Style Plantation - LifeStyle Concept Store in Sydney

There is a vision, values and goals which are the driving force behind everything done at the Style Plantation Design Studio.

Because we believe poverty is unjustifiable, our gift and home ware range has been sourced carefully to to ensure that the world's poor are given what they need most to lift themselves out of poverty. And that with the right help, poor people can change their lives for the better.

Our always growing range is clever and quirky, see hand made tote bags or recycled rice sacks that have been given a new life as a lunch cooler bag. Or, try our hand made kid's aprons from Africa - hand made with an individual touch.

Our Fair Trade body care range has been created using pomegranates from South America - and are divine.

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.

This is done by requiring companies to pay sustainable prices, Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives. Fair trade’s aim is to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability.

The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards. It focuses more so on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, chocolate, flowers and even gold.


See the range at Style Plantation
Concept Store / 747 Botany Road, Rosebery
www.styleplantation.com

Start today at home - For a better world.

It couldn't be easier. A few small changes to make today, that will make a difference for tomorrow.

We know that you are already aware and committed to making a difference every day, but here's our quick checklist - please feel free to add to it.

1. Put a 'no junk mail' sticker on your letter box at home - and cut the junk.
2. Put a footnote on your emails to remind the reader to only 'print if required'.
3. Write a list of things that you need to repair at home - and plan to set aside some time to get things done - remember, a stitch in time.....
4. Buy items in bulk to reduce packaging - or look for products that have less packaging.
5. Buy reusable items - and avoid items that will only be used once - like disposable cutlery.
6. Buy fresh foods - more often, and compost the scraps.
7. Pass on clothes or unwanted household goods to charities - maybe have a clean out of last year's clothes and give them a new home.
8. Say no - to plastic bags at the supermarket - keep a stash of reusable shopping bags in the car boot and at work - be ready.
9. Walk somewhere - maybe to the train station, to work, to the shops - leave the car at home, start small and it could turn into a great habit. Even set a day aside every week where the car is left at home - 'car-free' Fridays for example - and do your best to make it a rule.
10. Send that stash of plastic bags in the back on the pantry back to the supermarket for recycling.
11. Arrange to recycle old mobile phones, batteries and printer toners and cartridges - check for drop-off bins at your local post office / bank.
12. Turn off the lights / appliances when not in use - this includes 'standby' appliances, such as the TV - turn it off, at the source.

Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo flooring is a breathtaking alternative to hardwood timber floors. Plantation grown bamboo saves our ancient forests and is one of the world's oldest building materials, and one of the fastest growing plants known to man!
Bamboo flooring is stronger and more resilient to indentation and scuffing than many native woods, but with the same look and feel.

Why Choose Bamboo for Flooring?

• Environmentally sustainable – Style Plantation Bamboo Flooring is an attractive alternative to hardwood floors, and is the product derived from the forests of a fully sustainable, environmentally friendly and rapidly growing renewable resource.
• Easy installation – Bamboo Flooring compares favourably with traditional solid select timber floors and given it is already sanded and finished with six durable Treffert or Klummp UV coatings. Style Plantation products are capable of being quickly installed ready for use with minimal disruption.
• Coupled with its price advantage, bamboo floors are creating significant interest for their aesthetics and other performance qualities over existing hard wood alternatives. In summary, bamboo flooring provides a highly competitive product for both domestic and commercial applications.
• Style Plantation Bamboo Floors are abrasion resistant and have excellent horizontal surface friction (non-slip).
• Bamboo flooring is allergy free
• Style Plantation bamboo floorboards are sealed with non-toxic glues and are finished with aluminium oxide.
• Style Plantation offers a wide range of colours and are consistent through to the core except in the instances where surface stains are used to achieve the colour.
• Bamboo floors have high UV resistance, blocking the sun's harmful rays and protecting the floor.
• Excellent warranty protection. The manufacturer warrants Style Plantation Bamboo Flooring in the original manufactured state free from structural defects (Structural Warranty) for 10 years in residential applications and 5 years for commercial uses. The manufacturer warrants to the original purchaser that the wear layer (Coating Warranty) of aluminium oxide will not peel or separate from the flooring plank in residential applications for 5 years.
• Easy repairs, since damaged bamboo floorboards can be replaced without contrasting with the pattern of surrounding boards.
• Easy cleaning, most spills can be cleaned up with a mop or sponge. To read more about how to maintain your bamboo floor, click here.
• Very low emissions through waste and pollution; the result is a very environmentally friendly product.
• Endless design options
• Style Plantation Bamboo Floors are very hard and durable
• STYLEBOARD ™ Strand woven bamboo flooring technology is retardant against termites, fire, sunlight, chemical stains, scuffing and indentation.
• Finally, the natural beauty and durability of bamboo flooring far surpasses traditional hardwood floors.

However, above all these extraordinary features are quite simply the look of bamboo flooring. When you walk into a room floored in bamboo you truly do catch your breath. There is a quality, warmth and feel created entirely by the floor itself. Before choosing flooring, you really need to see bamboo for yourself.

Mother's day gift ideas - that won't cost the earth!

For mum, this mother's day.

1. The best gift of all - a hug. Hugs certainly feel good, both on the giving and receiving end, and it turns out their effects are more than skin deep. A study by University of North Carolina researchers found that hugs increase the "bonding" hormone oxytocin and decrease the risk of heart disease. Hugs are good for your heart, they lower blood pressure, and reduce stress.

