Sydney is hosting Eco Xpo this weekend (Friday the 6th of May through to Sunday the 8th of May – cost $8 at door but you can get a $2 discount if you bring pre-loved clothes to donate to St Vincent de Paul).  It is a celebration of all things sustainable and Eco.

With note pad and camera in hand, I headed off to The Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park (inside Byron Kennedy Hall) to check out this Eco Xpo.

Here are just some of the people I enjoyed meeting and chatting with today:

Charles

Charles had the most eye catching stand (my photograph doesn’t really do it justice – sorry Charles).  His business Ecolicious (great business name) provides custom aquaponics systems for domestic gardens – yes even tiny inner Sydney City gardens like mine.

Here is my ‘lay person’ understanding on aquaponics.  Apparently it is all about keeping fish so that the fish waste feeds your plants (which grows in a separate area).  The plants will then filter the water, which in turn is siphoned back to the fish.  You then have food and fish to eat (that is if you want to eat the fish).  I LOVED this idea and was really impressed with Ecolicious.  Charles I am a fan!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth was from the Lead Group and we had a great chat about the level of lead that is found in the home, soil and in many items we use everyday.  Lead Group sells kits to test the amount of lead in your garden soil, drinking water, children’s toys etc.

I am thinking that the next home we buy, that we should put into the contract “subject to lead testing”.  Thank you Elizabeth for your time today and for chatting with me.

Fiona & Tooni

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Tooni & I had a great chat about Australian Marine Conservation Society (I met Fiona later).  We spoke about AMCS’s Sustainable Seafood Guide, which I actually wrote a post about recently (Choose the Fish You Eat Wisely).

I then signed AMCS’s petition in agreement to having more marine parks in Australia.  Did you see the recent ’60 Minutes’ program on the topic of Marine parks in Australia?  I hope we cross paths again ladies.

Trevor & Darryl

Just for the record Trevor & Darryl, I do support The Wilderness Society efforts, in getting Reflex out of our native forests.  However I do believe Reflex’s 100% recycled paper is a great environmental option but I understand the damage Reflex is doing with all their other copy paper products.

Maybe I need to be doing more to raise awareness.  I read in the paper about The Wilderness Society ’mock funeral’ protest outside Officeworks in Alexandria – well done.  If you guys ever need a professional photographer to volunteer for free, then please contact me.

Darius & James

Darius surprised me by saying every thing he was wearing was made out of Hemp or Bamboo.  We spoke about the PR issues Hemp has in Australia (because people associate Hemp with drugs) and what the Industrial Hemp Association was all about.

Darius mentioned that fashion labels overseas were doing amazing things with spinning hemp into very fine threads.  Almost silk like.  This means we may soon see hemp fabrics used in couture fashion.  Fashion that is sustainable, that is what we need.  Thanks Darius.

 Steven

Steven is the Managing Director at Basically Baby, which is an Australian owned family business since 1989.  Basically Baby own and manufacture the Tetra Tea Tree Baby Bedding range.  Steven told me that there are many varities of Tea Tree plants but Tetra only use one variety that has the ‘silky like bark’.  The tree is not chopped down to harvest it’s bark but simply removed (removing parts of the bark does not injure the tree).  Further more the bark will grow back within 6 years.

Steven mentioned that since 1949, some trees have been harvested many, many times.  This is sustainable at it’s best.  Nice meeting you Steven.

Justine

Boy did I laugh when Justine was showing me her Eco Peko range of organic clothes for children.  The ‘little sayings’ on the children’s shirts was hilarious and I loved Eco Peko’s environmental bag that each shirt comes with.  

Check out their website and have a look at the gorgeous children’s long sleeves hoodies made from bamboo (Justine calls them Bamboodies).  I have added a couple more photographs from Eco Peko’s stand – couldn’t help myself as they were so cute.

 

  

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