Goin' Soap Nuts - Green & Nutty's Green Journal

Shipping Costs

2010-08-19T11:36:00.003+09:30

Every business is always, in some way, at the mercy of the transport industry either to get their goods to them or to send them out. This means that each year we have to face pricing changes with the freight and logistics businesses that we utilise.

This year we have seen several pricing increases and after two years of fixed pricing we have had to bring them in line with our shipping costs. From today, 19 August 2010, shipping costs are now as follows:

- $6.00 for orders up to $15.00 in value
- $10.30 for orders up to $110.00 in value
- FREE for orders over this amount

Of course, there will be the same discounts on bulk orders!

For our wholesale customers, we will be implementing our updates and changes from 1 October 2010, as is the usual practise.

Managing Confidential Documents

2010-08-03T11:20:00.006+09:30

As our more recent customers and wholesale clients would know, all of our invoicing is now email based. Yes, no more printed invoices! This has reduced our paper consumption significantly which is awesome and it has helped us to stick to our goal for 100% post-consumer recycled materials for our communications.

From time to time we do still have paper wastage. Often this is paper entering our business in the form of envelopes, letter, facsimiles and the like. Sometimes these have sensitive information on them including banking details and personal contact details. So what do you do with this information after it is no longer a corporate necessity?

Obviously, the first response is to recycle it. However, we are not just going to throw it in the recycling bin, not only is it subject to being accessed by people who shouldn't outside business hours but it then also ends up on a shipped to China for reprocessing without being broken down in any way.

When we first opened the business we considered all this. We even considered taking the next step and buying a shredder. Yes, a device that we would use maybe monthly at most and that would add to our power consumption also. We decided against it when we found an alternative.

Did you know that you can put paper into a worm farm?

Yes, you need to soak it first. Often we would flush the farm with water and then place paper in the collecting bucket to soak in the worm wee overnight before tipping it in. We then use the water from the second cycle of water on our plants. (You also need to tear the paper up either before adding it to the bucket or before adding it to the worm farm).

The worms love it and they are one way that we can know for sure that your personal information is disposed of in a way that we know it gone for good.

Do you have a brilliant green office management tip? Share it with us!

Green & Nutty @ Conservation Council SA Quiz Night

2010-04-30T17:31:00.001+09:30

We drove into the city today which is a rare thing. Usually we catch the train but today I had a big box of donated goods for a quiz night hosted by Conservation SA. The quiz night sounds like a barrel of fun and I hope it is enjoyed by all.

Conservation Council SA's office is located in the western side of the city, a place that I travel to quite rarely so before heading home I just had to pop into an all time favourite store that happens to be in that area of town. If you have never been to Bliss Organic Cafe before then I can only suggest that you make a time to head there for a coffee and sweet sometime because they are always totally fabulous.

Today, I picked up biscuits for the children which were divulged with glee and shared a brownie and cupcake with our hired assistant who takes care of the children whilst I take care of business commitments. The brownie and cupcake were staggeringly good, so much so that on the way home I caught my assistant sucking on the pattie pan of the cupcake. Yep, the cupcake was nutty but not as much as our assistant who was desperate for more!

Do you have a an environmentally conscious cafe or restaurant that you enjoy as much as I enjoy Bliss? Let me know about them too!

Easter Tidings

2010-04-02T18:10:00.001+10:30

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish you Easter Tidings. I know that things may have seemed a little erratic in the office of Green & Nutty. It is most likely due to my lack of delegation whilst on leave.

Whilst we were out enjoying the beautiful weather of Good Friday, one of my sisters became a bit snap-happy and took this gorgeous shot of the newest addition to the Green & Nutty family. She is now six weeks old and trying to smile occasionally but is yet to master one for the camera. I am sure she will master it in no time though.

I will be back on board soon, I hope! Give me a couple more weeks to get a routine back and I am sure you'll find me answering your queries personally once more.

