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36 Australia's top eco designersMeet fashionista 5ara Victoria and

four green fashion gurus

44 Renting rightTop tips for renting green -practical and landlord friendly!

66 G report: Download damageOur virtual lives can have real

world carbon footrprints

58 Permaculture basics

Create a food-producing haven

50 Recycled material shopping bag

A guide to sewing your own tote

63 DIY terrariumTurn an old bottle and ice-cream

container into a mini ecosystem

A dynamic approachYou've heard about organics,

but what about biodynamics?

See what it has to offer.

Beauty chefLuscious foot spa recipes

76

7B

Cover image by Meghan Petersen onlocation at The London Hotel in Sydney.

Sara Victoria wears clothes from her

Organic Softwears range. Make-up by

Soge Beouty using lnika casmetics.

ontentsMay/)une 20i0

72 Electric dreamsThe future of fully electric cars

81 ln season

82 In focus83 Meet the chef

Sustainable chei James Viles

84 Food for thought85 Sustainable sips + bites

86 Orangutan adventureGet up close and personal withendangered Sumatran apes

ffieiitmr's letter Contri$:utors

Tnking

There h,rs been ,r lot of rnedia cover:rge lately about palrr oil and

orar)sut:urs. Greenpeace took the issue to new heights with theirnrock video ,rd abor-rt Nestld and l.row the company uses palm oilIr'rrrr rrrl'ltlicrt luu,girrg 1'yirrls orarrgur.rrr habirat.

In March, I joined a fundraising trip to Sumatra with Rair-rforest

Rescue (see pB6) to see oranglltans ir.r their r-rative habitat and towitness the imprrct of p:rlm oil plantatior.rs. What I salv was borhamazing ar-rd sacldcr.rir.rg. Tl-re significance of the experience, given

thrt or:rngutarls rnay be extinct within the decade, was not lost on

me. They:rre caprivating creatures and their plight is representarive

of biodiversiry under threat fiom deforestation globally.

Paln oil is a complex topic and one that will not be solved

overnight, as nr:rny impoverished Indonesians depend on the

inc[lstry for jobs. tVh:rt rve ils consLlr]rers can do is den.rar.rd that

palm oil in fbod proclucts is labelled so that we have the cl.roice at

tl-re cl-reckout. We can also put pressure on retailers to push back

tl-rroush thcir sr,rpply chain to der-r-rand rheir palm oil is sustainably

sorrrced. If you rvanr to help, check outZoo Victoria's Don't Palm

Us Oll carripaig n (www.zoo.org.a u /p a I m o i I).

'We have ,rlso t:rken ,rnother step along the green path here

:rt G. C:rrbon Planet recently lne:rsured the c:rrbon fbotprint ofprodr-rcing the nragazine. They report that getting one copy intoyour l-r;rnds results in 984 g of greenhouse gases.

Afie r tirking uleasules to r.ninimise our impirct, we've purcl-rased

ccrtificcl carbon creciits lrorn Carbon Plar-ret to offset the remaining

cr.r-rissior.rs. tVc chose to direct our money to a projecr in Brazil

lvitl-r social ,rs rvell ,rs environr.nental significar-rce. The projecthelps local pcople to replace the fuel demancl for trees fror-r-r the

threatened Cerr,rdo rvilderness with s:rlvdust lrom furniture made

fiom sustainirble rvood. \We decided against credits frorn Australian

projects bec;ruse, rvith the implementation of an emissions trading

scher.ne in its pro;rosed form, :rny credits would not be ardditional

to the cuts the government has colnmitted to.

So now yon car.r be sale in the knowledge that your copy ofG Magrzine, wl.retl.rer delivered to your mailbox, or bought at a

store. comes with its calbon errissions offset.

Ca.o (4a:Pa"Ll--f

Cerolyn Barry

Editor

r*sponslhif ity

Carla OatesCarla has 5pent the iast decade researching and

w'iti19 aboul natural ingredients dnd the po5'1ive

effects they can have on skin health and weilbeing.She is a Body Care Ambassador for organicorganisation BFA and G welcomes her as ouregu'arbeauty columnist. See p78 for ways to treat your feet!

Melody LordA freelance journalist who has edited several

craft books and magazines, Melody has always

enjoyed sewing, especially when the effortresults in something practical, beautiful andgood fo'the environment. Check out her guide

to making your own foldaway bag on p50.

