Growing Green- An Insight into Organic Gardening. Published by Homestyle Magazine Aug/Sept 2011

Read the full article here:

Growing up Green, Published in Homestyle Magazine Feb/March 2012

Nothing can really prepare you for the life-changing, momentous event of having a baby, but everyone will tell you preparation is essential.  Because I love merging an urban lifestyle with functional sustainability, I have considered a number of areas to make sure our new little person has the best start to life and grows up green….

Read the full story below and make sure to buy your subscription of Homestyle Magazine for all of your home and living info!

Tags: baby, baby wear, eco baby, eco kids clothing, eco living, eco mama, eco paint, green, green furniture, kids room, nature baby, reduce, renovation, reuse, sustainable timber

Eco tips for the breast feeding eco mother

Our first bebe, Hudson Brooker, was born January 16 2012.  At around 4 weeks early he was clearly eager to meet us!  His arrival into the world was a little rough, being quickly whisked away from his mama at birth and sent by plane to a more specialized ICU unit in another city.  A number of factors resulted in a 2 week stay in hospital and further medical support to address Hudson’s feeding issues.

Believing in the importance of natural living, my desire was to breastfeed my boy as soon as possible, but I also had to prepare myself mentally for the possibility that it wasn’t going to happen due to a few health challenges we both faced. A long and arduous 9 weeks in, I am pleased to say we have made it, with a lot of support and hard work on both parts and a little bit of sleep here and there in between!  Hudson is a little trooper.

I want to share a few eco tips I have found useful for those considering breast feeding:

Breast Pads:

Breast pads are a must-needed wardrobe addition for the breast feeding mother, and I whole heartedly recommend using a natural fibre such as wool or bamboo as they wont   stick like cotton pads do.  I have both, with wool being my absolute favourite, as it absorbs moisture rapidly, does not stick, is soothing on sore nipples and helps prevents milk congestion which can cause infection.

Try Imse Vimse Silk and Wool Breast Pads from Nature Baby

Hydration:

Another helpful natural treat from NZ’s famous sheep population is the nurturing and healing lanolin. Applying 100% Lanolin on nipples after every feed is an excellent way to prevent or nurture painful cracks and keep your natural feeding device healthy and comfortable!  My favourite is Lansinoh, which can be purchased from most chemists.  Also make sure to drink plenty of water when breast feeding as well, its thirsty work on both sides!

Increasing milk supply:

At times, health professionals recommend the use of Domperidone, a hormone type medication which helps to increase milk supply.  With a minimum 3 month dosage required and some undesirable side effects, this is a big commitment not to be taken lightly. If your circumstances allow for a more natural option, taking daily amounts of the herb Fenugreek can be effective as this encourages breast milk supply (and also helps with menopause!).  This herb is basically effective when you start smelling like a curry house (alongside cravings for butter chicken!).  It comes in pills, powder or tea form.  Anybody considering this option would obviously need to check with their doctor before taking this supplement, taking into consideration their unique situation.

Prevent Eczema in your child:

Ethical Nutrients Eczema Shield has been proven to help reduce the onset of eczema and allergies in infants.  Clinical trials have shown that mothers who took this probiotic strain of Lactobacillus rhamnosus (GG) organisms (LGG®) during pregnancy and breastfeeding reduced the incidence of eczema in their child by a whopping 47%.  The probiotic is available from leading chemists, must be kept in the fridge and comes in powder form which can be added to water or juice.  A Naturopath also suggested to me that if your child develops thrush of the mouth while breast feeding, this probiotic can be rubbed on the nipple prior to a feed which helps clear up the infection!!  (I have not had to try this so cannot confirm that it works!).

Baby skincare and milk:

Breast milk has natural antibacterial properties and can be used to help heal sensitive skin among other things.  To keep your baby’s skin as natural as possible, limit the amount of cleansers and moisturizers used on their skin.  It is fine to just use water in those first weeks when bathing your baby, and when necessary you can add a dash of natural baby wash to bath water.  My favourite is Ecostore’s Baby Wash and Gaia Baby Wash.  A hot tip to help clear up unhappy baby skin, such as dryness/flaking, acne and spots, is to rub breast milk straight onto spots, pimples, milea at the end of your feed. Generally, within a day the spots are almost completely gone.

Expressing:

Oh the joys of embracing cow-like abilities and throwing all dignity out the window.  Thank goodness these days expressing doesn’t need to happen by hand with the wonders of the electric pump!  If you need to express, whether it’s to prepare for starting back at work, or to simply build up your supply, you cannot go wrong with a Medela Swing.  This electric pump replicates the natural rhythm of a breast feeding baby and is quiet, fast and easy to use.  All Medela pump bottles, storage containers and parts are BPA keeping your baby safe from toxins.

