This Earth Day, IGA wants to make celebrating the environment easy, accessible, and fun! Sometimes all it takes is a simple switch to make a world of difference. In this article, we run you through 5 eco-friendly alternatives to everyday tasks that make protecting our precious environment easier than ever. Try one of these each day of the week in the lead up to Earth Day: 

1. Walk, don’t drive

Cars require space and energy, mainly in the form of fossil fuels. Walking rather than jumping in your car for short trips can hugely benefit the environment, and yourself!

2. Switch out your electric appliances

Unplugging your appliances when they aren’t in use can save electricity, so it’s a great habit to get into and can save on your energy bills too! You can also consider using more efficient electrical appliances, for example, an Air Fryer is a very quick way to cook your meals – and can therefore save time and energy!

3. Grow your own

Try planting your own herb garden, so you can always have fresh herbs! If you’re feeling more adventurous and have the space, you could try planting some of your own veggies too.

4. Give something a second life!

You can get as creative as you like with this one! For example, are you still making your way through your Easter choccy? You could save the foil wrappers instead of throwing them away, to make some homemade Christmas decorations.

5. Go veggie for the day

A simple way to have a positive impact on the planet is to eat less meat, so give it a go for a day or two and have some fun making new, fresh vegetarian meals! Take a look at our healthy veggies recipes here.

Have a go at one or more of these, and see if it’s something you might be able to build into your routine more regularly.

Feeling creative this Easter? Decorating eggs is a tradition lasting over 2,500 years, and is still popular today, so we’ve put together a fun way to get creative over the holidays while also using up your food leftovers! You can have some fun, and care for the environment at the same time.

This is an all-natural alternative to regular food colouring, and a great way to give your scraps a second life!

What you need:

• Hard boiled eggs (in shell)
• Large/wide-mouthed jar
• Red cabbage, red onion, yellow onion, carrot

You can make different colours out of different foods, and shades may vary depending on your ingredients. You can test our different foods, but here are some to get you going. You will need to soak your eggs in the jars, and the longer you leave them soaking in the fridge the more intense your colours will be.

Yellow: Carrot creates a rich yellow colouring. Add approx. 150g of carrot to 350ml of water and simmer for 15 mins, adding a couple of teaspoons of vinegar.

Blue: It sounds strange, but try using red cabbage! Cut the head of the cabbage into chunks, mix with a few tablespoons of vinegar and 900ml of hot water and simmer, and you will have your blue dye!

Green: Skins of red onions are best for dying your eggs green. Simmer the skins in 450ml of water for 10-15 minutes and add a few tablespoons of vinegar to create the dye.

Orange: For orange, do the same process as above but using the skins of 6 yellow onions.

Earth Hour serves as a great reminder for us all to switch off from our devices and switch on to the negative effects of excessively using non-essential electric appliances.

This year, IGA is making it even easier for you to take part in this one hour without power by providing a series of fun activities you and the whole family can do that don’t require any electricity. Just make sure to keep a couple torches or candles close by!

1. There’s no better way to keep cozy than with a home-made fort! Grab all pillows and blankets in sight and challenge the whole family to create the perfect hangout spot for your hour without power.

2. Are you a family of hidden talents? Use this Earth Hour to unleash your inner superstar and put on a talent show. Go all the way and give yourself a stage name and costume to really sell your act… it’s lights! camera! action! (just without the lights).

3. Board games are the perfect way to get the entire family involved in a fun-fuelled Earth Hour. With phones, social media and streaming sights ruling our day-to-day lives, this is a great way to recharge and reduce yours and the kid’s screen time.

4. Light up your home while having some fun, and try making our Orange Skin Candles – have them ready to light for earth hour!

• Using a paring knife, cut around the middle of the orange without piercing the flesh
• Gently push fingers around the flesh of the orange, separating it from the skin. Make sure that the stem remains intact as this will be the wick
• Fill the orange halves with vegetable oil
• Light the orange stems when ready to use. Caution: Do not leave candles unattended and ensure orange skins are relatively flat or stable on the bottom to avoid tipping.

