YouTubing for a cause

Zac Phillips wants you to help him raise money for charity simply by watching his YouTube clips, AND he wants you to help him decide where to donate it! The Aussie YouTuber says, "I have decided to donate all the advertisement revenue that I get from my YouTube videos to a charity. Recently I got my first cheque for $159 and I'm going to match that with my own money. I know it's not much but it is infinitely more than nothing. Read the full story »

Beer and TP (toilet paper): Ideas that change the lives of millions

Shebeen is a non-profit bar that sells beers from around the world and gives 100% of profits back to your drink's country of origin. Who Gives A Crap is a brand of toilet paper that helps provide people in developing countries with toilets and better sanitation. Simon Griffiths is the brains behind both these amazing ventures! Read the full story »

Three questions with Farmer Marg

Marg Alexandra is the manager of Hazeldean Forest Farm, where they’ve been farming ecologically and producing quality organic food for over 25 years. Marg and Jason Alexandra transformed the 92 acre property on the base of the Stezleckie Ranges “to create integrated biodiversity and sustainable ecosystems”, which was achieved by planting windbreaks, orchards, forests, and building a dam. Some of their produce includes walnuts, chestnuts, peaches, and 40 apple varieties. They even make their own apple cider (I am a huge fan already). Marg sells her produce direct to CERES, one or two other markets and her own farmers’ market circuit. I asked Marg a few questions about being a small-scale farmer. Read the full story »

CERES about fair food and the power of community

CERES (pronounced ‘series’) – the Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies – is a not-for-profit environmental park located on 10 acres in East Brunswick, Melbourne. It has been built on land that was originally landfill (the soil is safe in case you’re wondering). CERES was established in 1981 by local residents who wanted to create social and environmental awareness and it was opened in 1982. Melissa says, “over the course of 30 years, CERES has become a vibrant community park and socially-driven organisation.” They have all different enterprises including a nursery, market, shop, café, permaculture nursery, farm (including chickens), workshops, tours, and education programs open to the public. Read the full story »

Your local community farm: just around the corner

I'm a quintessential city kid. Everything I know about farming I learned from Waterworld: you need dirt. But even as a city kid I know that we, unlike poor Kevin Costner, live in a country that has pretty great dirt (although apparently it's actually called 'soil'). How would a city kid know that? A few days ago I car-pooled with a few of the Alfalfa House crew to visit one of their suppliers, Common2Us. Common2Us is an organic community farm in Dural, only an hour out of Sydney's center. Read the full story »

Top 5 apps on sustainable food

We’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite apps that can help you locate your local farmers, plus a few other choices that might help you kickstart your own small-scale 'farm'. By purchasing direct from the local farmer, you’re helping to take responsibility for where your produce comes from and contribute to the great community that helps make and keep food sustainable. Read the full story »

Spiritual bankruptcy, a modern awakening

In today's age of austerity, bankruptcy is an option that many people are facing due to ever increasing debts and a longing to start again. However, for many people it is so much more than a means to re-establish their financial lives. It is a move towards a more spiritual, stress free way of living that you may not have even noticed you were lacking until you have to start again. Once you have wiped your financial slate clean, the self evaluation can begin. This is a time when many people feel empowered to finally be in control of their finances again; imagine the weight of debt on your shoulders for many years, trying to live a life that you simply cannot and then all of a sudden it is removed - a wonderfully freeing feeling. This is the time when you can start to look at what you do have in a different way, you may start to notice things that you have overlooked previously like the company of friends or a reconnection with hobbies long forgotten. Read the full story »

Mindful in May

Today marks the beginning of Mindful in May – a global campaign that uses meditation and mindfulness to aid a worthy cause. Mindful in May is open to both novice and seasoned meditators and is all about challenging people to become more aware and appreciative whilst also bringing attention to the very real issue of access to clean water – an important one considering that diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Read the full story »

One Million Women can’t be wrong: Love Food, Hate Waste

Did you know that in NSW we waste an average of 1 in every 5 shopping bags of food we buy? That is about 20% of our purchased food. Our garbage bins are predominantly filled with discarded food and the reality is that the overall wastage is far more than just the food in the bin but also a waste of everything that went into producing that food. And did you know that in landfill, food waste produces methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide?! I didn’t. At least not until I spoke with Macquarie University’s lovely resident Sustainability Officer Belinda Bean. Read the full story »

Pay It Forward

There is no denying the great power held within the simple act of giving and that’s what International Pay It Forward Day, on April 25th, is all about. People, from all walks of life, giving to someone else and making a positive difference. At last count there were more than 38 countries participating. Read the full story »