https://nutraorganics.com.au/blogs/blog.atom Nutra Organics - Wellness Journal 2024-07-26T10:55:35+10:00 Nutra Organics https://nutraorganics.com.au/blogs/blog/founders-their-families-and-farms 2022-12-23T11:16:40+11:00 2024-07-25T12:01:56+10:00 Founders, their families and farms Olivia Siebel The founding families are trying to develop a fully closed system in each of the major cycles

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Looking back upon the wonderful and wild year that was 2022, we stopped to chat and reflect upon some exciting new updates and changes from our wonderful founding family, their farms and crazy cool endeavours towards sustainability and regenerative farming. I mean would we expect anything less from the fabulous family who founded our beloved Nutra Organics? They are udderly great!


A 2022 snapshot


Mark, Darlsy and their daughters Ricki and Britt are our wonderful family who founded Nutra back in 1998. Recently, Mark and Darlene moved to their new property, The Northern Rivers Estate. This estate is a property set aside as a destination and training facility for the next generation of kids. Mark and Darlene have planted an impressive 35,000 rainforest trees to regenerate their property while remaining 100% carbon neutral. As well as dedicating 20 acres to a permaculture market garden which will include fruit trees and seasonal vegetables which they will sell along with organic meat from Ricki’s farm.


Speaking of Ricki’s farm - Ricki and her family moved to their farm in January with their 3 kids, with her husband working full time on the farm. At the end of February our town of Murwillumbah was hit with horrendous floods, it rained heavily for about 3 months, how could we forget that one right? With the floods came extreme amounts of weeds, and being a 100% regenerative farm brought multiple challenges as you can imagine. Ricki commented saying “we have been learning to catch the rhythm of the seasons, and it might sound silly but looking to the land to prioritise our time through trial and error and lots of observation and reflection.”


The evolution of Nutra Organics since 1998


Nutra Organics started with a dream, from Mark and Darlsy to 40 staff members, 100 stores to 2000 stores and international distribution. Gradually the dream transferred via osmosis to their daughters who became a core part of the business too. Although the journey was a little rough in those early years, the family was committed to deeply nourishing people! Nutra Organics' range has grown and changed too, starting from a few small products into the extensive range you see today and will continue to grow in the years to come (and very near future too, wink wink).



Farming endeavours


Wild Five Farm is the very appropriately named farm that Ricki, her husband Simon and their 3 kids have dreamed up. The wild five are passionate about farming for regeneration of the land, carbon capture and cycling, soil health and pasture-raised livestock. They only produce what is good for the land, so there is a limited availability and only at particular times of the year. The land is a safe environment for both the family and animals with no chemicals, nasties or fertilisers.

Here’s a little snippet from Ricki herself - “we raise approximately 60 grass fed beef cattle, pasture raised pigs and pastured goats, rotational grazing on fresh pasture. We also have bees to enjoy their lovely honey and help with pollination and fertility. We are about to introduce 130 chickens to follow the cattle to help the cycle and the spreading of nutrients across our land, plus lovely fresh eggs everyday and a constant source of delightful entertainment! We have fallen in love with farming. It is beautiful and brutal and everything in between. It has taught us so much about our food systems, our soils, our driving force, our kids and ourselves. We have become accustomed to constant change which we are leaning into (most of the time).”



Sustainability endeavours


The founding families are trying to develop a fully closed system in each of the major cycles. Carbon cycle, energy cycle, water cycle, mineral cycle, microbial cycle and community that ties it all together. Take for example their water cycle; capturing their rain water in a series of dams, then watering livestock exclusively with that captured water, taking care to repair and restore the areas around the dams. As well as trying to slow water down with a series of dams in succession in order for the land to absorb as much as possible, making it more resilient to no rain and lots of rain. The families mentioned they are constantly monitoring the health of their paddocks as they are really soil farmers above all else, testing for minerals and observing the level of animal impaction which is so important.


