Oh crikey, it's been a long time since I posted.  I have been traveling for over 1 year, to & in the great country of New Zealand.  I have learned  a lot more about the professional cooking of food.

I have started out by looking at how we cook our food?  What machines do we use?

More posts coming in the next few days about my recent findings and updates about the www.bokashi.com.au  business in Australia and how its helping people become more sustainable in your own back yard. 

Randwick Eco-Living Fair 2014 - Sunday 14 September 2014

http://www.randwick.nsw.gov.au/community/whats-on/eco-living-fair/about-the-eco-living-fair

Celebrating all things green and sustainable

Eco-living Fair

Sunday 14 September 2014.
It is held at the Randwick Community Centre located at 27 Munda Street, Randwick.
See Getting there and parking for directions.
Eco-Living Fair will be celebrating its tenth year, and will continue to provide a range of new and popular activities for local residents and their families.
There will be:

• Outdoor stalls promoting and showcasing environmental friendly products from across the Eastern suburbs and wider Sydney
• Family and children's entertainment, native wildlife on show for youngsters to learn about the importance of biodiversity, and sessions on how to save on householders' energy and water bills.

There will also be:

• A Junk Juke Box promoting recycling and anti-litter messages,
• Craft sessions for all age groups
• Composting workshops encouraging residents to sign up to Council initiatives including the Compost Revolution.

Many local partner organisations attend to provide information and conduct formal and informal talks and workshops based on the environmental issues that affect our community in their homes, at school and in the workplace.
Other popular events on the day include Council's Garden Awards, cycling activities and free bicycle maintenance workshops, tours of the Randwick Environment Park and "ask the experts" sessions on keeping bees and chickens and sustainable food production.
More information of the Fair will be available on our What's on closer to the day.

Eco-Living Fair aims and objectives

We hope that people come to the Eco-Living Fair wanting to find out more about how to live sustainably and how to reduce their ecological footprint - particularly energy and water consumption.
Our aim is that every person leaves having learnt something about the environment or a tip about how to tread more lightly on the earth.
Our event is powered by renewable forms of energy including wind, solar and bio diesel and we are giving away over 3000 trees to our visitors to help offset the carbon used in the event's infrastructure delivery and operation.
Food and food scraps will be collected and will provide breakfast, lunch and dinner for our worms in our huge worm farm.
We are also running a book exchange - bring along an old book and swap it for one you haven't read yet.
We encourage sustainable transport and offer a free shuttle bus service and bike valet - so hop on a bus or hop on a bike and get dropped off right at the door.

Eco Living Fair 2013

A big THANK YOU to everyone who came along to the 2013 Eco-Living Fair!
It was a great day to celebrate our community and come together to learn more about the environment and actions we can take to tread more lightly on the earth.
We hope everyone who came picked up some good advice, learnt something new or sampled from one of our many stalls or food trucks.
Take a look at the highlights from last year's Eco-Living Fair.

Bokashi Bucket Tips & Comments - April '14

In no Particular Order:

1. Don't keep your bucket in direct sunlight or on a Hot Balcony/Porch.  (high temperatures will kill the microbial activity)
2. If the pickled waste smells bad?  Then that may not mean the system has failed, it could be for a number of reasons.  Discard, or bury the waste, wash out bucket and start again with the provided instructions, and use a fresh bag of Bokashi mix.  For instructions that meet Australian conditions, feel free to request a complimentary booklet via info@bokashi.com.au including your *Australian Postal Address.
3. Drain off the Bokashi juice regularly.  If you don't believe you can water it out regularly (Watering Can/Veges/Ornamental's), then you can always use it as a Natural Drain Cleaner around the house pipes.  The Juice is alive with not only microbial activity, but also the nutrients and proteins of the food waste you have been collecting.  As time goes by, the life of these benefits decreases.  You cannot save this juice beyond a few days and expect it to be beneficial.
4. The taps provided with the bucket pictured in this blog are maintainable. If they are blocked, then try and use the tip of a bamboo skewer to clear the blockage.  Alternatively,  they can be disassembled and reassembled.  We recommend you disassemble/re-assemble each year as a service, washing each part and checking for wear.  Replacement taps are available for a small cost in Australia in various colours. Request Parts at your Local Australian Stockist, or request a price from Manufacturer Direct.  Tap Maintenance Video

I hope you find this tip's useful.  I you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the writer via this Blogspace.