2. Get a green kitchen hamper for mum, full of earth friendly products for around the home. Cleaning products and laundry products that are gentle on the environment - we like www.ecostore.net.au

3. A health beauty pack full of beautiful soaps and creams with organic, fair-trade ingredients. Our favs: regenerating hand cream and body wash by Weleda - pomegranate body care range www.weleda.com.au

4. Organic Cotton Bedlinen - Did you know that researchers have uncovered up to 2 kilograms of harsh chemicals embedded in every queen size sheet set of non-organic cotton bed linen. Go organic, for mum's sake.

5. An Earth Machine or compost machine - it's a fabulous investment to reduce landfill waste and give your mum free mulch and soil amendment that will make the neighbours jealous.

6. An interior design consultation - give mum a special gift to help brighten her world. A new coat of paint for the lounge room, or a bedroom make-over with help from a professional interior designer. Contact us for more information.

7. A pair of house shoes from www.houseshoes.com.au - House Shoe soft foam soles are made from industrial waste diverted from landfill, creating a sustainable future for the planet, with a double layer of stretch cotton that moulds to the shape of your mum's foot.

8. www.oxfamunwrapped.com.au for a gift for mum, and one for a total stranger that keeps on giving! Many adults in Cambodia have limited or no functional literacy. A gift of adult literacy classes teaches many basic life skills in a supportive environment specifically tailored to local needs, as well as numeracy and literacy.

9. Another mum's gift - from Oxfam. Starting the day well is important, especially for growing minds and bodies. That’s why Oxfam Australia supports Doomadgee State School to run a healthy breakfast program for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Your gift helps provide one child with fresh fruit, bread, milk, juice and muesli for a month, and helps increase their attendance and concentration at school. Make another mum happy!

10. Super soft and absorbent, bamboo towels will spoil your mum without costing the earth! Pick a highlight colour from the bathroom or go with classic white. From Style Plantation stores nationally - www.styleplantation.com

Why Not Fix It?

Although some people seem to have an uncanny ability to fix things just by touching them (or even just by looking at them), most of us aren't so lucky.

Still, there are many benefits to fixing things rather than tossing them out and buying new replacements, from money savings to our own pride and knowledge, not to mention the environment.

It shouldn't surprise you that fixing things rather than buying new can save you a lot of money. In many cases simply sewing on a missing button, touching up a nicked paint job or gluing on a broken corner can get your possessions back up to snuff with only minimal effort and very low expenditure. The trouble is, these days many of us fail to go beyond the easiest small repairs, instead opting to buy new at the smallest sign of trouble.

As E Magazine asked a few years ago, "Whatever Became of Fixing Things?" Travel to the developing world, and you'll see many examples of patched-up products providing long service, from makeshift plumbing to reworked clothing. Our grandparents and great-grandparents were probably quite adept at fixing things up, since stores and funds were often limited. Today, manufactured goods, a consumer culture and relatively high labor costs have conspired to turn us into a bunch of wasters.

Not only are we filling up landfills with stuff that could readily be reused, it takes a great deal of natural resources to make new stuff, in terms of water, minerals, metals, timber, petroleum products and more. Buying new means more transportation and storage costs, and mountains of packaging - important because experts estimate that 44% of U.S. global warming emissions are due to products and packaging.

There are other benefits to fixing things, including learning more about how things work, gaining a sense of accomplishment, spending bonding time with children and family members, and preserving heirloom and unique items. You can also buy better quality things, since you'll have more confidence to know that you can repair them and get more value from them.

As much as we have forgotten how to fix things, there is also a resurgence bubbling of those who are strengthening their DIY muscles. Freecycling is a growing marketplace for exchanging used items, some of which need repairs. There's a new green thrifty movement afoot, and even a humor site for wacky repairs.

When do you repair? Some people like the rule of thumb that says you should definitely fix something if the repair costs are less than 50% of the original purchase price. Even if the costs are a bit more there may be something to reducing waste and keeping with what you've already got.

We found some chairs in a friend's garage and decided to give it a go ourselves. They needed to have new seat bases made, including upholstery (we used hemp) and a sand and re-coat of the timber. A few screws to keep everything sturdy, and the result is fantastic!

For Baby

OTHER ECO-FRIENDLY products to help you care for your baby

Life Organic, Newtown www. lifeorganic.com.au(02) 9565 1156
BIO BAMBINI organic baby food, puree, cereals.
GLUTEN FREE teething rusks are specifically developed to soothe tender gums while baby is teething.
HOLLE organic infant formulae with balanced protein that are instantly prepared with water for babies zero to 12 months.
BAMBO certified organic, bamboo nappies. For babies 3kgs to 22kg.
WOTNOT 100% biodegradable baby wipes, refills, liners and nappy bags are also in the range.
Skin and Bath Care Range
GAIA baby range are soap and sulphate free products that gently cleanse, nurtures and cares for your babies skin. Also free from mineral oils, sorbolene and petro chemicals.
All products are enriched with moisturising oils to keep babies clean and soft without drying or itchiness.

STYLE PLANTATION - Stunning bamboo bath and hand towels - super soft, super absorbant - allergy free. For more information, see www.styleplantation.com or visit a showroom.

Meet Akril: An eco-friendly way to add colour

Straight, shaped, curved or formed, Akril is a unique high-tech polymer that is environmentally friendly and available in a range of colours.

Applications include, shower screens, kitchen splashbacks, cabinet/wardrobe doors, wall claddings, signage, whiteboards.

Benefits at a glance:
Cost effective when compared to glass

Half the weight of glass
10 year UV warranty
Abrasion resistant
4m to 6m thickness
Scratches can be polished out