The killer products!

Green hair...we don't mean ths literally.
And other green things...

You may be surprised to hear that toxins are lurking in your bathroom? And I’m not talking about whatever’s hiding on your faucet handles or under your toilet seat. I’m talking about the thousands of chemicals that are found in the very products you use to get clean and beautiful each day. To make your everyday beauty regime less toxic and more environmentally friendly check out the following tips. Try a few (or all!) of them to reduce your impact on the world!

1. Use organic products. The MOP hair range is a great one to check out!
2. Be friendly to the animals and only buy products that are not tested on them. To check if a product is cruelty free look for the “leaping bunny” symbol. The Body Shop have a great range of products that are ALL not tested on animals.
3. Take five seconds to read the label and put down any product that contains phthalates, mercury, toluene, lead, formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, parabens (hormone-disrupting preservatives such as methylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, and propylparaben), or BHA. These chemicals are considered the most detrimental to human and environmental health.
4. Buy less! Do you really need twenty cleansers, and ten different moisturizers?
Save the environment and save aswell just by cutting back a touch.
5. Install a rainwater tank and use that to shower instead of using the normal water. You’ll be amazed at how much softer your hair feels.

Keep your ears open and eyes peeled for a future post regarding green hair....yes we're planning a suprise!

New T-shirt, bought from un1son. Only $29. Score. Not only has it got a cool slogan, but its also made from 100% organic material. Such a feel-good shirt!

Veronicas fight the fur

See more videos from Animals Australia Unleashed

Woo go The Veronicas!
Fight the fur!

The Vegetarian Bible

I’ve had this great idea to spread everybodys favourite vegetarian or vegan recipes around so that everyone can give them a shot and try out if they like them. So thanks to Jamison from the unleashed site for this one. Its from the favourite cookbook called “The Vegetarian Bible” http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Bible-Garden-Nicola-Graimes/dp/1407524283/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245065789&sr=1-1 and the meal is called: potato gnocchi with walnut pesto. Yuummm!

Serves 4:
Ingredients:* 450 G/1 LB Floury Potatoes*
44 G/2 OZ... Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated*
1 egg, beaten*
200 G/7OZ Plain flour, plus extra for dusting*
Salt and pepperWalnut Pesto* 40 G/1.5 Oz Fresh flat-leaf parsley*
2 tbsp capers, rinsed*
2 garic cloves*
175 Ml/^FL OZ extra virgin Olive Oil*
70 G/2.5 OZ walnut halves*
40 G/1.5 oz pecorino or parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Instructions:
1. Boil the potatoes in their skins in a large saucepan of water for 30-35 minutes until tender. Drain well and leave to cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, to make the walnut pesto, chop the parsley, capers and garlic, then put in a mortar with the oil, walnuts , salt and pepper to taste. Pound to a coarse paste in the mortar with a pestle. Add the pecorino cheese and stir well.
3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and pass the flesh through a sieve into a large bowl or press through a potato ricer. While still hot, season well with salt and pepper and add the parmesan cheese. Beat in the egg and sift in the flour. Lightly mix together, then turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead lightly until the mixture becomes a smooth dough. If it is too sticky, add a little more flour.
4. Using your hands, roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface into a long log. Cut into 2.5/1-inch pieces and gently press with a fork to give the traditional ridged effect. Transfer to a floured baking sheet and cover with a clean tea towel while you make the remaining gnocchi.
5. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the gnocchi, in small batches, and cooked for 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a warmed serving dish to keep warm while you cook the remaining gnocchi.
6. Serve the gnocchi in warmed serving bowls with a good spoonful of the Walnut Pesto on top.
ENJOY!

Climate Rally....

For anyone in Australia, if your interested in CHANGING the future then come to the Emergency climate rally. Along with thousands of others we hope to change the future and give the government a poke in the right direction. Check this website for more details:
http://www.climaterally.org/perth

Turn Your Fanta Fetish into Something Creative

Here it is, the first of the Recycled Remakes posts. They are a pair of awesome earings made out of fizzy drink cans. All you need is a stencil, a stanley knife or scissors and a pair of flat-nosed pliers. Or, if you happen to have access to a metal shape-puncher, then that will be even better. Later on, use either a drill (make sure you use a small drillbit) or a metal-holepunch to make the hole for the chain, link, earing top or whatever to go through.