5. Get outside! Set up a star-gazing picnic in your backyard with some yummy snacks and take in the beauty of the night sky, or go one step further and pitch a tent for you and the family to camp in overnight. There’s no better way to pay tribute to the earth than by embracing the great outdoors!

6. Who says you need electricity to make something yum? Have a go at making our fun sushi rolls and enjoy a dinner that is good for you and your planet. Just make sure you have cooked rice ready to go! View Recipe

Have a go at one or more of these family friendly activities this Earth Hour and see just how much fun you can have electricity-free! Plus, remind yourself and your kids to be mindful of your electricity usage on all days!

More often than not, the products we buy and throw away could have a second life. A recent study showed Australian households to be the highest contributor of plastic and organic waste, generating a total of 12.4 million tonnes a year.*

In this article we’ve put together a few hacks for around the home that work to protect our environment and as an added bonus, save you a little cash!

Coffee grounds

Energise more than your mind by creating your very own DIY body scrub using leftover coffee grounds. Simply mix with coconut oil and use next time you’re in the bath or shower for a spa-like experience that feels, smells and tastes amazing! Alternatively, add a handful of coffee grounds to your compost pile to boost the nitrogen component needed to break down plant matter and help prevent mould growth.

Vinegar

Vinegar is your new household superweapon, with the power to eliminate a whole bunch of waste-provoking cleaning products. Next time you run the dishwasher, try substituting your regular, commercial rinse aid with white vinegar for an extra sparkly clean. You can also mix with baking soda for a simple yet effective bathroom cleaner.

Baking Soda

When it comes to fresh produce, baking soda mixed with water makes for the perfect all natural and non-toxic soak to clean and remove pesticides. Baking soda can also be used to deodorise and neutralise carpet odours – simply sprinkle liberally over the trouble spot, rub it in and let it sit for a few hours/overnight, before vacuuming the remanence up.

Stale bread

Don’t be so quick to chuck out a loaf going stale. Cover chunks of it in your favourite seasoning and chuck in the oven to make delicious croutons for your next salad or soup dish, like our very own Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup or Grilled Zucchini and White Bean Salad. Handy tip! Pop your bread in the freezer before it goes bad to extend shelf life and reduce food waste.

These hacks are just some of the ways we recommend repurposing what you’ve already got to promote planet-friendly cleaning options that make for a happy and healthy environment.

*Australian Bureau of Statistics (2018-19), Waste Account, Australia, Experimental Estimates –  ABS Website.

This new year, put protecting our environment at the top of your resolutions list with these eco-friendly home hacks. You’d be surprised at how many sustainable alternatives there are to your daily tasks and this article should provide some inspiration to get you moving towards making the switch!

DIY compost bin

A compost bin is one of the easiest ways to repurpose your scraps, whether it be vegetable peelings, rotting fruit or off cuts of old flowers and yard trimmings. Rather than buying one new, have a go at making your own using an old bin you may have lying around the house.

What you’ll need:

● Lidded, outdoor rubbish bin
● Power drill and paddle drill bit

Step 1: Give the bin a good rinse to remove any lingering remnants of non-biodegradable materials.

Step 2: Assemble your drill and begin creating holes approx. 3 inches apart, starting a few inches from the lid. Continue drilling until you have rows of holes, spanning both the width and length of your bin. Repeat on all sides.

Step 3: Give your brand new compost bin a good clean out, ensuring you’ve removed all plastic shavings and bits that were created in the process. Now go ahead and put that compost bin to work!

Use the sunshine to dry your clothes

Make the most of the sun and opt out of the dryer this Summer. Letting your clothes air dry is not only a great energy saving alternative, but it also increases the lifespan of your garments by avoiding shrinkage and rough handling. Go one step further and run your washer on a cold cycle or hand wash to be an energy-saving superhero!

Avoid water wastage

Try turning your shower off whilst soaping up, washing your hair or shaving your legs to avoid excess water going to waste. Even better, collect your shower water in a bucket to use for watering plants or install a low-flow showerhead to help reduce your water consumption by up to 50%.

