Wake up! (after lights out)

Saturday evening proved to be the perfect night to spend it with friends in the backyard under a star filled canopy. (Sunday was a beautiful day for going slow) As a result of Earth Hour, Sydney's power consumption dropped apparently 9% for the hour. Certainly dramatic imagery as the world's iconic building dimmed. Our kids absolutely loved the whole deal. Candle light, running around making up their own fun & a fire drum in the back yard. As a result we're aiming for a weekly Earth Hour evening throughout winter.

Tonight is the first (of many no doubt!) WakeUp! events in Sydney. The parts which I tuned into most of all were the bits about random kindness and growing a community of people sharing similar values. A sold out evening which I believe will be pretty special (since it starts of with fair trade chocolate and organic wines!). There will be guest speakers, a short film and who knows what other treasures on the night! With the concept gaining momentum rapidly, you will want to check out their site to read up on their philosophy and what please check out WakeUp Sydney.

Speaking of philosophies, I keep reminding myself of the one we created for EcoDepot. (The first two points especially seem pretty apt in these times and we're always happy when people pop into our store!)

LIGHTS OUT

It has snuck up again, that time when we turn out our lights for at least an hour on Saturday 28th March for Earth Hour. Australia Post has even published stamps for the occasion! We're using it as an invitation to catch up with friends, hang out and enjoy a (beeswax) candlelit meal together. (Just beware if you have little ones around, they tend not to mix well with naked flames) 

Beeswax candles win hands down over parafin ones. The beautiful beeswax variety emit negative ions when lit, just like moving water. (They smell like honey straight out of the packet - Yum!) These negative ions help cleanse the atmosphere. (That's why after a good rain it always smells so good and seems so much clearer, and being at the beach with the water licking at your toes is a balm for the soul.) On the other hand parafin candles are just no good for anyone. Being a byproduct of the crude oil industry, they're behind the 8 ball from the get go. Have you ever noticed how much some of them smoke? Well, that is going back into the atmosphere and destined for your lungs. Much better off with Australian made beeswax candles - a delight for the senses. Have a look at Queen B's site to see what I mean.

Happy Earth Hour everyone, and just think of all those folk around the globe where Earth Hour happens every evening!

Happy January!

I've already bent my first New Year's Resolution - oops! This entry should have happened a little while ago...But in saying that January has been a fantastic month. Loads of time with my family kicking off with 4 days of camping at the Peats Ridge Festival. A thoroughly enjoyable time was had by all- public art from pre loved items,organic meals, music from around the globe and swimming in the river every afternoon - yay!

I've also been spending time contemplating product design and how to run a small business in a way that gives and inspires.

We had fantastic feedback from our Positive Produce exhibition and some beautiful comments from people at the recent Illawarra Folk Festival in regards to our range and the stories behind our goodies. (the entire festival is organised and run by volunteers!) What do we really need? If we do need stuff - where does it come from, who has made it and what is the embodied energy in our latest purchase? Does any of it really improve the quality of our lives. This train of thought was opened up again by reading the interview with Emily Pilloton in Dumbo Feather, pass it on (issue 18).

If you're wondering about the photo, it was taken whilst walking home after reading said article with Emily and really looking around.

Keep your eyes peeled, as we will be, tracking down more artists and makers doing/ creating fantastic things to feature on EcoDepot. Anyone you think we should know about, please drop us a line!

Show and Tell

There has been a great deal of research done on people's claims - how fantastic their products are and that kind of thing. "Best ..... since sliced bread", you know the deal. Now it's time for you to come and share your thoughts. EcoDepot is hosting an exhibition next Friday night - our version of show and tell in our locale.

Please pop in and say hello!

Time to Breathe

After taking a couple of weeks out with my 2 year old son due to family day care having a well earned break, I realised actually how important it is to pause for a moment and....BREATHE...to actually enjoy just being.

Not be to be preoccupied with the business admin. as you're making school lunches, not to think about getting the washing on the line whilst you're doing the accounts, of trying to plan what to cook for dinner when really, the most important thing is to cut yourself some slack and get caught up in the moment of whatever it is you're doing!

For a while I've loved origami - something about taking a sheet of paper and animating it. We've had a box of old catalogues sitting around for a while and it seemed criminal just to get rid of them (as there really is no such place as 'away'). So it seemed to make sense - make stuff! Soon we'll be exhibiting EcoDepot in Austinmer (opening 28th November), there will be flocks of Catalogue 1 cranes hanging around to greet you. Planning also on selling the cranes in packs, all money will be donated back to bushcare. The cranes are such a joy to fold on the front verandah as the kids monkey about in their treehouse. We live in a fantastic part of the world, where the local bushcare groups do awesome work.

So it's nice being able to share something in return.

Garden Delights

Found:
Soft and snuggly treasure from the talented hands of Chi Chi. Ben and I met her at a fantastic market in Sydney and were immediately drawn to her stall. All the hand crafted little birds chirped out to be patted and held. Zip open their tummies and there is a pocket to fit your phone/ cards/ cash/ secret notes. Each and every creation takes Chi Chi a good three hours to construct these pets from discarded fabrics and notions. We couldn't leave any of the flock behind, so if you'd like to see images of Orange Pops family, please leave a message.

Organic Expo - whew!

What an event!!!Thank you to all the lovely people who popped in to chaeck out our range. We loved having the oportunity to have a chat, let people play with the wind up torches and gererally touch stuff. Ben and I had a ball, but we couldn't have done it without the help of the wonderful inlaws, keeping our 2 children out of mischief.