What’s next for the family


Mark and Darlene’s vision is to expand their balanced lifestyle of mind, body and spirit as they leave behind a legacy for future generations. And as for Ricki and her crew, their vision is to grow as much as they can eat on their land and feed up to 50 families in their immediate community. They will continue to build soil health and diversity in all their systems to mimic the natural cycles of nature. Ricki commented that 2023 is their garden adventure, planting a three mandala system to grow enough produce to feed themselves and all those who work with them on the farm to begin with, as well as introducing some products they are passionate about like tomato relish, pickles, preserves and more. Yum!


We’ll leave you with this quote from our gal Ricki (both literal and a metaphor) that accurately sums up 2022 and beyond. “What we know is that there is so much we don't know and that we are committed to the journey of learning on the daily. We will continue to seek a deep connection with the land and the animals under our stewardship and have as much fun and deliciousness as possible in the process.” - Ricki Harrison

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https://nutraorganics.com.au/blogs/blog/health-education-with-bridging-the-gap-foundation 2022-09-29T09:15:12+10:00 2024-07-15T16:35:34+10:00 Health Education with Bridging The Gap Foundation Bree Humphreys Nutra Organics funded these organisations to partner together and reach schools and communities who are either extremely remote or haven't been fortunate enough to access health education so readily. 

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Here at Nutra, we’re just as passionate about health as we are about health education. Our mission is to deeply nourish as many people as we can. By partnering with Bridging The Gap Foundation and HealthLAB, this mission can be better achieved. Nutra Organics funded these organisations to partner together and reach schools and communities who are either extremely remote or haven't been fortunate enough to access health education so readily.


First stop, Borroloola School in the Northern Territory. The team from HealthLAB and Bridging The Gap stopped in earlier this month and created some fun interactive stations. These activities included education on smoke free families, a healthy heart, exercise, nutrition, hydration and ultrasound. The students were able to test their smoke exposure, have conversations about passive smoking and smoke avoidance, measure their heart rates; take their blood pressure and watch their heart and other organs on ultrasound. The exercise station included activities where students could measure their reaction times and talk about the importance of daily exercise.


“The day was a great success with teachers commenting that the students really benefit from HealthLAB visits and access to health education.” Said a HealthLAB volunteer on the school visit. Hundreds of kids were able to learn not only the value of health in a fun way, but also the many different aspects, practical approaches and benefits of staying as healthy as possible.


Learning these vital lessons in fun and practical ways creates a healthy approach to wellness. It changes any negative approaches that make things like eating vegetables and exercise seem like a chore. When we create a product here at Nutra Organics we make sure it meets the criteria of being outrageously delicious, because nutrition doesn’t have to be boring and bland.


There’s an old saying we like to share when it comes to health education, “give a man a fish and he’ll be fed for a day, teach a man to fish and he’ll be fed for a lifetime.” This is exactly what we’re all about and we are so very grateful to be able to partner with HealthLAB and Bridging The Gap Foundation to see more and more Australians educated and equipped to make healthier choices and live their healthiest lives. After all, what you put in is what you get out.


If you’d like to hear more about the work that Health LAB does to provide fun and informative health education to remote parts of Australia, you can read more here and for the wonderful work Bridging The Gap does you can read more here.

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https://nutraorganics.com.au/blogs/blog/naidoc-week 2022-07-07T10:46:05+10:00 2024-07-15T16:35:30+10:00 NAIDOC week Bree Humphreys We are constantly looking for ways in which we can give back, especially in areas close to our heart like health and wellbeing, you could say we know a thing or two about that. 

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It’s NAIDOC week here in our homeland of Australia - a special time to celebrate those who have driven and led change in our country and local communities. This year's theme is Get up! Stand up! Show up! A chance to speak up for change and equality for the first nations communities who came before us. As well as a time to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.


