The Greenpeace mama - protest in aisle 4!

Yesterday I received an email from Greenpeace outlining the actions an awesome group of mama's were taking in supermarkets around Sydney and Melbourne. They were protesting against the 'lax' labelling of S-26 baby formula (and Karicare Food Thickener) and in particular their right to know what's in the food that they feed their babies. It has been found that both of these products were contaminated with GM organisms but the manufacturers failed to label the products stating this.

image from here

Yes - there are arguments for and against GM food but the real issue here is the right to choose and Wyeth (the manufacturer of S-26) has taken this right away from us mamas and papas. So what to do ????? Here's what Greenpeace suggests and it sounds good to me:

1. Send the Federal Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, an email demanding that all GM products be labelled - click here to do that

2. If you have purchased these items, take your unused formula back to the supermarket where you bought it and demand a refund. Because the formula had no label, there was no way for you to know that it was contaminated with GM when you bought it. Let the retailer know they have a responsibility not to stock products contaminated with GM, especially when these products aren't properly labelled.

3. Spread the word.

Another warm mama welcome to............

Maple Street Co-op in the beautiful town of Maleny on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. The Maple Street Co-operative aims to promote healthy lifestyles by providing high-quality foods and products, created according to the principles of organic production, social ethics and environmental sensitivity, and making them available at a reasonable price to Co-op members and the community. When can I move to Maleny???????

The Maple Street Co-Op is open

Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 5.30 pm

Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm.

So if you are passing through.....drop in and say hi from The Mamas!

Maple Street Co-op

37 Maple St, Maleny QLD 4552

Ph: 07 5494 2088

www.maplestreetco-op.com

Mother Nature's Cup of Tea............

Anyone that really truly knows me knows that I love my coffee. In fact, scientific research proves that if I don't have my cup of coffee before I leave the house for the day, my day will be ruined...............and I will be grumpy. Anyway, a few months ago I bought some lemon balm to plant in our vegie garden and it has since quadrupled in size so I thought it was time to 'harvest' and make a cup of tea.

image from here

So according to the label on the plant - I know, a dubious reference for tea making - all you need is a handful of leaves and some boiling water and 8 minutes to steep............and it was great.

Lemon balm is an anti-depressant and a stress reliever - its going to be part of my daily ritual. I love the fact that I can go and grab a handful of leaves that I GREW and whack in some boiling water and presto......a cup of tea. I love it !!! Today I added some mint and that was yum too........and my herbal tea guru just informed me that a nice combination is mint and a big whack of ginger, stay tuned for that review.

A Big Mama Welcome To.........

The Green Room Gallery !!! Welcome to The Mamas family !!

The Green Room Gallery is an awesome shop/gallery on the beautiful north coast of NSW at Coffs Harbour.

Charlotte and Wayne are passionate about ethical and ecological clothing and are stocking The Organic Mamas baby range as well as our shopping bags......but with some customising! I'll share some photos with you soon!

So if you are passing through.....drop in and say hi from The Mamas and check out Wayne's art too!!

The Green Room Gallery

Shop D3 The Promenade

321Harbour Drive

Coffs Harbour 2450 NSW

Ph 0266524207

Sustainable House Day 2010

The Mamas household is very excited - this Sunday is sustainable house day - yipee !!!! We are heading over to one house in particular to check out everything the owners have done. Reading through their list of environmentally friendly design inclusions sounds just like the wish list for our new house:
photo voltaic energy system - check
greywater recycling system - check
rainwater tank supply - check
low or zero VOC products and materials - check
strong passive solar design - check
I could go on but you get the message. What makes my heart sing is that these design principles are fast becoming the 'norm' - not mainstream yet, but not 'out there' either..............

photo from here