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ontents May/)une 20i0
36 Australia's top eco designers Meet fashionista 5ara Victoria and four green fashion gurus
44 Renting right Top tips for renting green
-
50 Recycled material shopping bag A guide to sewing your own tote
72 Electric dreams
63 DIY terrarium
81 ln season 82 In focus 83 Meet the chef Sustainable chei James Viles 84 Food for thought 85 Sustainable sips + bites
Turn an old bottle and ice-cream container into a mini ecosystem
practical and landlord friendly!
66 G report: Download damage Our virtual lives can have real
world carbon footrprints
58 Permaculture basics Create a food-producing haven
Cover image by Meghan Petersen on
location at
The London Hotel in Sydney.
Sara Victoria wears clothes from her Organic Softwears range. Make-up by Soge Beouty using lnika casmetics.
76 A
The future of fully electric cars
dynamic approach
You've heard about organics, but what about biodynamics? See what it has to offer.
chef Luscious foot spa recipes
7B Beauty
86 Orangutan adventure Get up close and personal with endangered Sumatran apes
ffieiitmr's
letter
Contri$:utors Carla Oates Carla has 5pent the iast decade researching and
w'iti19 aboul natural ingredients dnd the
po5'1ive
effects they can have on skin health and weilbeing. She is a Body Care Ambassador for organic
organisation BFA and G welcomes her as ouregu'ar beauty columnist. See p78 for ways to treat your feet!
Melody Lord A freelance journalist who has edited several
craft books and magazines, Melody has always enjoyed sewing, especially when the effort results in something practical, beautiful and good fo'the environment. Check out her guide to making your own foldaway bag on p50.
Tnking r*sponslhif ity There h,rs been ,r lot of rnedia cover:rge lately about palrr oil and orar)sut:urs. Greenpeace took the issue to new heights
with their
nrock video ,rd abor-rt Nestld and l.row the company uses palm oil
Ir'rrrr rrrl'ltlicrt luu,girrg 1'yirrls orarrgur.rrr habirat. In March, I joined a fundraising trip to Sumatra with Rair-rforest Rescue (see pB6) to see oranglltans ir.r their r-rative habitat and to
Jane de Sraaff Jane is a freelance rood and lifesryie write' baseo in Ailolhnr ,rna (ho hr< r .laan ntof a<t in ne' <nn:l
witness the imprrct of p:rlm oil plantatior.rs. What I salv was borh
stories
amazing ar-rd sacldcr.rir.rg. Tl-re significance of the experience, given
ways that food brings us together. For this issue
thrt or:rngutarls rnay be extinct within the decade, was not lost on
of 6 she had fun exploring food production, nerm>rr rltr rrp <tvlp i'nlA\
me. They:rre caprivating creatures and their plight is representarive
of biodiversiry under threat fiom deforestation globally. Paln oil is a complex topic and one that will not be solved overnight, as nr:rny impoverished Indonesians depend on the inc[lstry for jobs. tVh:rt rve ils consLlr]rers can do is den.rar.rd that palm oil in fbod proclucts is labelled so that we have the cl.roice at tl-re cl-reckout. We can also put pressure on retailers to push back tl-rroush thcir sr,rpply chain to der-r-rand rheir palm oil is sustainably sorrrced. If you rvanr to help, check outZoo Victoria's Don't Palm Us Oll carripaig n (www.zoo.org.a u /p a I m o i I).
offood culture, food production and the
Wllliam Peralta This issues guest illustrator (p66), William, is a final year student at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney. He explores photography and graphic design within the visual realm of meoia. and is influenced by rhe interaction between the textures ofthe industrial urban and the organic natural environments.
'We have ,rlso t:rken ,rnother step along the green path here
:rt G. C:rrbon Planet recently lne:rsured the c:rrbon fbotprint
of
prodr-rcing the nragazine. They report that getting one copy into
your l-r;rnds results in 984 g of greenhouse gases. Afie r tirking uleasules to r.ninimise our impirct, we've purcl-rased ccrtificcl carbon creciits lrorn Carbon Plar-ret to offset the remaining tVc chose to direct our money to a projecr in Brazil cr.r-rissior.rs. lvitl-r social ,rs rvell ,rs environr.nental significar-rce. The project helps local pcople to replace the fuel demancl for trees fror-r-r the threatened Cerr,rdo rvilderness
with s:rlvdust lrom furniture made
fiom sustainirble rvood. \We decided against credits frorn Australian projects bec;ruse, rvith the implementation of an emissions trading scher.ne in its pro;rosed form, :rny credits would not be ardditional to the cuts the government has colnmitted to. So now yon car.r be sale in the knowledge that your copy of G Magrzine, wl.retl.rer delivered to your mailbox, or bought at a store. comes
with its calbon errissions offset.