We are constantly looking for ways in which we can give back, especially in areas close to our heart like health and wellbeing, you could say we know a thing or two about that. Which is why we choose to partner with Project Give Back and HealthLab, who venture out into rural Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory to give health education and supplies. The program is designed to increase health literacy among youth and among teaching staff at schools. The program is strength-based, and its delivery focuses on encouraging healthy behaviours and good hygiene.


We have a deep appreciation of NAIDOC week and thought with Nutra Organics being nestled in the heart of Murwillumbah, we’d highlight some amazing local people, past and present, as well as local pop-ups, initiatives and ways you can stand up and give back this NAIDOC week.


We couldn’t pass up this opportunity to talk about a Murwillumbah born and bred Aboriginal woman and rights activist from the 1950s to the 1980s by the name of Faith Bandler. In 1970 Faith was celebrated as a public figure for standing up against racist oppression in Australia. She was someone who provided an example of courage to stand up and overcome racism while encouraging others to stand up for the cause of social justice, human rights and equal opportunity for all Australians regardless of background, class and colour. Honestly, we could write an entire essay about Faith and the incredible Indiginous women who paved the way. However, with our lack of space in a blog, we’ll highlight some of our local lady Faith’s inspiring achievements instead.


Faith was awarded the Human Rights Medal from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission in 1997. In 2000, Nelson Mandela (wow right!) presented Faith on behalf of the Sydney Peace Foundation, with a 'Meritorious Award in Honour and Gratitude for a Life of Courageous Advocacy for Justice and for Indigenous People, for Human Rights, for Love and Reconciliation'. In 2009, Faith was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, Australia's highest honour by Governor General Quentin Bryce. Faith was also an author of four books, but mostly, she was known for her work and leadership in the campaign for the 1967 referendum.


Our second local highlight goes to the incredible artists and storytellers local to our Tweed Coast region. You can find some of these Artists' work on display over at Tropical Fruit World, who have created a pop up installation highlighting some of our local indigenous community. Just one example to get you excited to pop in and celebrate these locals is Artist Jason Smith.


Jason is a local Murwillmbah artist whose work is inspired by original storytellers of Australia, such as ancient rock art, desert painters, aboriginal dance, language and song. Jason has done his own studies and travels which developed a passion to connect with his family heritage. Jason integrates storytelling into his artworks, inspired by nature and through life events and experiences.

To see what’s happening in your local area or how you can get involved, head over to NAIDOC’s website. Let’s Get up! Stand up! Show up! And continue to celebrate our rich culture and heritage of our homeland Australia.

Image credit via marleyjo_morgan

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https://nutraorganics.com.au/blogs/blog/50-fridges-for-families 2022-03-25T09:47:38+11:00 2024-07-15T16:35:35+10:00 Fridges For Families Bree Humphreys Togetherness is how we survive, and we adore the fact that food truly does bring people together so much of the time.

 

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The Fridges for Families initiative was created to bring 50 fridges & grocery vouchers into the homes of those most desperate and in need due to the effects of the February floods in our town of Murwillumbah. While we know we can’t help everyone in all ways, as much as we wish we could, we felt it fitting to give 50 new fridges and 50 x $250 grocery vouchers to families who lost everything, because families and food is our thing and our mission still stands to deeply nourish as many people as we can. After seeing first hand the devastation to our little town of Murwillumbah we decided it was imperative to help where we could. From joining the mud army & enlisting the entire Nutra team to help with the clean up and donating 400 broths and 10,000 bars to locals in need - we are committed to doing what we can to directly support our community.

For those a little unsure of just how big the impact was to our town, let us help you paint the picture. On the 27th February 2022, thousands of people fled their homes around Lismore, Byron, Ballina and Murwillumbah along the Northern NSW Rivers regions. Many were stranded and waiting for help on their roofs, streets became deep rivers and roads had completely washed away. Civilians created funds for helicopters, boat rescues, food and water drop off locations and clean up coordination. Were it not for the power of the people, so many of those alive and safe today might have had a completely different story.