Bokashi Powder Prices (Quick Comparison/Australia)

In Australia:

Maze/Bunning's: 5L (or 1.25kg)(RRP$16.98)

 

 

Bokashi One: 4L (or 1.0kg) (RRP$9.90)

AUD$9.90?
I know which one I think offers better value...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Footprints Eco Festival 2013

As  a visitor, I would confirm a great day had by all, last Sunday, in Sydney's Whites Creek Valley Parklands, The sun shone through and it was well delivered,  thanks to all the organisers and contributors.

Office Tearooms & Canteens

Invest in a Bokashi Bucket for your Office Tearoom or Canteen to help save wasted food going into landfill.  You'll be doing the company profile; and world, a favour.  Where I have seen these implementations before,  they have been very successful.

Generally, you appoint a "monitor" to manage the sprinkling of the grains daily and distribution of the finished waste.  In some occasions, we have heard of much like with the gardening staff for the treasured Bokashi Juice that is collected.

You may be surprised to learn in your organisation that many SME's have a budget for sustainability already and are more than happy to agree & implement this system to canteens.  It saves on waste, and provides benefits for the work site (or workers home gardens)  Message me if you would like further consultation.

To read more about the benefits, both at work and at home, see the leading Australian Distributor (and their reseller details) @ www.bokashi.com.au

If you have a large building with multiple satellite kitchens, then I am more than happy to broker a wholesale purchase price for you with "Bokashi One".

 

New "BOKASHI ONE™" Website Launch (AU)

Great New Aussie Website with loads of helpful information on product, product-use and FAQ's.  Purchase online (for Australian customers only) or search Australian City & Regional locations for Authorised Resellers.  View helpful videos.  Purchase Part's or send an Enquiry.

Shopping around for Bokashi Mix and Bokashi Buckets

Loads of people are buying online these days and why not?

Be careful to ensure you are buying from a reputable distributor or one of their authorised resellers.  When you buy a brand that specialises in a product, you can be sure that you have the support for that item and you have a reseller (or the distributor) to go back to, so that if you should endure; any issues, or need spare parts, they can provide you with immediate or ongoing supportive information (or best practices) 

Bokashi Composting Australia has been operating for 8 years in the Australia market.  They have many resellers in each of Australia’s main centres.  Click on the reseller’s web links to see what other sustainability products they sell.  There is loads of physical retail businesses, Eco & Health Food Shops, Kitchenware Dens, Mitre 10’s and Sustainability Ventures to supply (and resupply) your “Bokashi One” needs (shop locally).  A lot of these resellers are actual shops, so if you don’t like shopping online, you can visit the actual shop to touch and feel what you are buying!

The newly branded “Bokashi One” Bokashi system arrives with full instructions to make you indoor kitchen composting system easy and helps provide you with details to collect nutrient rich compost to condition and enrich your garden soil.  How good does that make you feel?  No Smells, No Insect attraction, just “Natural & Organic Garden Results” and don’t forget the valuable “Bokashi Juice”, that you can “water out” to your plants or grass, or use the “Bokashi Juice”, as a quasi-drain cleaner.

Aldi Australia Stocks Worm Farms This Weekend

From Saturday 3rd March, 2012,  Aldi are Selling Worm Farm Kits for AUD$50.00.  I guess it's just for the week,  so make sure you call your branch for stock,  before you jump in the car and burn some carbons.

Leichhardt Council Sells Bokashi Buckets

How can I get a Compost bin, Wormfarm or Bokashi Bucket?

Bokashi Buckets and Bokashi mix can be bought and collected at Council’s Citizen Service Centre or you can download an Order Form below and forward it with payment by cheque to the Citizen Service Centre and your Bokashi Bucket will be delivered.

Bokashi Bucket in the Heatwave Cities

Certainly in normal conditions,  then a warm day will not affect the microbial actions that are quietly taking place in your 'Green Frog' Bokashi Bucket. 

