Earth and Body Friendly

I received the wonderful bamboo Environmental Toothbrush from Dr Nat of Monumental Dental to review. You can read the review here.

Be one of the first in the rest of the world to try these awesomely environmentally friendly toothbrushes! These are currently only available in Australia, but I will send one each to the winners no matter where you are in the world.

Three lucky readers have the chance to win one each

To enter the draw is easy:

• Simply leave a thoughtful comment at the review of the toothbrush or anywhere on the site that inspires you to comment. Your name will go into the draw for one entry.

Extra chances to win

To increase your chances of winning:

• Subscribe to the newsletter to earn an extra two entries in the draw. (Those already subscribed are automatically entered into the draw for two entries, but will earn another entry with a new comment.) Subscribe with the form near the top right.
• Tweet or blog about Earth and Body Friendly (including a link, of course) for another two entries in the draw. To enable me to track your tweet, you must mention @CoralieAmato or @ferrous. If you blog about Earth and Body Friendly, please email me the link so I know you’ve blogged.

Remember that you have to leave a comment to be in the draw! Please note that newsletter subscribers are automatically entered. Subscribe to the newsletter for your extra chances to win and be entered automatically in future competitions.

I’ll choose three names ramdomly from those in the draw and announce the winner in three days on the evening (AEST) of Friday the 22nd of May. I’ve extended the competition to run until the evening (AEST) of Monday the 25th of May.

Good luck!

Avoiding plastic in unlikely places

I don’t use much plastic in my house. I tend not to buy it and I try to avoid it where possible. For instance, a roll of cling wrap will last me several years. One place which had never really occured to me to avoid plastic, though, is my toothbrush. Perhaps that’s because there wasn’t an alternative in sight. Now there is.

I am holding in my hot little hand (well, I was until I started typing) a toothbrush made from bamboo. It’s called the Environmental Toothbrush and it’s completely biodegradable as the body of the brush is made from environmentally sustainable bamboo. Even the bristles are biodegradable as they’re made from a polymer derived from renewable plant feedstock.

No plastic in the packaging

‘Normal’ toothbrushes are not only made of plastic, but seem to be packaged in just about as much plastic as is used in the product itself. But right from receiving these little beauties in the mail, I was impressed. The outer box (they come in a package of 12) is suitable for sending through the mail without the need for extra packaging. For the sake of health and safety, each toothbrush inside is individually wrapped in a plant based wax lined paper package. There’s not a shred of environmentally hostile plastic within sight.

Very lightweight

One thing I noticed about the toothbrush is that it’s very light. It weighs almost nothing in my hand. In fact, even the whole box of 12 is remarkably light. This is a good thing in regard to the shipping of the product. It is made in China, so does do a bit of travelling to get to Australia, but being so light and packaged so efficiently, the resources used would be minimal compared to your regular plastic toothbrush.

The creator of the Environmental Toothbrush, Dr Nat, said that she tried to have it produced locally in Australia, but was refused on more than one occasion. She stated that manufacturing in Australia is simply not cost effective for the product owner, the manufacturer or the consumer, particularly for small players and low cost items. It’s a shame this is the way, but I’ve heard many stories of this ilk in regard to manufacturing in Australia and in the United States. Cost has to come into it, for the producer and the consumer. There’s not much sense producing something that the consumer decides is too expensive. That, in itself, would be a waste of resources.

Different to use

The experience of using a bamboo toothbrush is quite different to what I’ve been used to. Well, that’s not quite right. Essentially, it’s the same: you wet it, you put toothpaste on it and you brush your teeth with it.  But it feels a little different in your mouth. Certainly not unpleasant, just different. It’s very smooth, but it doesn’t have the same feel as plastic. It feels softer, somehow. It also has a vaguely woody taste. I noticed the taste the first time, but on subsequent uses of the toothbrush, it was less obvious, perhaps because I was expecting it. I’d be surprised if anyone else would even notice this, especially if they use a minty toothpaste, but I share my little boy’s non-minty, non-fluoride toothpaste which has quite a mild taste and I tend to use only a small amount of paste.

