either. If you pay attention you'll notice many programs and digital content created by the ABC are continuing to encourage us to rethink our plastic use and how much we throw away. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThis is highly commendable and I applaud them for their commitment, but we all know the ABC doesn't have the viewership that commercial TV does. When the \u003Ci\u003EWar on Waste\u003C\/i\u003E hit our screens \u003Ci\u003EMasterchef\u003C\/i\u003E on Channel 10 still out performed in viewers for each metro city. While the \u003Ci\u003EWar on Waste\u003C\/i\u003E was fantastic and necessary viewing, what we need is for these messages to make their way into more mainstream shows like \u003Ci\u003EThe Block\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EMasterchef\u003C\/i\u003E and even sporting events, because it turns out the most watched TV shows in Australia are our football Grand Finals....and a show called Australian Ninja Warrior?? I got the stats from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.adnews.com.au\/news\/adnews-analysis-the-top-20-tv-shows-of-2017\"\u003Ead news\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIf we can convince these TV stations to weave messages to reduce plastic use, composting, rethinking food waste then this whole movement we are trying to push would pick up pace because it would appear normal. This would then lead to further changes by businesses if they see more consumers wanting to buy everyday items like food without all the excess packaging. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nLet's look at our bins and what is making up most of it - FOOD! 40% of our bins are comprised of food scraps. That's almost half. When our food goes to landfill we are throwing away water and energy used to grow and ship our food, plus the farmers time and hard work. It's also a waste in landfill because the nutrients that could go back into the earth simply don't. Organic matter like food doesn't break down in landfill. It either becomes a liquid or mummifies, all the while creating methane a damaging greenhouse gas.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003ERelated blog posts:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2016\/03\/composting-for-all-types-of-homes.html\"\u003EComposting for all types of homes\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2014\/03\/make-your-own-compost-bin.html\"\u003EMake your own compost bin\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIf TV shows like \u003Ci\u003EMy Kitchen Rules\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EMasterChef Australia\u003C\/i\u003E and \u003Ci\u003EThe Block\u003C\/i\u003E started integrating messages on food waste and composting (and plastic, because I think plastic packaging contributes to the problem in a big way!) we’d see change faster. It would help make the practice of diverting food from landfill a normal practice.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nFor instance \u003Ci\u003EThe Block\u003C\/i\u003E could make worm farms and composting a feature. How simple! Buying vegetables without plastic, reminding viewers that writing a shopping list will reduce waste can be easily integrated within the \u003Ci\u003EMasterchef\u003C\/i\u003E dialogue. A visible food scraps bin so viewers can see the contestants putting scraps within. Then repeat these actions throughout the season so that by the end it looks normal.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEittd2yPURKQ7X1UocAGtzi0Wdz3csykMhfDq4tQIVDR3CnIVWO_LncRb3dFzOjlWFSuq_V0NHJcAGcvkN6MdVs-UU86D2aiRFX6WBCn2m2mYIk58jrQqwIR5FisWlZI9FdCkK3SQ9Gt5E\/s1600\/the+rogue+ginger_media-key-to-making-zero-waste-normal.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Mainstream media the key to making zero-waste normal?\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"386\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEittd2yPURKQ7X1UocAGtzi0Wdz3csykMhfDq4tQIVDR3CnIVWO_LncRb3dFzOjlWFSuq_V0NHJcAGcvkN6MdVs-UU86D2aiRFX6WBCn2m2mYIk58jrQqwIR5FisWlZI9FdCkK3SQ9Gt5E\/s1600\/the+rogue+ginger_media-key-to-making-zero-waste-normal.jpg\" title=\"Mainstream media the key to making zero-waste normal?\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EImage \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.networkten.com.au\/\"\u003ENetwork Ten\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\n\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIt might seem farfetched, but then I never thought we'd ever see a TV show dedicated to a war on waste! If you think it's possible I'm going to invite you to help write emails, letters and comment on their social media letting the commercial TV stations to prioritise these messages.