As locals started to find ways into the towns cut off from main roads, reports came back that on top of the surreal amount of devastation, one of the main pipes had burst, causing there to be no clean drinking water and consequently cleaning water too. The mud from the floods is extremely toxic and dangerous, causing infections in the smallest of cuts, even causing sickness and gastroenteritis, so to say these towns have been hit relatively hard would still be quite the understatement. For many in these towns, this is the second time in 5 years they have been severely impacted from the floods.

Although there is still a monstrous amount of work to be done, the clean up efforts and the support seen from near and far has brought heartwarming sentiments to a heartbreaking situation. Our town of Murwillumbah has been one of the small towns along the Tweed River that has seen streets teeming with people, shovels in hand and soaked in mud. Strangers and friends alike have been volunteering their time, money and personal resources to help the town get back on their feet. A giant blue and white cloth was spray painted with the words, “where there is hope there is love”, the banner has been on display on a corner block in the town of Murwillumbah, inspiring hope for all. It may be one the greatest displays of community and togetherness Murwillumbah and the surrounding Northern NSW region has ever seen.

Togetherness is how we survive, and we adore the fact that food truly does bring people together so much of the time. Speaking of, we had the amazing support of some amazing businesses who donated their time, finances and resources to get Fridges for Families up and running so quickly. Those businesses include: AVS Nutrition, Nutradry, Hawkins Watts, Sonoco, VDS Contract Manufacturing, Essential, Whyfon Real Estate and Steggall Nutrition.

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https://nutraorganics.com.au/blogs/blog/join-us-on-the-journey 2021-07-01T10:00:00+10:00 2024-07-25T12:01:16+10:00 Join Us On The Journey Emma Stewart We are proud to be leading the way in sustainable packaging within our industry. Our products are available in canisters that are fully recyclable, are less carbon intensive than steel cans & glass, and the paper used is made from 100% recyclable fiber. When diverted to the recycling stream, the canisters have a recovery rate of 88%. 

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For some time now we have been working towards becoming a more sustainable company. As part of this initiative, we have actively been reducing our use of plastic wherever we can.

This plastic free July we want to celebrate how far we’ve come, and also acknowledge our ongoing commitment to do more. Reducing the use of plastic can be a difficult task, particularly when there’s large scale supply chains involved. We recognise that we are not perfect, but we can confidently say we are doing our best and we will always look for ways to improve.

Some of the changes we’ve implemented over the past few years include removing all unnecessary plastic (scoops, order wrapping) from our products. We’ve also switched from recyclable plastic tubs to 100% plastic free recyclable canisters.

We are proud to be leading the way in sustainable packaging within our industry. Our products are available in canisters that are fully recyclable, are less carbon intensive than steel cans & glass, and the paper used is made from 100% recyclable fiber. When diverted to the recycling stream, the canisters have a recovery rate of 88%.

While some canisters appear to be made out of a type of paperboard and may look and feel recyclable, many are coated in a thin protective laminate that make it feel more 'luxe,' but because the laminate is a form of plastic, it makes it a single use item. This is because the laminate can't be separated from the paperboard that it's been adhered to.

We also use a water based adhesive, which makes our canisters far more recyclable than those that use an oil base adhesive. This is because canisters with oil based adhesive cannot be passed through the shemelter and be burned down to a recyclable form - meaning it often ends up as landfill. Our canisters are made here in Australia and are FSC certified.

We’ve also introduced a number of reusable items to our range to help you reduce your plastic use. It seems fitting to let our Stainless Steel Lunchbox, Stainless Steel Protein Shaker, Reusable Silicone Pouch Set, Doubled Walled Glass Flask and Reusable Cutlery Set take centre stage for plastic free July. The unsung heroes in our kitchen, these products are so handy for on-the-go food and drinks. We know you guys care about reducing your plastic use just as much as we do, and there’s never been a stock up on these babies.