:Pa"Ll --f
Cerolyn Barry
Editor
MAY/JUNE
the iatest ideas and thinking in sustainability, we've asked experts from various fields to advise us $ir Richard Branson
Virgin Group founder and chairman; donor to climate change solutions
Patrice Newell FormerTV presenter turned biodynamic farmer and author Nich Howley Sustainability consultant; former advisor to British Pl\l Tony Blair and NSW Premier Bob Carr
Jrn Dee Founder and Chairman ofthe Australian advocacy organisation 'Do Something!'and co-founder of Planet Ark
Maria Atkinson Co-founder of the Green Building Council of Australia and global head of sustainability for Lend Lease
Ca.o (4a
8 6
Editorial Advisory Eoard To ensure G l\,4agaztne stays abreast of
2O1O
J.,:\S,*\3Jl'.tr8
Join us now on our..,
Lrrangutan
Editorial
Adventrilfllek Wednesday 16 March, 201
EOltOr Carolyn Barry editorial@gmagazine.com.au 9901 6100
T: (02)
Art Director
1
Assistant Editor Chief 5ub-editor
Editorial lnterns
oniine Editor Editorial contact
contributors
rainforest
rescue
Tracy Loughlin Lauren Monaghan Kate Arneman Jessica Stone, Lucy Band,
Jill McCann, Max Mason Carolyn Barry enquiries@gmagazine.com.au Writers: Tanya Ha, Jon Dee, Richard Cornish, Max Allen, Leon Genler, Carla Oates, Al Gore, Sandra Langdon, Melody Lord, Jane de Graaff, Kate Hennessy, 5ue White, Tim Wallace Photographers: Tony Nolan, Meghan Petersen, Carolyn Barry
?'otutA*t*h'sta Fqo*r
Advertising National Advertising Manager
Tatyana Kovalyov
tkovalyov@gmagazine.com.au T: (02) 9901 6159 M:0411 497 804
National Advertising Manager
Krissy Mander
kmander@gmagazine.com.au T: (02) 9901
Advertising Traffic Alison
6164
M: 04'l 0 51 1 1 50
Begg
abegg@next.com.au (02) 9901 6346
Pre-press Manager Jonathan Bishop
Production Manager Leiani Reardon Circulation Director Carole.Jones
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NEED MORE
INFO?
.C
Tristanne:
ddii#flures Contact tristanne@i nspi redadventu res.c0m.a u 1300 905 188 www.inspiredadventures.com.au/orangutanadventuretrek
G Magazin. is pdnted oi leipa paper, made 0l 1 00% rccycled fbn the (over ir printed 0n Mof,a, whkh is tlemental Chl0riie hee {tt() and 30% Fe-@nrumel and 2596 po5t-@nslmel rcqcled wl$ tie balance belng virgh paper fiom well-manag€d forcrt9 and otier (ontrclled rc0.@t Boti typ6 0f paper are cltifed by the f!re$ Shwardrhlp (ouncil. The plarti( in which sub(db€r copier are wopped ([coPure) lr made from an tDPl pli$kwhichtuilyblodegndet in 3-5yea6, wen in landfll.
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Carbon Measured.
