I’ve resisted using Twitter for a long time because I don’t really need another distraction. However, the attraction has proven too great and I finally signed up. I think it’ll be a great way to meet and keep in contact with like minded people as well as keeping up with what is happening in the organic world.

My Twitter ID is organicandrea. Add me and I’ll add you back!

Those of you in Australia may have noticed that the site has been down for the last few weeks. If you had tried to visit any of the pages you would have gotten a message saying: Forbidden.

I would like to blame my host or my husband or my cat for this outage but unfortunately it was all my fault

If you access the site from outside of Australia you would have seen everything as normal. As it happens, I’m not in Oz at the moment so wasn’t aware of the problem until a couple of days ago, oops!

So I must thank the Buy Organic readers who emailed me to let me know there was a problem. Thanks guys!

I have a backlog of organic sites to review so hope to start posting them in the coming weeks. If you have a site related to organic products in Australia, please let me know and I’ll try and publish a brief post about asap. Just leave a comment with your site details and we should be good to go.

With the lack of domestic standards for organic product in Australia, several different groups have stepped up to provide some peace of mind to green-minded enthusiasts who want to live an organic lifestyle. Although the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) offers some control over organic certification, this mainly applies to produce that is going to exported overseas to countries like Japan and the United Kingdom. For the average Aussie shopper, though, Australian Certified Organic has stepped into the void, creating their own certification process to reassure Aussie buyers.

What Is Australian Certified Organic?

Australian Certified Organic is a subsidiary of Biological Farmers Australia, which is the largest organic farmers’ collective around. Is it the largest certifier of organic products within Australia. A product that has been certified by Australian Certified Organic can always be identified by the BUD logo and is the stamp of true peace of mind for Aussie shoppers, appearing on at least 80% of organic produce sold in Australia. It is the only organic standard that makes certain farmers are held accountable for every step of the organic process.

What Does ACO Do For Me?

Although Australia is one of the largest producers of the world’s overall organic produce, before ACO there was little way that an Aussie shopper could be certain that their own produce was organic. ACO provides a guarantee that buying specific products will support ecologically sustainable farming practices and the farmers who take the extra time and effort to protect our planet in their work. In many instances, ACO has stricter requirements for certification than AQIS, which means that customers not only domestically but abroad recognize the difference in quality of product and demand products that carry the BUD logo.

Make Organic Easy

To encourage farmers to start working organically, the ACO offers step by step aide in getting certified. They help farmers put together their applications for certification and offer free ongoing support throughout the entire process, helping both farmers and consumers have confidence in the overall process. For smaller growers, there’s the OGA Organic Small Producers Program, which can ease farmers into smaller, local markets with the added boost of having organic certified product to their credit. There are also support materials available for consumers as well as farmers, like the 13 year old established publication Australian Certified Organic Magazine. Published quarterly, the magazine is a one stop guide for both popular information and trade resources, keeping organic on the top of everyone’s minds. 

The bane of any good barbie, a swarm of mosquitoes can ruin a night’s fun. Used to be that the most reliable way to ward them off was a solid DEET-based repellent. Of course, we now know that beyond being bad for the environment, DEET has recently been linked to brain cell damage and can even interfere with several medications. Frequent applications of DEET have been tied to neuron death in parts of the brain that control muscle movement, learning, memory, and concentration.

Natural Mosquito Repellents

Why take a chance with your health? There are plenty of healthy, eco friendly, and natural mosquito repellents which keep away the blood-sucking little bastards.

A Solid Standby

Citronella is hardly a new concept – it’s been used in outdoor lanterns and torches for decades as a way to add light to any outdoor setting and keep mosquitoes at bay. Pure, essential oil of citronella is what’s required here, and bought in bulk it’s easy to burn in any basic lantern. If you want a topical product, your best bet is the beauty product section of your local natural food store.

Other Oils

Believe it or not, there are heaps of other oils that are not only as or more effective than traditional DEET based products in warding off insects, but actually have other unexpected benefits. Take soy oil, for instance. Often cheap and easy to find, soy oil has been reported by reliable sources like The New England Journal of Medicine as being just as effective as more traditional products. What’s more, it has a great benefit of being a good body moisturizer and is even thought to slow the growth of body hair.

NEEM seed oil has actually been proven as more effective than its chemical counterparts. Lavender oil has also been known to work and smells great, often thought to reduce headaches and relieve stress.