Jane de SraaffJane is a freelance rood and lifesryie write' baseoin Ailolhnr ,rna (ho hr< r .laan ntof a<t in ne' <nn:l

stories offood culture, food production and theways that food brings us together. For this issue

of 6 she had fun exploring food production,nerm>rr rltr rrp <tvlp i'nlA\

Wllliam PeraltaThis issues guest illustrator (p66), William, is a final

year student at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney.

He explores photography and graphic design withinthe visual realm of meoia. and is influenced by rhe

interaction between the textures ofthe industrial

urban and the organic natural environments.

Editorial Advisory EoardTo ensure G l\,4agaztne stays abreast of the iatest ideas and thinkingin sustainability, we've asked experts from various fields to advise us

$ir Richard BransonVirgin Group founder and chairman; donor toclimate change solutions

Patrice NewellFormerTV presenter turned biodynamic farmer and author

Nich HowleySustainability consultant; former advisor to British Pl\lTony Blair and NSW Premier Bob Carr

Jrn DeeFounder and Chairman ofthe Australian advocacy organisation'Do Something!'and co-founder of Planet Ark

Maria AtkinsonCo-founder of the Green Building Council of Australia andglobal head of sustainability for Lend Lease

8 6 MAY/JUNE 2O1O

J.,:\S,*\3Jl'.tr8

EditorialEOltOr Carolyn Barry

[email protected]

T: (02) 9901 6100

Join us now on our..,

LrrangutanAdventrilfllek

Wednesday 16 March, 201 1

rainforestrescue?'otutA*t*h'sta Fqo*r

Art DirectorAssistant Editor

Chief 5ub-editorEditorial lnterns

oniine Editor

Editorial contact

contributors

Tracy LoughlinLauren MonaghanKate ArnemanJessica Stone, Lucy Band,Jill McCann, Max MasonCarolyn Barry

[email protected]

Writers: Tanya Ha, Jon Dee, RichardCornish, Max Allen, Leon Genler, CarlaOates, Al Gore, Sandra Langdon,Melody Lord, Jane de Graaff, KateHennessy, 5ue White, Tim WallacePhotographers: Tony Nolan,Meghan Petersen, Carolyn Barry

AdvertisingNational Advertising Manager

National Advertising Manager

Advertising Traffic

Pre-press Manager

Production Manager

Circulation Director

Tatyana [email protected]: (02) 9901 6159 M:0411 497 804

Krissy [email protected]: (02) 9901 6164 M: 04'l 0 51 1 1 50

Alison [email protected](02) 9901 6346

Jonathan Bishop

Leiani Reardon

Carole.Jones

NEED MORE INFO? .C

Contact Tristanne: ddii#flurestristanne@i nspi redadventu res.c0m.a u

1300 905 188www.inspiredadventures.com.au/orangutanadventuretrek

Subscriptionswww.mymagazines.com.au

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Chief Executive Offrcer David GardinerCommercial Director Bruce Duncan

c Magazlne ir publlrhed by nqtmedla Pty ttd A(N: 1 28 805 970, Level 5, 55 (handoi S! St Leonard! Nsw 2065 @ 2m9. All ighr reryed. No paft of this

magazine may b€ ppmduc€d, in whole or in part, wlthout the pdor permirrion 0f $e publlrhei Pilnted by lflebn lDistfbuted in Auilr.lia by l,leM0* Servlcr, lssli 183+1 221,

The publhherwill nota(cpt sponsibilityoraly li,billtyforthe@mmsrofinfomalionoroplnionsqpre$ed in lie publi(ation.

rAll materlal gubmitted 19 ai the owne/r d5k and, while evefy Grc wlll be taken nqtmedla doet not accpt llability for lo$ or damage,

Privacv Policvlve value the Integdty ofyou pe[onal infomation. lfyou povlde peMnal infomation threugh your piltldpation in ary (ompelitions, ruveyr of offe6

f€atuftd in thk hs!€ ofc Magazhe thh wlll be lsd to prolde the produG or senic€r that yq have reque5ted a[d to impove the @ntent of our

magazjleg. Youl d€lalls may be podded to thid partiet who a$irt us in thir purp05e. In th€ event of organisalior! pmviding pdre! or offets to 0!r reade6

we may pa$ your detailr 0n to thm. fom time to dme, we mny us the information you previde ur to infom you ototier pmdudr, serylcB and evenb

ow enpary har to ofier, W€ may alro give yolr infomation to otief olgnnigtlons whid may !s it t0 infom you about thek prodlct!, services and