Best wishes for a festive weekend,

Kristy A. Bennett
Chief Executive Nut

Water, water everwhere...

2010-04-02T17:13:00.000+10:30

There is nothing I detest more than 'waste'. It is a necessary evil that we all have to face because we all produce it but the question is do we manage it as best we can?

In our home and office we do our best to minimise our waste and do our best to return it to our environment a way that is of the lowest impact possible. (More on that another time). However, there are some aspects of wastage that we are totally dependent on others to manage and I know the frustration that can arise when things don't seem to be managed in what we believe is a timely and appropriate manner.

A week and a half ago our water mains burst and started to seep through the ground. It was odd because I walked out in the heat of the day to see both the water and already there were markings in yellow identifying the location of our household water supply line. It made me wonder which was there first the leak or the marking as neither were there the day before.

I rang SA Water who put me onto United Water, the company responsible for maintaining the supply lines in our city. They had marked it out and were waiting for a crew to become available. I figured, 24 hours from then there may be a crew blocking our driveway so I notified the people that this may affect.

The next day was even hotter than the previous one, yet the footprint of water had increased and replicated itself as another patch more centrally on the road indicating that more was breaking through before evaporating. The wet stain along the curb was no longer just a stain but rather a quiet trickle of water running quickly down the hill. Where was that crew?

Well, we had not seen anyone by day three but had noticed there was a separate leak near the house that was numbered in United Water's report that was not marked out. I rang them to let them know that there was a small issue with the logged job not having been marked and our leak being marked but not logged as a job. I was assured that they would speak to a supervisor to 'split' the job. I hoped that this meant they would be there soon as another spring had formed down the road and all three were now also bringing up yellow road base as well.

Well, day four came with clouds, followed by rain. There was no way to see how bad it was in the days that followed. Day 10 rolled around and as I headed out with my children I thought I should charge the camera's battery when I got home to show United Water how bad it was becoming. Thankfully, we got home to find at least part of the crew there but a little surprised by the pipe pumping water into the street. It turns out they knocked our supply line in the process of repair and were waiting on parts to repair the damage before they could back flush the pipes and restore the connection to our street.

I try hard not to think, "Well, if I was in charge of United Water I would ..." and then paint out a magical cure. Being in business teaches you that things are not always that easy but, instead, I try to think about how I can do better myself because all I can really do is hope that the CEO of United Water is striving for the same also.

Have you too had moments of frustration over wastage? Tell us about it!

Clean Up Australia Day 2010

2010-03-02T18:42:00.000+10:30

The Clean Up Australia Day campaign celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year and organisers are hoping to rally thousands of Australians together to make a difference for our nation this week.

Today, we had the pleasure of going out with our son and his fellow Joey Scouts to clean up the local area. We walked with gloved hands grasping tongs and a plastic bag and watched as eight eager Joey's eagerly sought rubbish along the path up to the local train station and around the local town centre before making a return trip. It was inspiring and has me wondering what more can be done.

Organisers of Clean Up Australia Day believe that last year they picked up approximately 2 million pieces of rubbish, which is great but what would be really awesome is that we could achieve 10 times that if only every Australian picked up just one piece each! The potential is huge if we all get involved.

The big day to get involved in your community is this Sunday March 9th 2010. You can jump directly to their web page to find a clean up site near you and get involved. Schools clean up day is also this Friday so now is a great time to talk to your children about pollution and its effect on the environment too in preparation for what your children's school may have in store.

If Sunday is not a good day for you or your children's school is not participating then please consider contributing to our environment by other means. Maybe you could do your own family clean up and tidy up of your yard by pulling weeds or, better still, do the same for someone elderly in your community as an act of kindness and generosity. I am sure there are other ideas too that you could put into action - just be creative to help Clean Up Australia!

Teaching the Importance of Land Preservation

2010-03-01T22:39:00.000+10:30

Often we think of the preservation of our land, particularly of our National Parks, as being just about keeping pieces of land for our native animals. Often, we do not see the battles that our Park Officers face in keeping not just animal pests out but also plant pests.