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003EBelow is an example of a letter or email you can copy\/paste with contact details: \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003ETo whom it may concern, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI'm writing to let you know that while I enjoy the TV shows produced, I would like to see an emphasis on waste education throughout your programs going forward. Some suggested ideas you could work into your TV shows are: \u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EEncourage composting and worm farms\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWrite grocery shopping lists to stop people from buying to much food and wasting food\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBuy fruit and vegetables without plastic packaging\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EUsing a reusable produce bag\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003ETalk about reusable coffee cups\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EInclude stories about repairing items that break instead of buying new\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E50% of the food Australian's waste is in our homes and household bins are made up of 40% food that could be composted. If all Australian's kept organics out of their bins then what we send to landfill could almost be cut in half. Since your TV shows are so popular I believe integrating the messages mentioned above would help Australians make some much needed changes. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf you would like to discuss further, I'd be happy to share more idea. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EKind regards, \u003Cbr \/\u003E(your name) \u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\n\u003Cu\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHow to get in contact:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/u\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nEndemol Shine Australia produce Masterchef and a range of other TV shows\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nEmail:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"mailto:info@endemolshine.com.au\"\u003Einfo@endemolshine.com.au\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nChannel 10\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nEmail:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"mailto:contactus@networkten.com.au\"\u003Econtactus@networkten.com.au\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nPostal addresses:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/tenplay.com.au\/contact-us\"\u003Etenplay.com.au\/contact-us\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nChannel 7\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI was unable to locate an email\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nPostal addresses:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.sevenwestmedia.com.au\/contact-us\"\u003Esevenwestmedia.com.au\/contact-us\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nChannel 9\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nNo email only a contact form\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/ninehelp.zendesk.com\/hc\/en-au\/requests\"\u003Eninehelp.zendesk.com\/hc\/en-au\/requests\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nPostal addresses:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.nineentertainmentco.com.au\/contact-us\"\u003Enineentertainmentco.com.au\/contact-us\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\n\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOR you can write a message to their social media too:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\nI enjoy watching (insert tv show here) but would love to see you help raise awareness on reducing waste especially food waste and teaching Aussies about how easy it is to composting\/worm farms. 50% of the food Australian's waste is in our homes and our household bins are made up of 40% food that could be better used as compost. If all Australian's kept organics out of their bins then what we send to landfill could almost be cut in half. Since your TV shows are so popular I believe integrating the messages mentioned above would help Australians make some much needed changes. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/5081285024161583628\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2018\/12\/media-key-to-making-zero-waste-normal.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5081285024161583628"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/5081285024161583628"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2018\/12\/media-key-to-making-zero-waste-normal.html","title":"Mainstream media the key to making zero-waste normal?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEittd2yPURKQ7X1UocAGtzi0Wdz3csykMhfDq4tQIVDR3CnIVWO_LncRb3dFzOjlWFSuq_V0NHJcAGcvkN6MdVs-UU86D2aiRFX6WBCn2m2mYIk58jrQqwIR5FisWlZI9FdCkK3SQ9Gt5E\/s72-c\/the+rogue+ginger_media-key-to-making-zero-waste-normal.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9033465662037447681.post-6681257473996322691"},"published":{"$t":"2018-10-16T12:34:00.003+11:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-10-16T12:34:48.936+11:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjdrHA2dbV4R_bwphc2rrwmp9vk_uNc1QE7cHWrzkajZS0Ye9nw0m9cr4vmn-eInV8mzYCSpM6vnbLsfite9YzzzA9U_9n9kMYdrlW6WmIw5GcSJ_ObZMeWrDNUBzU6Id8W4Wf2jRSTC4k\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+09.