Soft bristles

The bristles are quite soft, so are suitable for even a young child. The size of the head isn’t overly large, so it would still feel comfortable in little mouths. My five year old had no troubles with it when I brushed his teeth with the one I unwrapped for him. Some adults, myself included, may be used to stiffer bristles on their toothbrush, but I’ve been told by my own dentist that softer bristles are better for your teeth and gums, anyway. The cleaning ability wasn’t affected at all by the softness.

A successful product

I think it’s a wonderful product. It works exactly as a toothbrush should, it’s well made and it makes a massively smaller ‘footprint’, through the product’s entire lifecycle, than a plastic toothbrush.

Visit: Environmental Toothbrush
RRP: AUD $33 for a pack of 12 brushes (works out to $2.75 per brush)

No Impact Man is a wonderfully informative site written by Colin Beavan whose goal for himself and his small family was to live for one entire year making as little impact as possible on the Earth, complete with creating little to no waste. The year-long experiment is now over, but he continues to live his life with as little impact as possible and is quite active in his community and on the internet encouraging change for the better.

It’s an awesome read and there’s lots of information to encourage and inspire you.

Another vlog for you. This was prompted by a video by Blunty3000 (on YouTube) in which he talks about how bad news seems to get so much more attention than good news. It’s one of the reasons why I avoid commercial television and why Earth and Body Friendly is focussed on the positive side of things, on making a difference, rather than spreading fear and hype.

I’m quite enjoying this vlogging thing. You can probably expect videos from me quite regularly. And I’ve figured out how to avoid that stretching thing that happened in the first one.

With so many marvellous portable devices around these days (and I do so love a good gadget), a store of batteries has become a staple in the second drawer from the bottom, or if you have a kid around, perhaps situated a little higher.

Use rechargeable batteries

Many people still use normal old alkaline batteries for everything. They certainly do have their place, but in most cases, you can find rechargeable batteries that will do the same job. Some rechargeable batteries aren’t perfect for all jobs, though. Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries are a great option, but they do self-discharge in a few months, even if they’re sitting there not being used. So they’re not useful for things that aren’t used very often, yet still need to be ready at a moment’s notice, such as smoke alarms.

Using a battery just once is obviously rather wasteful, so use good quality rechargeables where you can and invest in a decent charger that will charge your batteries quickly so you can have them ready to use when you need them.

Plan ahead

The best way to use rechargeables is to have a small store of them so that you will always have charged ones at the ready. If you have too many, they’ll self-discharge before you get to use them and you’ll end up using non-rechargeables because you need that battery now. Keeping track of how often you need to put fresh batteries into a device will help you plan accordingly, enabling you to have your batteries charged ahead of time, but not so far in advance that they’ll self-discharge before you get to use them.

Do your research and choose carefully

When using Lithium-ion type portable chargers or batteries—often used for mobile phones and other small devices—look for Lithium-Polymer (Li-Pol) instead of Lithium-Ion (Li-ion). Some Li-Pol battery makers/suppliers claim that they last longer before they start to hold less charge. Assuming this is true, then you’ll be able to use a Li-Pol battery for a lot longer before it needs replacing.

I’ve decided to try some video blogging, or vlogging, as it’s sometimes called.

Here, I’m having a whinge about how environmentally friendly products often cost more than the same product that isn’t environmentally friendly.

When I compressed the video, it came out kind of stretched. Sorry about that. I don’t really look that way. Trust me, I’m not that tall.

I’ve decided to write a series of articles on using technology in a way that benefits ourselves and the Earth. A guide, if you will, on using modern technology for good instead of evil.

Modern technology can be green

There are plenty of things in our modern world that the older generation, or those more cynical amongst us, may consider to be bad/evil/suspect/unfriendly (pick your adjective), but I’m going to focus on ways we can use technology to improve our lives and/or be more environmentally friendly.

I’ll start off with eBooks.

I love reading. I love books. I don’t even recall learning to read. I remember only reading almost anything and everything from a very young age. I used to have quite an extensive library of books until a few years ago when I moved overseas with my (ex-)husband and we were limited to bringing only 350 kg (approximately 771 pounds) worth of our belongings with us. Anyone who’s moved house knows that a box of books is rather heavy, so almost all of my books were sold in a garage sale or given away.

eBooks are convenient

By extension, I also love eBooks. I have quite a collection. Far more than I’d like to admit to, in fact. I’ve read most of them on my previous gadget, my Palm TX, but I’ve recently acquired a new gadget, and so some of my collection is now able to be read on my new iPhone.

eBooks can be read on purpose built devices, such as Amazon’sKindle, on aPDA, some mobile phones including the iPhone, or similarly, theiPod touch.