When I think of plant pests I think of the home mu mother bought 15 years ago. The huge block was overrun with ivy and she, over the course of 7 years, removed it from the block. Sadly though, not without the sacrifice of 5 beautiful gum trees for which it was too late as the ivy had all but killed them. I am so glad she has planted more natives in their place.

Our native plants not only rely on the natural circle of consumption by native animals, the competition of other native plants and the natural environmental threats of flood and fire. No, they are also dependent on us not introducing non-native plants that threaten their existence.

We seem to understand the threat of non-native animals just by seeing footage of thousands of rabbits that are damaging our environment, in addition to wild pigs, cane toads and cats. However, the threat of a plant is less obvious because it's spread is only seen by a watchful eye over time.

This is exactly why we are passionate about keeping soap nut seeds out of Australia. We want to do whatever we can to protect our environment from any further threats to the detriment of our native forests and it's inhabitants. We love our bushland which is why we are based in the Adelaide Hills - we want to do all that we can to see it cared for and to see our soils are not destroyed by nasty chemicals in the process also.

Today, our passion for our land and for home education collided in an amazing way. My two eldest children have been participating in (and have already qualified for a medal in) the Premier's Reading Challenge (SA). One of their selections landed on my lap tonight before bed and is a book I recommend to you if you too are interested in sharing your passion for protecting our land from pesty plants with your children. The book is titled 'The Story of Rosy Dock' by Jeannie Baker.

The book explains the gradual impact that the Rosy Dock plant has had on our land in Central Australia and expands the concept further on the last pages. It is a great book to share with your child from the age of five and up and I strongly recommend you grab a copy for your family today.

If you do ever come across a seed in your soap nuts, be they from our stock or someone else's then please send them to us. We will not only arrange for their safe destruction but will also make a contribution to Conservation Volunteers Australia on your behalf as well. Be passionate about caring for Australia's environment - we only get one chance to do the best we can for future generations.

Green & Nutty is expanding

2010-02-19T12:16:00.000+10:30

Over the coming months you will notice a range of changes that will be happening in and around Green & Nutty. Some we will be announcing as they come into effect and others will be quiet changes behind the scenes. Many of them have to do with better managing our corporate growth as your orders make us a little busier each month. Others have to do with lifestyle management as we realise that our personal lifestyle also needs to change and adjust as our family, too, grows.

We look forward to your feedback on any changes we make and are always open to your suggestions for how we can better service your needs.

Welcome Summer

2009-12-02T10:09:00.000+10:30

Well Summer is upon us and today is certainly milder than it was a few weeks ago.

Around here, we have been holding off on our Christmas packages until today. It is such a conflict when everyone else had their Christmas range out weeks ago at a time that we were sure was too early to call pre-Christmas.

So, for the budget conscious here are the price ranges for our beautiful organic skin care gift packs with optional free gift wrapping so that you find the one that best meets your needs:

under $50.00

Mens Mini Care Gift Pack
Summer Outdoor-sie Gift Pack

$50.00-$110.00

Cushie Tushie Baby Gift Pack
Happy Housewarmer Gift Pack
Love My Hair Gift Pack
Mens Organic Care Pack
Expecting My Baby Soon Gift Pack

$110.00+ and comes with free shipping!

Skin Balancing Pack
Skin Purification Pack
Special Care for Sensitive Skin Pack
Superior Seniority Skin Care Supplement Pack
With a Mature View Gift Pack

Our gift wrapping has been purchased from our local Kindergarten and it made of Christmas prints produced by the Kindergarten children - a beautiful hand-made touch to these beautiful gift packs.

But where would any special offer be without Soap Nuts? Yes, we want to reward you for thinking of others too so you have the option to gain 250g of Soap Nuts for just $2.00 with any Gift Pack purchase, this is addition to the thank you gifts we'll be sending with selected Gift packs already.

Merry Christmas everybody!