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjdrHA2dbV4R_bwphc2rrwmp9vk_uNc1QE7cHWrzkajZS0Ye9nw0m9cr4vmn-eInV8mzYCSpM6vnbLsfite9YzzzA9U_9n9kMYdrlW6WmIw5GcSJ_ObZMeWrDNUBzU6Id8W4Wf2jRSTC4k\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+09.jpg\" title=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\nI was putting up my plastic-free garage sale sign today when a lady walking her dog commented how helpful garage sales are for passing on the stuff you don't use anymore. Most people know what a garage sale is and how good for the environment they are (reusing instead of buying new = less resource reliance and depletion = less waste), but how many know what the Garage Sale Trail is? The lady didn't and you might not either. In a nutshell, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.garagesaletrail.com.au\/\"\u003EGarage Sale Trail\u003C\/a\u003E is... \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"tr_bq\"\u003E\n“\u003Cb\u003Eone BIG WEEKEND of garage sales that's happening right across Australia on October 20 and 21.\u003C\/b\u003E” \u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIt's like an Australia wide second hand party happening all over the country. Garage Sale Trail helps those thinking or planning on hosting a sale to advertise and have it placed on a searchable a map for people to find easily. Users are able to search a town or area of their city and plan out a trail of garage sales to visit. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe service is free with resources for not only households but also community groups, local businesses or even the street you live on if you are keen to get one going with your neighbours. According to Garage Sale Trail's website groups use it as a way to fundraise which I think is a great idea. If you are inspired to join up this year its not to late - simply visit their website to learn how to \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.garagesaletrail.com.au\/blog\/how-to-promote-your-sale-like-a-boss\"\u003Epromote your garage sale like a boss this weekend\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nNow, if you are joining the Garage Sale Trail this year (and why wouldn't you?) I'd like to make a request...please don't use balloons to advertise your sale. Often after garage sales balloons used on street signs and power poles can be forgotten. Street signs and power polls sit right next to our gutters. Those forgotten balloons will eventually end up in the gutter unless picked up or removed from the poles by people like me and gutters lead to our waterways where those deflated balloons can endanger wildlife. Yes, I know some are made of latex and will break down eventually. But unfortunately our wildlife don't yet know to wait until the balloons have degraded to a small enough size that would make it safe enough to swallow. You can read more at \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.zoo.org.au\/get-involved\/act-for-wildlife\"\u003EMelbourne Zoo on the dangers and alternatives to balloons\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAnd it's not only the balloons left behind, the plastic tape used to attach signs and those balloons mentioned above to poles also pose a serious threat and are often forgotten too. Most of the littler ending up in our waterways is by accident.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThere is another way to hang a sign up alerting the neighbourhood about your upcoming garage sale and you can even add a bit of fun with cotton fabric. Want to see how I created mine? \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi2lmtZJkacUNaZnp8FDD9HGh6OkUsrLUpnzZb9m4awCLcR0dprJDx0AzsD-6A9-9s4Nnmh9AwCKZbBVL1BYLTwUD55a_xi1xkRtF_8yvhCgeirQPAI7Dnp8sUngKJatNbFDLhIxj3WJzU\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+00.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi2lmtZJkacUNaZnp8FDD9HGh6OkUsrLUpnzZb9m4awCLcR0dprJDx0AzsD-6A9-9s4Nnmh9AwCKZbBVL1BYLTwUD55a_xi1xkRtF_8yvhCgeirQPAI7Dnp8sUngKJatNbFDLhIxj3WJzU\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+00.jpg\" title=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI collect an old box, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/t\/19358\/14846\/christmas-cards-and-wrap\/6293-shon-twine-50m-natural.html\"\u003Eshone twine,\u003C\/a\u003E jute or coir string (or hemp...anything made of 100% natural fibres), coloured pencils \u0026amp; pen (didn't end up using the pen), scissors and scraps of cotton or another 100% natural fabric.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjwjIRjLFDUDsh9ufPJWFOHs-JtBI68BebqugxVEzFTlI0z_g1rVHIN8qk41mHulg9jP90gBJvBtGRYa_Qxw5Es9xE6BfPmwx4wjtPjvhLXbfugr6QzJS6GAvFhCTvrkPDqfFam_h-VuVc\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+01.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjwjIRjLFDUDsh9ufPJWFOHs-JtBI68BebqugxVEzFTlI0z_g1rVHIN8qk41mHulg9jP90gBJvBtGRYa_Qxw5Es9xE6BfPmwx4wjtPjvhLXbfugr6QzJS6GAvFhCTvrkPDqfFam_h-VuVc\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+01.jpg\" title=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI cut the sides of box and removed the plastic tape too. I'll keep the plastic tape rather than leave it on the cardboard to avoid it ending up in the environment.