Sort and sell unwanted things

This Summer, put the old saying to the test and make your trash another person’s treasure. Have a go at decluttering, whether it be clothes, kitchen appliances or that big box of stuff you swear you can’t live without but never touch… Use one of the many buy, swap, sell resources out there and reduce your carbon, water and waste footprint – not to mention, a clear space is a clear mind!

Christmas can be a wonderful time of year, but also unfortunately for most of us, a very wasteful one. From Christmas wrapping and decorations, to the wide selection of delicious food and drink, a lot of it ends up in the bin.

We want to share some ways to help make your Christmas a little greener, more creative and to inspire you to stay mindful of waste during all the festivities.

Get Creative With Your Gift Wrapping

DIY Fabric Wrapping

What you’ll need:

• Scrap fabric, one metre by one metre is suitable for a medium sized box
• Boxes to put your gifts in

How to:

1. Place your gifts inside boxes so you can wrap something with even sides – this will make the wrapping process much easier.
2. Place your fabric flat on your wrapping surface in a diamond shape, then place your choice of gift box in the middle of the fabric, flat side down.
3. Start folding the corner of the fabric closest to you, toward the box. Folding the fabric over itself, fold it over the top of the middle of the box.
4. Do the same on the other side.
5. With the two ends of fabric on each end of the box, fold them in half lengthways.
6. Bring each end of fabric to the middle of the box and neatly tie a knot, then a double knot for extra security and you’re finished!

The great thing about using scrap fabric, is that it can be reused again too!

Homemade Christmas Decorations

When the time comes for the Christmas decorations to go up, it’s a very exciting time for the whole family and also very easy to get carried away with buying new decorations each year, especially for your tree. This year, a great way to reduce waste and create some fun activities for yourself and your family, is to make your own decorations with things you have in and around your house already! No need to spend more money on decorations that may end up in the bin next year…

DIY Origami stars

What you’ll need:

• Scissors
• Scrap paper or origami paper, plain or patterned on one side is good
• Hole punch
• string/ribbon/twine

How to:

1. Make a pentagon shape out of your chosen paper. Any size works well. Go bigger or smaller depending on how big you want your final star. Place the pentagon shape blank side up if you are using paper with a one-sided pattern.
2. First, fold the pentagon in half, right to left so you have a crease down the centre. Open the paper back up and rotate the shape to the next point facing up. Repeat the fold you just made, and open the shape again. Repeat these folds 3 more times. You will have then made 5 folds in total.
3. With the pentagon shape unfolded, and the top point facing upward, fold the flat bottom side toward the centre of the pentagon. Fold upward until the bottom two corners meet the first two diagonal folds upward from the centre. Make a crease. Open the shape back up and repeat this fold 4 more times so you have 5 folds in total. Unfold your pentagon.
4. With one of the points facing away from you, fold the lower left side to the middle of the centre vertical crease. Then, fold the flat bottom side upward to meet the horizontal crease. Unfold your shape, and repeat this fold a further 4 times.
5. Now for the fun part! With your pentagon unfolded again, with two hands, pinch in each flat edge toward the centre of the shape. You will notice that with the creases made, it will naturally come together for you whilst you hold the edges together. Once you have all the points from the edges gathered together, lightly press down and your shape should begin to flatten into a star shape, with each edge folding over one another.
6. Flip your star shape over and you should see there is a pentagon shape within the star. Fold each corner of the pentagon one by one to the middle. Crease each fold all the way out to the star point at the ends. When you get to the fifth fold, you may have to open your first crease to finish it.
7. And there you have it! Press down on each crease to make sure your folds are secure. Punch a hole into one of the star point ends, loop your string through and tie a simple knot so you can hang them as ornaments.