Holly Jean Brooker is the founder of urbanmac Ltd and is a freelance writer on urban green living

Tags: beauty, food, health, nature

Growing Up Green, published by Homestyle Magazine

Well hello eco-peeps!

Another green read for you in the latest Homestyle Magazine, Feb/March 2012 edition…this month im talking NATURE BABIES BABY!
And yes, this fits in nicely with the arrival of our first little bebe, Hudson Thomas McKenzie Brooker, he is a little delight!

If you are an eco savvy parent, or want to green up your kids room check this article out for the full lowdown (available in all leading book stores and retail outlets).

Otherwise check out a sneak preview of GROWING UP GREEN here!

(Image published by homestyle.co.nz)

Tags: baby, eco, environmentally friendly, green furniture, nature, nature baby, sustainable design

Get your Nature on Bebe!

As many of you know, I am now in the final countdown…. the last days of my first pregnancy!

With only 10 days to go, I am juggling a multitude of feelings and thoughts as my husband and I realise the big day is ALMOST here!  While super excited to meet my little boy, I am a little nervous at the responsibilities involved in impending mama-hood, and somewhat nostalgic that my first pregnancy is almost over!  How did it happen so fast!

I have absolutely LOVED my pregnancy, even with a few serious complications along the ride, and actually have nothing bad to say about this most beautiful time in which I have had the privilege to ‘incubate’.  A truly miraculous experience which unfolds over such a perfect time frame, I am in awe of God’s handiwork and skill.

Ok, so enough of the soppy shizzle!

With our love for merging an urban lifestyle with functional sustainability, there have been a bunch of things my suave and I have had to consider to make sure our little mini-brooker  has the best start to life and grows up green.

I will attempt to blog about a range of these different topics as I can, in the coming weeks and months and hopefully offer you some interesting or thought-provoking ideas about living green in the most practical sense.   Kia kaha!

Tags: baby, bebe, eco, family, health, natural, nature, sustainable

Spring Clean Green! Published by Homestyle Magazine

Hello eco lovers!!

Check out my latest Homestyle article here for hot hints on spring cleaning your home GREEN!  Buy Homestyle Magazine in all major retailers for home and living inspiration
Spring Clean Green- Ecovate your home for spring!

Tags: eco living, ecovation, furniture, green, grey water, home renovation, natural, nature, organic, spring clean, sustainable, sustainable design, upcycle

The Media Project

Finally my business is ready to rock and roll… presenting The Media Project!

Its been a fun few months working to get The Media Project ready to launch and in the process I have started working with a few lovely business owners on various marketing projects.  Current Media Projects include an art gallery, a fashion label, a hair dresser a local church and of course urbanmac, suppliers of sustainable outdoor living products.

Keep an eye out on The Media Project website as I start to showcase some of the amazing business I have worked with.  Oh!  and please LIKE my facebook page Radical!

Tags: australia, marketing, new zealand, pr, public relations, social media

Growing Green- Homestyle Magazine Aug/Sept 2011

Published by Homestyle Magazine online…full article published in Homestyle Magazine Aug/Sept 2011 edition 43

GROWING GREEN

Resident Green Living expert Holly Brooker shares an insight into organic gardening.

When planning to build or buy a new home it’s a great idea to include ways to make your home eco-smart inside and out. Spending a little time, and money, on setting up a sustainable backyard will provide an abundance of fresh organic food and a visually aesthetic space; not to mention pure satisfaction and reward as the fruits of your labour are eaten and shared with others. Regardless of gardening experience anyone can establish a vegetable patch and learn the art of growing green.

 

Prepare Prepare Prepare

Preparation is key. It is crucial to find a suitable home for your garden bed, preferably a spot with good drainage, some solid morning or afternoon sun, wind protection and a space sized to suit your lifestyle. If you are new to gardening, it may be wise to start with a small patch so you don’t feel overwhelmed and over-committed time-wise. Too big a space for a novice gardener will simply lead to a neglected backyard mess!

 

Types of Garden

Dig in gardens are literally dug into the ground, requiring a solid and secure spot alongside some serious muscle work. Loosen the topsoil and dig at least 30 centimeters deep to aerate the soil and allow for unaffected root growth.

Raised garden beds sit on top of the ground and are great for bad backs as they do not require much digging. Simply place the garden box in your chosen location, fill with soil and you’re ready to get started.
Try using recycled timber to create garden beds, or use untreated timber such as plantation grown macrocarpa, which naturally resists insects and rot. A layer of thick newspaper or untreated sawdust on the bottom can be helpful in a weedy area to prevent stranglers from growing through the soil.

Pots or planters are ideal space-savers and are perfect for small yards and apartments. Make sure you allow for drainage by placing stones in the base of the pot to enable water to flow through without getting trapped and flooding your plants. Get creative with old containers or discarded wine barrels for a sustainable option.