€vent!, unl6s you tdl us not to d0 $. You arc wel@me t0 a@ss the Info.nation that w€ hold about you by getting l0 tou(h with 0w pdvary ofrcef, who

G Magazin. is pdnted oi leipa paper, made 0l 1 00% rccycled fbn the (over ir printed 0n Mof,a, whkh is tlemental Chl0riie hee {tt() and

30% Fe-@nrumel and 2596 po5t-@nslmel rcqcled wl$ tie balance belng virgh paper fiom well-manag€d forcrt9 and otier (ontrclled rc0.@t

Boti typ6 0f paper are cltifed by the f!re$ Shwardrhlp (ouncil. The plarti( in which sub(db€r copier are wopped ([coPure) lr made from an tDPl

pli$kwhichtuilyblodegndet in 3-5yea6, wen in landfll.

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www.gmagazrne.com.au

TRAVEL iSumatra

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^.'. -.r Il.rr tuL [uss[c l'ith hcl nrrithcr'. \\'hilc lnv nrolhcr'-

chilcl intelection is e nclcrilinq e nouqh, this bonclinq bctt'ccn [rvti

cliticellv cnclrrnu.elccl Suirrrtlln oliiuqLltirns (Pttttgrt trltt'li1) in

thcir n.rtivc hlrbitirt is rr tlulv ureqlc lrl cxpclicnce .

He rc, in tire Cjr-rnr,rnq l.cr-rse r Nrttionlrl l)11 1.: (Cil,Nl)) in Sunrlttllt,

lncLrnt'sirt, is vour best c]trltcc to sce thcsc ltninr.i]s in the rl'ilcl.

Loqqinq, poachinq ancl plantinq of pllnrs firl riil halvcstinq hevc

rcclucccl lhe sptcics'orrcc-hcrtlthl rrr-rnrbcls bi 90 pel cent in thtlrrst ct,rttur-r'. \\'ith orrlv abor-rt (r,(r()0 Sunratllin or-.rnqutans lef t,

soure expL.rts pleclict thev ivill be thc frr-st qfcat ape to qo c.\tiuct.'Ihe \\irlld Hcriteqe listccl pelli, clcsiu,netccl .r protcctccl alcn

bv thc Incloncsirrn qovernurcnt in I9S0, rucourpirsscs one nrillionhectrucs.rncl is honrc to.rrotrncl thlcc clrrliltcls ol thc 5unrlllltnor'.ur1r,Lllirr Populltion, not to nrcnlion othcr c lilictrllv e ncllinqe rccl

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rininrlls incluclinq lhc Sltnrlttr'.rn clephlinl (L.lt'ltltrr; uttt.\itnu.\

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thcre rrc sircll\'onl\, 170 to 2.:l(-) ol thcsc lhiuos lclt in the nrlcl.

Thc u.r'crtct l.clLser L.cosystenr, to u hich the (.iL.NL) belonqs, is

or-rc ol lhe pllrne t's nrost bioloqicrllv clivclsc hrrbitrrts, pl:rvinq

host to It).i.specics of lcptilcs .rncl .rnrphLbi.rns, .lt-rO bilcL spttics,f05 nrenrnral spccics rrncl nrrirc thrn S,:-r(X) r'.rlrctit's ol plltnts.

Jhc tcr.:,irln is loc.ttccl in lt lcttrott'l)xfl ()l l1r(lolit.sies lllu,cst

islancL .rncl stleclclles thc plovinccs ol Nor'l]r Sunr.rlr',r.tncl r\ct'h.

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TRAVEL iSumatra

An inspired expedition> Travelling in March, it's the end of the wet season and there's

not much rair-rfall; but the intense sun and extreme humiditycreate a steamy reminder that you're deep in the tropics.

For 12 Australian travellers, there's no place they'd rather be.

This trip is no ordinary holiday; it is the culmination of months

of fundraising aimed at saving this precious habitat.

Organised through lnspired Adven[ures, a company that

specialises in fundraising trips, this expedition was the brainchildof not-for-profit group Rainforest Rescue (see "Snippets", pl9).The groups primary focus is saving the Daintree in far north

Queensland but side projects include teamir-rg up with the

Indonesian-based Orangutar.r Information Centre (OIC).