DIY Santa Claus Leaves

What you’ll need:

• Acrylic paint
• Paint brushes
• water for rinsing your brushes
• medium-large sized dry leaves
• string/twine

How To:

1. Make sure your leaves are free of any dust or dirt before applying any paint.
2. Dispense small portions of your desired colours of paint onto a paper plate or a tupperware lid ready for when you need them.
3. Take a leaf and place it vertically in front of you with the stem of the leaf at the top. With red paint, paint a red section at the top for the santa hat.
4. Underneath the red, paint a 0.5cm line of white.
5. Now to paint Santa’s face, use white for some eyebrows, black for the eyes and nose, and red for the mouth. Of course here, you can use whatever colours you like!
6. For Santa’s beard, below the mouth, paint the rest of the leaf white, and link the top of the beard around the mouth to make a moustache in white.
7. Set the leaf aside to completely dry.
8. One your leaf is completely dry, cut a piece of string or twine to your desired length, and tie it around the base of the stem of the leaf.
9. At the top of the string or twine, tie in a loop so you can hang your leaves from a tree and get hanging!

DIY Christmas Cracker Decoration

What you’ll need:

• Toilet-roll tube
• Moldable paper of your choice
• Ribbon or string
• Sticky tape
• Scissors

How to:

1. Cut out an A4 size piece of paper and lay it flat.
2. Centre your toilet-roll tube on the longer end of the paper and secure it in place with a small piece of tape.
3. Roll the tube across the paper and hold in place with two small pieces of tape.
4. Tie your paper at either end of the roll nice and tight with your ribbon or string of choice.
5. Scatter your finished creations around the dinner table or connect multiple crackers together to create a hanging decor piece.
6. Make it personal! Tie a handwritten name tag to your finished crackers and use them to set each guest’s spot at the table. This final touch is sure to add that special feeling we all look for at our Christmas celebrations.

For more tips this Christmas, click here.

Did you know the ocean covers 70% of the planet and supports all life in vital ways? Currently, our oceans’ are declining in health due to various factors such as overfishing, climate change and more. In support of World Oceans Day, falling on 8th June, 2022, we’re covering off some useful and simple tips for you to implement into your lifestyle, for being near or far from the ocean that can have profound and positive impacts on our oceans.

Buying and consuming sustainable fish

Sourcing sustainable seafood is beneficial to the well-being of our oceans along with having positive impacts on fishery dependent communities.

You’ll know if you’re buying sustainable seafood by labels on pre-packaged items, labels on in-store displays or by asking your local fishmonger or supermarket where you buy your seafood. ‘Wild’ caught or ‘farmed’ seafood are general terms used to describe a sustainable product.

Some of the more sustainable seafood products are:

Wild Caught

• Australian Salmon
• Australian Sardine
• Blue Swimmer Crab
• Octopus
• Snapper
• Western King Prawn
• Rock Flathead

Farmed

• Barramundi
• Blue Mussel
• Jade Perch
• King Salmon
• Murray Cod
• Oysters
• Prawns

Ocean/coral friendly sunscreen

Tons of sunscreens wash into our oceans every year that have detrimental effects on reefs, in particular, with harmful chemicals absorbing into corals causing irreversible damage such as coral bleaching.

Sunscreens labeled ‘reef safe’ aren’t necessarily harmless due to no scientific research stating that they aren’t, however, there are some chemicals that have been found to not be harmful to corals. These are titanium oxide or zinc oxide.

When looking for your next coral friendly sunscreen, look for ones with the below information on their labels:

• Titanium oxide or zinc oxide (labelled as non-nano)
• Water resistant – more likely to stay on your skin and not wash off
• Non-toxic, paraben free, organic

Leave nothing behind

There are trillions of pieces of waste in our oceans, having terrible effects on the quality of our oceans and the life that inhabits them. Next time you’re by the ocean and spending time there, remember to take all of your belongings and waste with you. Even bringing a small bag with you as you walk along the beach to pick up any rubbish, creates a big, positive impact on the ocean and its environment.

Get involved by volunteering or donating

Lastly, a great way to support our oceans is by volunteering for or donating to charities and organisations in your local area that are working to support the oceans. This could be by volunteering for a clean up day at your local beach, or donating to an organisation who support marine wildlife.