First, cut off the top and bottom of the can and cut it once from top to bottom, you should now be able to flatten it out into one sheet of metal. Just draw the desired shape onto the can then cut it out with the metal-punch, scissors or stanley knife. If there are any jaggedy edges sticking out, then use the flat nosed pliers to bend them out of harm's way.

For those who find it hard to do all this, or just can't be bothered doing it twice, make a single pendant for a necklace or a charm bracelet.

For those that love the idea and can't be bothered at all, or find that terrible things happen whenever they use sharp objects, check out http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7142880. This is the Etsy store of Trashion Fashion, and they use recycled cans, and even plastic bags to create fab accessories.

Etsy has a huge range of fab crafty stuff, and heaps of recycled, hand-made things, and is a great website to take a look at. You can even buy the stuff, but just keep in mind that everything's in American dollars, you don't want to overspend!

Our New Follower

I just want to say hi to Cass Moore, our new follower. Really our first, since the other one is one of the main bloggers of 'Green is the New Black'. It's great to know that there's someone out there reading!

Anyone else out there looking at this blog, we can always do with more followers and I promise that you'll get a mention on the site!

Keep green

Recession and Recycling

The great thing about the recession that we're experiencing now is that more people will be getting into recycling all their old junk. Sadly, not for the reason that people like me have been doing it for years which is to save the environment, but it is still a step in the right direction.

From now on there'll be regular posts, which I'll be calling 'Recycling Remakes', with a few tips and tricks on how to save money, be crafty, and save the environment. Also, by doing this yourself you not only save a huge amount of fossil fuels that would take to make, transport and package the item, but you have a fab on-going project to keep you entertained. Plus, it's always fabulous when someone says to you 'Omigod, I LOVE your (whatever thing you made), where did you get it?', to which you can reply, 'This thing? I made it myself.'

It always makes me feel pretty good anyway.

So, keep tuned, keep green, and keep doing what you can!

...Post of the week

While reading the unleashed forum I came across this extremely witty and funny response about “The trials of being vegan”. So good I had to post it :)

I came across the 'Steven the vegan' video again the other day- it's quite amusing might I add.It got me thinking, what are a few of your trials of being vegan.I've got a few written down here, see if you can expand the list.
1. The ever popular question ,"Well what DO you eat?"
2. The lunch you bring to school/work becomes the topic of conversation...EVERY DAY!
3. Always having to answer "Why don't you eat meat?" In spite of all the reasons I could cite, the truth is that I just don't want to, and I shouldn't have to justify it every day of my life.
4.The fact I spend twice as much time defending my diet than I do eating it.
5.You are expected to be an authority on all types of health concerns and special diet restrictions.
6.Others feel driven to point it out every time they eat animal products in front of you.
7.People introduce you as a vegan sometimes before your name is even mentioned.
8.You feel like you should have a memorized index of recipes, environmental statistics and health facts to draw on in every conversation.
9.People just don't understand that caring for animals doesn't mean you think they're more important than humans, just that they are AS important.
10.When people say, "People who eat only plant foods die!" Gee! At that rate I should have been dead months ago instead of alive and healthy as I am today!
11. The inhabitants of this world will never be equipped to accept people with unpopular lifestyles.
12. When you tell people jelly is an animal product and they say, “Oh no it’s not.’
13.People expect you to be humorless, strident, and out to convert them.

Hurrah for Macbeth! Not the english poet who doesn't make much sense to me with his thy's and doth's but for MAcbeth the shoe company that has made these awesome new VEGAN shoes. No leather a.k.a no dead cow around your foot! The BEST thing?? Unleashed are giving away four pairs. Yes unbelievable but true. CHeck out the link for competition details and rules (the plug as Rove would say, yes i have a slight obsession with Rove)


http://www.unleashed.org.au/features/macbeth-shoes-giveaway.php