The convenience factor is a huge one. eBooks are made of bits of data. Digital data weighs nothing (okay, it may weigh something, but let’s not get pedantic), therefore you have immediate access to a whole library of eBooks on one small device that you can carry with you in a pocket or a bag. On many occastions, I’ve been so thankful to have my eBooks with me when I’ve been travelling or even waiting in a long and slow-moving queue.

More environmentally friendly than the paper version

From an environmental viewpoint, can you imagine the amount of paper it saves? It seems that even books about being environmentally friendly are not often printed on recycled paper, so to buy the eBook version of a book means you’re saving trees. eBooks are usually bought online, so it also means you don’t have to use any form of transport to get to a book store. Mind you, this is not necessarily a positive thing for everyone. For some people, half the fun of deciding what book to buy is the trip to the book shop to look through all the books. For me, when I usually have an impatient five year old in tow, not so much fun.

Some small disadvantages

One thing I don’t like about eBooks is that I don’t get to see the cover of the book everytime I ‘pick it up’, so to speak, so I find that I forget the title of the book. Then, when discussing books I’ve read, or on the few occasions when I do go to an actual book shop, I sometimes can’t recall immediately if I’ve read that particular book.

Another disadvantage is that you can’t share a lot of eBooks. There are plenty of free eBooks available with which you can do pretty much whatever you like, but most of the ones you purchase yourself are locked to only a certain number of devices. A good eBook store will allow you to change the device IDs, such as when you change the device you use or get a new computer, but the only legal way you can share them is to lend the actual reading device to someone. (It’s interesting to note that ‘real’ books are also sold under the condition that you don’t lend it, resell it, etc. It’s true. Take a look in the first few pages of almost any book. It’s there in black and white.)

Personal benefits

• An eBook weighs nothing. You can store all your books in one place and it’s as only heavy as the weight of the device.
• They’re good for people with small dwellings as they take up no physical space. A whole collection of eBooks is only as large as the eBook device itself.
• eBooks are usually a bit cheaper than the hard copy version.
• You can carry all of your books wherever you go.
• You don’t need a night light to read in the dark. The reading device has a light built into it, so you’re less likely to disturb others in a darkened room.
• You can read in almost any position you like since you don’t need to face the book towards a light source.
• The eBook opens automatically to where you’re up to.

Environmental benefits

• No printing is required, therefore no trees are used in the production of the book.
• No greenhouse gases are produced in travelling to a book shop.

Drawbacks

• You have to turn off your device when ascending or decending in an aeroplane.
• You can’t share the books.
• If your batteries run out, you can’t read the book anymore.
• When you change your device, there might not be a suitable eBook reader for the new device, therefore the older books can’t be read on the new device. This is easily enough remedied by keeping the old device.
• Some devices may be difficult to read in bright sunlight. My Palm TX wasn’t so easy to use in bright outdoor conditions, but I’ve found my iPhone to work much better in this regard.

As a matter of interest, my favourite online eBook store is Fictionwise.

Presenting Jillis again, from the Netherlands, who cycles a lot. Here is part two of his article ..

In the first part of this article, I ended with the problem of taking people or goods with you on a bicycle. Often, the backseat or boot of a car seems a much better and bigger place for them. But in recent years, plenty of solutions have arrived on the market that enable you to use your bike in the same effective way.

Taking young children with you

First I present some solutions for taking young children with you. For babies and toddlers you can install a child seat on your bike, even two—one in front and one behind you. That’s not a really new thing, but recently special Mum and Dad bikes have been designed that are sturdier and better balanced to allow you to have more control.

But once they get a bit older—and you’re able to handle this configuration—you can also get a trailer for your bike especially made for carrying children, with rain cover and safety flag. When they reach the age of cycling themselves, but they can’t keep up with you yet, you can get them a trailer-cycle, which is essentially half a bike trailing behind yours. For examples of these and similar solutions, see this dedicated web shop, BicycleTrailers.com. My Mum once said she wished these kind of things existed when I was a kid.

And there’s another good solution which is discussed further on.