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEidVythACpflJyxRAejGnEdQjSrpCLAL9H7mB88czfJwPhqV1vX8n6zXRLFWhDM5Ys8VSaF_4roTbHl2Xrjc5xA-uod50c_tDNGtOSmLeDAeOTPMpZ8Fgl-VHOjgm9J1sbsGIX7ippez-E\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+02.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEidVythACpflJyxRAejGnEdQjSrpCLAL9H7mB88czfJwPhqV1vX8n6zXRLFWhDM5Ys8VSaF_4roTbHl2Xrjc5xA-uod50c_tDNGtOSmLeDAeOTPMpZ8Fgl-VHOjgm9J1sbsGIX7ippez-E\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+02.jpg\" title=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI now have four individual pieces of cardboard. The two larger pieces can be used for the street signs and the others on the day of the garage sale as sign on tables.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiTyQw-qKZm1-m3XB361YX4FKtAPI5UKhPxJ42CxKTzlsuFYa6reI__Ct_rEUZ43nkdil2W8QmFA2mYRHl_6FZkPT2PMWiiaHQhCzDlJ-I3V5oRuxulBVMV8bpM0Ue1jRshau9vxg9l0FE\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+03.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiTyQw-qKZm1-m3XB361YX4FKtAPI5UKhPxJ42CxKTzlsuFYa6reI__Ct_rEUZ43nkdil2W8QmFA2mYRHl_6FZkPT2PMWiiaHQhCzDlJ-I3V5oRuxulBVMV8bpM0Ue1jRshau9vxg9l0FE\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+03.jpg\" title=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nUsing my coloured pencils I write the details of the garage sale. With the scissors I add four holes in the middle top and middle bottom for the string. Seven holes were also added to the very bottom to thread the coloured scrap fabric through.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhqgUVarNX_McFO46Thygj5pa5l1wsOyWg14172eUy99VqKUgR_UEQvjbLI8M7kalKF-W6zY8VM7TjeI6tQOkJv13Ok5nSbl9C93_dQL9iRqnWWcfDL-5cVF2u6xg27cetrSAfJeq2oshw\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+06.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhqgUVarNX_McFO46Thygj5pa5l1wsOyWg14172eUy99VqKUgR_UEQvjbLI8M7kalKF-W6zY8VM7TjeI6tQOkJv13Ok5nSbl9C93_dQL9iRqnWWcfDL-5cVF2u6xg27cetrSAfJeq2oshw\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+06.jpg\" title=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nA close up photo of the very professional holes with the string threaded through.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgqTM_54q1Q__Nxl6a_rmpG-jXqfxQa4J0yaspItS7nl7DjrvZLHvpLP_VYmcKWds3KwyPkGsvKEFZXQRZhW8yxbw8DVWL7b9HsObQ2UNv1551LPDaLqOedOFg1YPYEKEndqws-KT4sQ_Q\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+07.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgqTM_54q1Q__Nxl6a_rmpG-jXqfxQa4J0yaspItS7nl7DjrvZLHvpLP_VYmcKWds3KwyPkGsvKEFZXQRZhW8yxbw8DVWL7b9HsObQ2UNv1551LPDaLqOedOFg1YPYEKEndqws-KT4sQ_Q\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+07.jpg\" title=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAnd same for the fabric scraps. haha.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgZ-dRvJkLrkkRWDm9-jNHQnqUSMZ82_Da__FaYYdGT_G8rN_hbj3Ma_D9iePT55Oi9Ao3UkAiOFUTmuh7G4F0aOCmMiAD1MFH_reAv5KXbJghX29ep3348YRtj-rXpwvA6EPo3XLszmE8\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+08.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"478\" data-original-width=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgZ-dRvJkLrkkRWDm9-jNHQnqUSMZ82_Da__FaYYdGT_G8rN_hbj3Ma_D9iePT55Oi9Ao3UkAiOFUTmuh7G4F0aOCmMiAD1MFH_reAv5KXbJghX29ep3348YRtj-rXpwvA6EPo3XLszmE8\/s1600\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+08.jpg\" title=\"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nNow it's ready to hang up on a power pole. If you are looking to put your sign up on pole or anything with a smaller circumference move the holes the string are threaded through closer together. Of course you don't need any fabric or other embellishment if you don't want it. And don't forget to collect your signs after the garage sale.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIf you know someone who are using balloons and tape ask them to collect after the garage sale and dispose of both properly.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nHappy Garage Sale Trail, Australia!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/feeds\/6681257473996322691\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2018\/10\/garage-sale-trail-without-balloons-and-plastic-tape.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/6681257473996322691"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/9033465662037447681\/posts\/default\/6681257473996322691"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.therogueginger.com\/2018\/10\/garage-sale-trail-without-balloons-and-plastic-tape.html","title":"Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjdrHA2dbV4R_bwphc2rrwmp9vk_uNc1QE7cHWrzkajZS0Ye9nw0m9cr4vmn-eInV8mzYCSpM6vnbLsfite9YzzzA9U_9n9kMYdrlW6WmIw5GcSJ_ObZMeWrDNUBzU6Id8W4Wf2jRSTC4k\/s72-c\/therogueginger_garage+sale+trail+09.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}}]}});