Ethical Cafe: Leaf and Bean Emporium

Good Coffee, Good Food all with a Good conscience...

We've all been there, you are desperate for a good cup of your favourite brew, but the coffee on offer is shockingly bad not only in taste but also in many cases for the environment and the plantation workers. I really hate having a bad coffee....

The solution? You need to know where your local good coffee merchants are.

To get you started we have included our Cafe of the Month....

The Leaf and Bean Emporium, 178A, Scarborough Beach Rd, Mt Hawthorn. (pictured above)

Not only do these guys offer Toby's estate fair trade, certified organic coffees (including swiss water process decaf), they also really know how to make a good coffee, thanks to the meticulous training from owner Alison Muir. So head on over to Mount Hawthorn for brilliant coffee, great food and a chilled ambiance.

For those in other areas, we have a list of Toby's estate stockists in Perth;

Voyage Kitchen and Delicatessan - Waterman
Boatshed Fresh Market – Cottesloe
Little Chutneys – Subiaco
Claremont Fresh – Claremont
Hippo Creek – opening in November in Sorrento
Manna Wholefoods – Fremantle (Good Organic lunches too!)
Tonic Café - Fremantle
Raspberry Fields – Como
Star Anise – Shenton Park (Yum- fine dining at its very best!)

For the other states visit www.tobysestate.com.au for your local stockist.

If you could make a difference just by changing the type of coffee you drink would you? You can, GO Organic and Fair Trade and make a difference today.

I am off to have an ethical decaf......

Gina

eco peko Organic Fashion for Kids

Protecting our kids in more ways than one....ethical fashion....

WE LOVE eco peko www.ecopeko.com organic fashion for kids, not only are they beautifully designed, high quality garments but they are certified organic and created by a Perth mum. You've told us that you want to know about the people behind the products, so here is a guest blog from eco peko CEO Justine.



Being a passionate advocate of organics and a natural way of life made us move from our City central address to the very green hills of Roleystone. We love living amongst the trees and growing our own food.
With my smallest child in a portable cot at the back of my stall, I screen printed designs onto t-shirts for bubs and sold them at the Kalamunda markets. I then went searching for organic cotton and eco peko was born!
Our range has started with t-shirts and kimonos and has grown with bibs & hats. The shirts have positive environmental messages and the kimonos are cut wide to allow for cloth nappies, layering and growing! The bibs are a double layer french terry and are super long!
I’m very excited about the direction the label will take towards the end of he year.
The fabric we have used is made from a high quality 100% Certified organic cotton. It has a high thread count and is unbelievably soft.
All our garments come with a little packet of organic veggie seeds, as we at eco peko would love to encourage people to have a veggie patch (its fantastic for kids!)

I love everything about this business. It’s amazing how much I have learnt and am still learning. It works well with my babies (I have lots of clothes for them ) and also my beautiful husband helps out by looking after them so that I can get work done. It makes me really happy running my own business, and that is a huge positive for my family.


Visit the eco peko website for more details and stockists www.ecopeko.com

P.S The eco peko range is approved by CleanLife baby product tester Lilian, aged 13months!

Peppermint Magazine: The world of eco fashion

Wardrobe inspiration from PEPPERMINT MAGAZINE

Every once in a while, something comes into your life, that changes not only what you do, but the way you think. The arrival of the first issue of Peppermint Magazine was such an occasion for me. I love ethical fashion, I have quite a few items that are organic, fair trade, second hand, Australian made and just plain OLD in my wardrobe, but I must admit since becoming pregnant with our daughter almost two years ago now, I had really lost the little passion I did have for fashion. That changed when Peppermint mag arrived.

Peppermint; Fresh green fashion, has a vintage edge to it that I LOVE. I also adore the fact that the editor Kelley, notes in her opening letter that she doesn't have an eco-perfect wardrobe, but that every bit helps. At CleanLife we think the same way. We also love the story of a business woman who starts a magazine for ethical reasons. For Kelley learning that '(there is)20, 000 deaths per year of cotton farmers from pesticide poisoning and the fact that every 8 hours in a province in India a farmers commits suicide due to pesticide debts' was the catalyst for this wonderful publication.

But that is enough of the UGLY side... for what I really love about Peppermint is that is shows the positively funky and wonderful side of organic, eco, fair trade and ethical fashion! You'll find the pages filled with the latest eco-savvy designers and their wonderful wares, thought provoking articles and the latest fashion events.

How could it get any better?
Well it is printed on recycled paper, with veg inks and the first issue is ABSOLUTELY FREE, so get onto www.peppermintmag.com to find your local stockist.

So how has peppermint mag changed the way I think? It has brought back to me the realisation that, what I wear actually is important (for me). My reasoning for this is that if I enter a room, looking and feeling good, people are likely to comment on what I am wearing and if I can explain to them that the item is: organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, recycled materials, vintage or that I made it myself.....then I may just be able to make a few more individuals think about what they wear and perhaps one day they may find themselves in a changing room asking themselves.....DOES MY CONSCIENCE LOOK BIG IN THIS???

So grab a copy of this wonderfully nourishing mag, treat yourself to an organic cuppa or wine and enjoy!

I am off now to learn how to sew...

Until next time...

Gina
(Yes it is true (I hear some of your sniggering), previously I managed to sew the back and front of my apron together three times, before accidently tacking it to the tablecloth, but peppermint mag has inspired me to try again!)