This is the first fundraising trip to Sumatra; however

Rainforest Rescue plans to make it an annual event, withSri Lanka on the cards as a potential second destination.

"This kind of Ifundraising] trip makes it accessible toeveryonel'says enthusiastic participant Tara Hunt, fromSydney. "lt restores faith in humanityl'

Over 10 days the group will attend orangutan viewing sessions,

trek four days through the jungle, catch a ride on a semi-wildelephant, visit a local orphar.rage and head north, where logging

and illegal palm plantations have devastated the once pristinejungle. Here they will visit a tree-planting program run by locals,

one of the projects their fundraising efforts will support."I've always given money to [animal rights group] PETA but

I wanted to do morej' says trekker Lauren Henley, 2I, fromBrisbane, as she reflects on her motivation to become involved.

Below:\tuttlt.)1,'r1r|-r111 1i] lircltc,iirtr.ilrltfirlnt Clockwisefromobove, left:

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Elephants and banana juiceBukit Lawang, a village of around 3,000 people, is the touristgateway to the adjacent GLNP. While you're far from moderncomforts, the quaint surroundings are not primitive. Wanderthrough local shops to find cheap clothes, trinkets and traditionalfood - and know your money goes to the locals - or stop for'Bintang beer or a banana juice on a balcony overlooking themeandering Bohorok River. Accommodation is authentic andcomfortable, often made from timber or other local materials,with about a dozen small operators offering lodges or bungalows.

'We stayed at Ecolodge Bukit Lawang Cottage, where roomsfeatured a semi-outdoor bathroom, some with traditional ceramicpot bathing. Organic vegies feature heavily on the menu in the opendining area. For dinner, you can't go past the gado gado (steamed

vegies with peanut sauce) and chicken rendang, and the breakfastbanana pancakes are to die for. Stock up on nasi goreng (fried rice),an Indonesian staple, before trekking through the jungle.

Into the jungleThe GLNP was once a release site for orangutans who hadbeen illegal pets or had become homeless due to habitat loss,but the program was discontinued in the early 1990s. Today,223 ex-captive orangutans live in the jungle. The only humanintervention in their lives consists of twice-daily feeding sessi

fhis trip is no ordinary holiday;

it is the culmination ofmonths of fundraising aimed at

saving this precious habitat.

from national park rangers who provide bananas and milk forthose who feel like venturing down from the treetops.

Crude wooden planks and a bamboo fence mark the orangutanviewing area, which is about l0 metres from the feeding platform.There s no guarantee how many, if any, orangutans will appearat any given feeding session, as they are free to roam the jungle.'We were lucky enough to see several individuals make their wayto the small wooden platform and grab some bananas. As I watchthem adeptly peel the curved fruit and hold a cup to drink milk,their human-like characteristics are striking. Their habit ofswitching from hand to foot as they shimmy up trees gives newmeaning to the word ambidextrous.

W'hen feeding hour is up, the four-day journey to Tangkahanbegins, and it doesn't take long for the jungle to encapsulate me.The tracks are narrow and at times rough, but it's wondrous to besurrounded by the visceral sounds, smells and feel ofthe jungle;I could very well be in another century.

Impish long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) swingbyto check me out and Thomas leaf monkeys (Presbytis thomasi),identifiable by their small head and Mohawk-like black andwhite fur, are not uncommon. Tigers are an unlikely sighting,but you may see footprints if you look close enough. If you'relucky, you may catch a glimpse of 33-year-old orangutan Sumawatching attentively while her baby Sumi (pictured, top left)awkwardly learns to clutch and climb branches. Or you mightcome across Mina and i(etrin wrestling each other affectionately.

While the animal life is amazing, don't discount the plants.The world's largest flower, Rafilesia arnoldi, is found exclusivelyon Sumatra and Borneo. Weighing in at l1kg, it's known as

the torpse' flower after the distinctive rotting aroma it emitsto attract pollinating insects.

Each night guides set up the camps in idyllic locations alongihe river. They use their extensive knowledge ofthe forest toconcoct meals like fern stir-fry and banana skin curry. )

Carbon offsetClimate Friendly says returnflights from Sydney to Medan

create about 4.1 tonnes of C0,-

equivalent (5117 to offset).

www.gmagazine.com.au 89

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