Unexpected Alternatives

Surprisingly, the essential oil in catnip – you know, the stuff that your pet goes bloody bonkers for – has been found to be about 10 times more effective than DEET at repelling mosquitoes by a research group in Iowa. And if all else fails and you can’t find any of these fancy oils, why not try something simpler like indulging in a good bit of spaghetti? Loaded down with garlic, of course – how’s that for a natural mosquito repellent?

Just remember to think a bit outside of the usual and you’ll likely find the perfect, healthy and natural alternative that works for you. 

What is BPA and should you be worried about it? From the Mayo Clinic:

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in polycarbonate plastic food and beverage containers and in resin linings for cans. Research has shown that BPA can leach into food from these containers and cans. Because BPA appears to cause health problems in animal studies, some scientists are concerned about the risk BPA poses to humans.

The FDA has acknowledged concerns about the potential effects of BPA on the brain and the prostate gland in fetuses, infants and young children.

From Wikipedia:

Suspected of being hazardous to humans since the 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008 after several governments issued reports questioning its safety, and some retailers have removed products made of it from their shelves. A 2010 report from the FDA raised further concerns regarding exposure of fetuses, infants, and young children.

It looks like there is a good chance that BPA found in plastic containers and canned food is dangerous and should be avoided. It has been implicated in:

• neurological disorders
• thyroid problems
• obesity
• prostate problems
• cancer

BPA is believed to be especially dangerous for babies and young children.

How to reduce your exposure to BPA:

• choose glass or BPA-free plastic baby bottles
• use glass, stainless steel, or porcelain containers to store food
• do not microwave plastic food containers
• reduce or eliminate your use of canned foods

BPA Free Baby Bottles & Accessories

If you are looking for BPA free baby bottles, visit Caluna Loves, an Australia store specialising in BPA free products.

This year’s Organic Expo, held in Melbourne in July, was a huge success, with thousands of visitors from around the country attending.

People are always sending me free sample of different products, hoping I’ll review the product or company involved. I don’t really have the time or any interest in doing reviews so I’ve decided to give everything away. I don’t need or want these things and they are all new/unused so I figure I may as well give them away to someone who wants them.

Free Samples

The free samples are mainly organic skin care products but also include some eco friendly cleaning products, organic tea, organic coffee, and a few samples of organic baby clothes.

Contact me if you want them.

I’ll give one item only per person on a first come first served basis. They are only small samples so don’t expect too much but if you want them, they’re yours!

I came across a book earlier today on cancer fighting foods. While these kind of books normally annoy me and most of the foods mentioned are already well known for their health benefits, I did think it was worth noting the top cancer fighting foods, at least as a reminder.

• broccoli – and the entire brassica family
• orange vegetables which contain carotenoids such as carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, beetroot etc
• tomatoes for lycopene – especially important to reduce the risk of prostrate cancer
• berries such as strawberries and raspberries – important to get organic berries not only to avoid toxins but they taste so much better
• pomegranates
• citrus
• mushrooms
• herbs and spices
• chocolate – the 70% cocoa variety not the high sugar variety

Then of course there are two very important drinks:

• green tea
• red wine

Plus

• vitamin D – extremely important in fighting cancer
• selenium – which is found naturally in organic vegetables but not in conventionally grown foods
• omega 3 – I get my daily dose by taking supplements
• probiotics – can apparently reduce the risk of colon cancer

Urban Baby has some great Mother’s Day gifts including books, bags, and jewellery.

They have also just released the Gaia Organic Cotton winter 2008 range which includes a number of new designs such as:

• long sleeve tops
• leggings
• long sleeve bodysuits

View the New Collection

Eco Friendly Gifts for Mum

Organic cotton baby clothes make a great gift for a new mum but there are other gifts she is sure to appreciate. Eco friendly gifts include:

• Stuffit Stowaway Backpack
• Stuffit Stowaway Carry Bags

These are reusable bags great for doing the shopping or carrying around baby things.

View Current Promotions

If you are not sure what to get a new mother, then you may wish to get her a gift voucher and let her choose her own gift.

A short video showing that eco fashion doesn’t have to be bland.

Eco-fashion designer Kate D’Arcy introduces her collection Toggery by Kate D’Arcy. She presents the Fall 08 line, talks about her inspirations, and her go-green philosophy for the modern fashionista.

Toggery by Kate D’Arcy from Style House PR on Vimeo.