But there is a small chance (hence this post),  in the receptical that the live and working micro-organisms may  face an early death if the temperature gets hot enough.  In this case,  then the fermentation process will likely stop and no longer be actively working.

Keep your bucket's out of direct sunlight during these long hot summer days to make the most out of this fantastic system.

If you are in any doubt,  then do the following:

1. Drain away the Bokashi Juice.  Bokashi Juice will form in the bottom of the bucket. This should be drained off as it builds up.   Bokashi Juice can be diluted with water and makes a terrific fertiliser for garden or pot plants.  It can be poured down drains and it is safe to use in septic tanks. When used in drains it will help to clean up our water ways by competing with harmful bacteria.
2. Bury the current waste
3. Clean out the bucket with a hose (over a poor patch of the lawn recommended) and wash out & some biodegradeable detergent  (if necessary) 
4. Start the process again, as per the instructions  http://www.bokashi.com.au/Bokashi-Instructions.htm 

Any questions, please send me a message direct through this blog,  i'll be happy to answer your enquiry.

Street Legal Electric Zero Motorcycles Now (Quietly) Hitting Australian Roads

For the Eco-Conscious Biker. You can book a demo ride through the website.
 

Bokashi Powders

I am preparing a study on different micrbial inoculoated Bokashi Powders available (Oceania). Results soon.

Bokashi Videos

Milestone. Reached 44,421 views on the Bokashi Videos. Visit Green Frog Bokashi for more Aussie Bokashi info

Randwick Council 150th Anniversary

Sunday, 22nd February

Alison Park, Randwick, NSW

Details: The Mayor of Randwick Council Cr Bruce Notley-Smith invites you to a celebration of our past 150 years, our present and our future.

Date: Sunday 22 February, 2009 Venue: Alison Park, Alison Road, Randwick

Time: 10 am – 6 pm

150 years ago Randwick was proclaimed the first municipal council in New South Wales, and we are celebrating! Join in the fun:

10 am event opens with UNSW Regiment Band performance

11 am official opening including traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony & indigenous dancing speech by the Mayor & historian Pauline Curby African drum circle and interactive show Traditional Chinese Lion Dance Brazilian drumming performance

1 pm Launch of Public Art Project Capoiera show and Brazilian dancing The Rhythm Rides - live blues and jazz

3.35 pm Cavan Te – amazing live band and

4.40 pm The Barry Leef Band – songs of the Doobie Brothers All day activities include • free pony rides and petting zoo • stories from the Dreamtime and boomerang painting • create a wish for the future at the Wishing Tree • free fortune teller readings • interactive Green Farm and market garden stalls • international feast of food • Mission Australia’s 150th anniversary stall – butterfly face painting • bus tour to Coogee Beach

We hope you can join us to mark this historic occasion.

Contact: Events Unit or call 02 9939 0792

Grass Roots Magazine - Article

Australia's most popular self-sufficiency magazine. Great article on Bokashi Composting using the bucket system on page 32 of the Oct/Nov 2008 edition. Mary Horsfall (Editor and contributor) devotes a whole page to the Bokashi system.

Great magazine, it's not the first time I have seen the magazine, but it is the first time I have picked one up and bought one. Available at most magazine stores and newsagents. It's full of too many subjects to list. Think permaculture, saving money, water tanks, energy saving, the list goes on and on. Pick up a copy and have a read.

There doesn't appear to be a website, that I can see, but if you have an enquiry or want to subscribe, then here is the details.

Grass Roots
PO Box 117
Seymour
VIC 3661
Ph +61 3 5792 4000
Fax +61 3 5792 4222

Project Lyttelton

A great use at a commercial level of the Bokashi Composting System.

Project Lyttelton

2007 Festive Update #1 - Bokashi Composting Australia

Hi Composters

If you haven't seen these videos already, then take a look.

http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=billjackjane

Please note we will be closing down for 2 weeks over Christmas the last day that orders will be dispatched, prior to Christmas is Friday 22 December 2007. We will be back in the office and dispatch orders again on Friday 4 January 2008.

Have a safe and happy Christmas.

The Bokashi Composting Australia Team