 

To see more Growing Green ideas pick up a copy of the lastest issue of homestyle. On sale now at supermarkets and book stores nationwide.

Beauty with a Difference

BY HOLLY JEAN BROOKER  Published by Good Magazine  July 2011

Constantly on the hunt for quality makeup which is natural and environmentally friendly, Holly Jean Brooker was thrilled to discover a range of products by Byron Bay besties Luci Scarman and Amber Handley.

Luci and Amber are taking the world by storm with their range of 100 percent natural makeup products, ECOminerals. This energetic duo found a lack in the market for quality makeup that was both affordable and ethically responsible. Launched four years ago, ECOminerals products are now shipped across Australia, New Zealand and the USA, meeting the needs of an ever-growing market of environmentally savvy shoppers.

ECOminerals are naturally derived, using skin friendly ingredients to protect the skin. Free of bismuth, oxychloride, nanoparticles, talc and rice powder, as well as being vegan and cruelty-free, these products tick all the boxes. In an effort to fight packaging waste, ECOmineral powders and bronzers are sold alongside 100 percent biodegradable refills, which come in a unique powder pouch which is poured into your original container. Their super-soft Kabuki Brush has a wooden handle, with a high quality washable fibre brush. As Luci says, “We went with these simply because we do not want animals killed for our brushes and because animal fibre is not washable – hence it’s not practical and doesn’t last so long.”

Luci’s passion for the environment overflows into her personal life as she takes a stance against packaging waste, striving hard to raise awareness among busineses owners to take responsibility for the packaging they are using for their products. She has started an eco-friendly packaging blog and a Facebook page to spark conversations about waste. She also regularly contacts companies and businesses about changing their packaging. Read more about ECOminerals at their website.

Tags: beauty, byron baby, eco living, green, mineral makeup, natural

WHAT BEING GREEN MEANS TO YOU: NZ SKINCARE COMPANY

Holly Jean Brooker chats with Catie Wilkinson, marketing manager at the NZ Skincare Company, about what being green means to her at work and at home

(published with Good Magazine 14 July 2011)

What is your business about?
We are a certified organic manufacturing company based in Hamilton, New Zealand. Our core range of products is ‘geoskincare’, a certified organic skincare brand that is available in pharmacies, beauty salons and healthy living stores throughout New Zealand.

What does green living mean to you?
Everything! We are really passionate about creating skincare products that are free from toxic chemicals. Our mission is to create authentic, natural and organic products that enhance a healthier lifestyle for our clients and our customers. We want to help consumers understand which ingredients should be in their skin and body care products, and which ingredients should not! We believe there is no room in this industry for ingredients or messages that are toxic and are committed to producing skin and body care products, which are healthy, not harmful.

How have you implemented sustainability into how your run your business?
Being a skincare manufacturer we receive and create a lot of packaging! We try to reuse in every way possible. Every box we receive gets put back into our dispatch area or used for re-packaging. All of our paper waste is recycled and then shredded and used in our packing. Penny’s (owner of NZSC) mum and dad sit in front of the TV and shred paper for us! We recycle all containers that we can’t use. We also find creative ways of reusing – for example we do a factory sale every quarter and make bulk body washes, cleaners, garden spray, etc available for our die-hard fans. These are all packaged in recycled bottles that are supplied by a local company – which benefits everyone as it reduces plastic waste and lowers the cost of the products for our consumers. Being committed to organic principals has far-reaching impact – most of our ingredients come from certified organic sources, we know that the growers and suppliers share our philosophy for health and don’t use herbicides, pesticides or other nasty chemicals when the raw materials are grown and undertake sustainable practices like crop rotation and companion harvesting which is good for the earth, surrounding nature and ultimately us! The ingredients that we use in our products are really diverse and we try to use New Zealand grown or sourced ingredients where possible, which has a positive impact on our carbon footprint. We are so lucky that in New Zealand that we have some amazing native extracts and oils to choose from.

How does eco living overflow into your personal life?
For me personally it has overflowed hugely. Generally I’ve always been your average consumer – but since I started with NZ Skincare Company I have become more and more educated and this has a follow on effect in my personal life. I am now really careful about what I put on my skin, I now know how to read a label and highlight any potentially dodgy ingredients and I know now why these ingredients are toxic. This has flowed through into the products that I use in my home – I can’t stand the thought of using chemical products now whereas I used to just pick up the cheapest bottle on the shelf. Interestingly enough I was recently in a situation where I had to clean a small bathroom with a standard chemical cleaning product. By the end my nostrils were burning! I used to think that it would be too hard to ‘go green’ but what I am finding is that small changes add up to a big change and an overall healthier lifestyle.

Check out geoskincare at their website or at their Facebook page.

Tags: eco beauty, eco living, geoskincare, green, natural beauty, nz skincare company