Solutions for carrying goods

Solutions for carrying goods of course depends on the size and quantity of those goods. For carrying groceries, my partner and I have both put a pair of cycle bags on each of our bikes, big enough to carry two full shopping bags. When we both go shopping on Saturday morning, that’s enough to carry groceries for the whole week.

If that’s not enough, there’s the option of getting a cargo bike. Where I live, they used to exist for ages in only one bulky version but recently much more appealing models have been put on the local market. They’re quite popular in the larger towns where they’re a better alternative to cars when it comes to shopping. As they’re quite expensive, their use is currently limited to people who can actually afford them, so you usually see them only in certain parts of those towns. Some of the models are multifunctional, having a child seat in the cargo hold, so you can put both your shopping and your kids in them.

An alternative to a cargo bike is a cargo trailer, which you can hitch up to your existing bike. They’re featured at BicycleTrailers.com, but if you’re any good with tools, wood, steel and wheels, you can build a simple one yourself, as my Dad had done many years ago. It worked fine, with hardly any stability issues at all.

If these solutions appeal to you, but they’re not available where you live, you might consider importing them or even start manufacturing them if you see a local demand for them.

So, to some of the drawbacks there are no easy solutions, but there are good alternatives. And other problems you can solve, making cycling a more appealing way to get around town and country in a sustainable way.

I’d like to introduce to you Jillis, a friend from the Netherlands. He cycles a lot, for getting around town as well as for pleasure. He has written a two part article on cycling and some tips and tricks on how to make cycling a part of your everyday life. Here is part one ..

Cycling is often seen as a good ‘green’ alternative to driving a car for short to medium distances (2 to 20 kilometres). Bicycles don’t pollute the air, they use only a fraction of the space a car needs, you can get almost anywhere on them and on top of that, cycling is good for your health. So cycling is friendly to Earth and body. But as an avid cyclist even I have to admit there are a number of drawbacks to using the bike.

Facing the elements

If you live in a hilly or mountaineous area, the prospect of cycling up a steep road often isn’t very appealing. I myself live in The Netherlands, a country that’s almost totally flat with just a few hilly areas, therefore hills aren’t much of a problem. On the contrary, the Katie Melua song “Nine million bicycles” is very appropriate to our situation where bicycles sometimes dominate the city streets and country roads.  But if you do live on the bottom or top of that steep road or there’s no way around the hill between you and the shops and you aren’t able to make the climb, either walking or taking motorized transport (preferably public or shared) are better choices.

Then there’s the matter of the weather. Rain, wind or snow doesn’t make cycling much fun either. But you could wait for that rainstorm to lessen or end, or take a bus or train if you’re in a hurry or if it storms all day long. When I went to secondary school I travelled the two times eleven kilometers on my bike most of the year, but I used to take the bus in the first few winters and during autumn storm days. Or you simply put on some rain gear and confront that rainstorm. It won’t really harm you, it’s just cold and nasty.

Facing the distance and traffic

Also, the travel distance could be too great for you, so cycling would take too much time and effort. But then you could consider cycling part of the distance to and/or from a public transport stop, and cover the rest of the distance by bus or rail. Sometimes this requires you to have two bikes: one at your home and one near your work or school. The advantage of this is that you have the additional option of going to a shop, event or friend’s home that’s near your work but not directly on the route to the station or bus stop.

The roads you have to travel on can be too busy or even inaccessible for bicycles. But in many towns worldwide, big and small, bicycle paths and lanes have been built. If none exist where you live you could take action and ask your local council to build them for you. Better yet, organise and have a group take action.

Finally, there’s the matter of taking people or goods with you. I’ll discuss this in the second part of this article.

I’ve been really enjoying living closer to the city and closer to regular public transport. The buses don’t run all that often, but the trains near here run reguarly to all areas of town, and most times there’s no need to backtrack or even change trains.

In the past two weeks, I’ve had to put only about $25 of petrol into the car, total. Normally it’d be about $40 a week.

Not only that, but the walking to the train station (about 20 minutes on my own, 30 or so if Riley is walking with me) has been great. I feel good for the extra exercise, as well as for saving all those emissions from my car by not even having to drive to the station.

So my previous worries about poor public transport in areas further out of town are no longer a worry. Very pleased, indeed.