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TRAVEL iSumatra
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An inspired expedition Travelling in March, it's the end of the wet season and there's not much rair-rfall; but the intense sun and extreme humidity create a steamy reminder that you're deep in the tropics. For 12 Australian travellers, there's no place they'd rather be. This trip is no ordinary holiday; it is the culmination of months of fundraising aimed at saving this precious habitat. Organised through lnspired Adven[ures, a company that specialises in fundraising trips, this expedition was the brainchild of not-for-profit group Rainforest Rescue (see "Snippets", pl9). The groups primary focus is saving the Daintree in far north
Queensland but side projects include teamir-rg up with the Indonesian-based Orangutar.r Information Centre (OIC). This is the first fundraising trip to Sumatra; however Rainforest Rescue plans to make it an annual event, with Sri Lanka on the cards as a potential second destination. "This kind of Ifundraising] trip makes it accessible to everyonel'says enthusiastic participant Tara Hunt, from Sydney. "lt restores faith in humanityl' Over 10 days the group will attend orangutan viewing sessions, trek four days through the jungle, catch a ride on a semi-wild elephant, visit a local orphar.rage and head north, where logging and illegal palm plantations have devastated the once pristine jungle. Here they will visit a tree-planting program run by locals, one of the projects their fundraising efforts will support. "I've always given money to [animal rights group] PETA but I wanted to do morej' says trekker Lauren Henley, 2I, from Brisbane, as she reflects on her motivation to become involved. Below:\tuttlt.)1,'r1r|-r111 1i]
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Elephants and banana juice Bukit Lawang, a village of around 3,000 people, is the tourist gateway to the adjacent GLNP. While you're far from modern comforts, the quaint surroundings are not primitive. Wander through local shops to find cheap clothes, trinkets and traditional food - and know your money goes to the locals - or stop for' Bintang beer or a banana juice on a balcony overlooking the meandering Bohorok River. Accommodation is authentic and comfortable, often made from timber or other local materials, with about a dozen small operators offering lodges or bungalows. 'We
stayed at Ecolodge Bukit Lawang Cottage, where rooms featured a semi-outdoor bathroom, some with traditional ceramic
pot bathing. Organic vegies feature heavily on the menu in the open dining area. For dinner, you can't go past the gado gado (steamed
with peanut sauce) and chicken rendang, and the breakfast banana pancakes are to die for. Stock up on nasi goreng (fried rice), an Indonesian staple, before trekking through the jungle. vegies
Into the jungle The GLNP was once a release site for orangutans who had been illegal pets or had become homeless due to habitat loss,
but the program was discontinued in the early 1990s. Today, 223 ex-captive orangutans live in the jungle. The only human intervention in their lives consists of twice-daily feeding sessi
fhis trip is no ordinary holiday; it is the culmination of months of fundraising aimed at saving this precious habitat.
from national park rangers who provide bananas and milk for those who feel like venturing down from the treetops. Crude wooden planks and a bamboo fence mark the orangutan
viewing area, which is about l0 metres from the feeding platform. There s no guarantee how many, if any, orangutans will appear at any given feeding session, as they are free to roam the jungle. 'We were lucky enough to see several individuals make their way to the small wooden platform and grab some bananas. As I watch them adeptly peel the curved fruit and hold a cup to drink milk, their human-like characteristics are striking. Their habit of switching from hand to foot as they shimmy up trees gives new meaning to the word ambidextrous. W'hen feeding hour is up, the four-day journey to Tangkahan begins, and it doesn't take long for the jungle to encapsulate me. The tracks are narrow and at times rough, but it's wondrous to be surrounded by the visceral sounds, smells and feel ofthe jungle; I could very well be in another century.
Impish long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) swingby to check me out and Thomas leaf monkeys (Presbytis thomasi), identifiable by their small head and Mohawk-like black and white fur, are not uncommon. Tigers are an unlikely sighting, but you may see footprints if you look close enough. If you're lucky, you may catch a glimpse of 33-year-old orangutan Suma watching attentively while her baby Sumi (pictured, top left) awkwardly learns to clutch and climb branches. Or you might come across Mina and i(etrin wrestling each other affectionately. While the animal life is amazing, don't discount the plants. The world's largest flower, Rafilesia arnoldi, is found exclusively on Sumatra and Borneo. Weighing in at l1kg, it's known as the torpse' flower after the distinctive rotting aroma it emits to attract pollinating insects. Each night guides set up the camps in idyllic locations along ihe river. They use their extensive knowledge ofthe forest to concoct meals like fern stir-fry and banana skin curry.
Carbon offset Climate Friendly says return
flights from Sydney to Medan create about 4.1 tonnes of C0,equivalent (5117 to offset).
www.gmagazine.com.au
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