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https://nutraorganics.com.au/blogs/blog/10-ways-to-reduce-your-plastic-use 2020-07-23T11:47:00+10:00 2024-07-25T12:01:08+10:00 10 Ways To Reduce Your Plastic Use Emma Stewart It’s not about doing it perfectly, it’s just about being mindful, and making changes where you can to help protect this incredible planet we’re lucky enough to call home.

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Image via @carlanatalia__

We’ve made it halfway through the wildest year, I’m sure most of us can agree, we’ve been through, and somehow we’re in Plastic Free July once again. We love to use this time to reflect on the changes that we’ve made in the past twelve months, and to consider what we’re going to do in the next twelve months to reduce our plastic consumption. We’re all about making sustainable long-term changes to how we live our lives. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about making small changes that we can incorporate into our daily lives until they become second nature. We’ve compiled a list of our top 10 favourite ways to reduce our plastic usage. This list is by no means exhaustive, it’s just a great place to start if you’re at the beginning of your plastic-free journey.

1. Purchase from your local farmer's markets whenever possible.

We’re sure that you, like us, have walked through the vegetable section of your local supermarket and thought “why the heck does this need to be covered in plastic?”. There are entire blogs and Instagram pages dedicated to excessive and unnecessary packaging. Which is just one of the reasons why we choose to pick up our fruit and vegetables from the farmer's markets. Not only are you directly supporting the farmers who grow the goods, but you also have much more control over how you take your faves home. Another plus is that fruits and vegetables from the farmer's markets rarely come with those unnecessary plastic stickers.

2. Say no way to plastic straws.

Did you know that in 2018 it was estimated that Australian’s used 10 million plastic straws a day? That’s an estimated 3650000000 per year (and we don’t even know how to say that number). These are all made from soft plastics, which can’t be recycled and can take over 200 years to breakdown, and many of them end up in our waterways, harming wildlife. Thankfully many cafes and restaurants have started to adopt more sustainable options, but if your local hasn’t made this change yet, consider picking yourself up a sustainable straw set. It comes in a handy pouch which you can take with you on the go, as well as a cleaner too so your straws will stay squeaky clean.

3. Bring your own reusable cutlery.

Much like plastic straws, takeaway, plastic cutlery is also a major issue in Australia (and the world at large), according to The Ocean Conservancy, plastic cutlery is among the most deadly pollution threats to sea turtles, birds and mammals. Our Sustainable Cutlery Set comes with all the utensils you need housed in a handy travel pouch, super easy to throw in your bag and take with you on the go.

4. BYO Coffee Cup.

While they may appear to be made from paper, most takeaway coffee cups are lined with a plastic coating, meaning that they are not recyclable and are contributing to landfill. Do yourself and the planet a favour and pick yourself up a reusable coffee cup. They come in so many different styles and sizes to meet your individual needs.

5. Say no to plastic water bottles.

Did you know that it takes 3 litres of water and 250 ml of oil to make 1L of water in a plastic bottle? Not to mention that although most plastic water bottles are made from PET plastic which can be recycled, most end up in landfill, contributing a huge amount of waste each and every year. In this day and age, there are so many alternatives, pick yourself up a beautiful reusable bottle which you can refill as you need. Our Glass Flasks are your perfect hydration buddy with their double-wall to keep water cooler or warmer for longer!

6. Have a stash of reusable shopping bags.

We’re very familiar with the age-old problem of getting to the checkout after a big shop and realising that we’ve left our reusable bags in the kitchen drawer. Make it easier for yourself and keep a stash in the car so that you’re never caught without. We're a fan of string bags which take up almost no space, so you can always keep one in your bag for those times you need to quickly duck into the shops.

7. Use Glass or stainless steel food storage containers.

Or, reuse what you already have. Glass jars are super handy storage containers, just remove the stickers with some rubbing alcohol and you’re on your way to a Pinterest worthy cupboard or work lunch!

8. Buy in bulk.

So many of the products we purchase from supermarkets are housed in plastic, by buying in bulk, you’re not contributing to landfill. Plus you get to use all those glass jars you’ve been saving and put them to good use.

9. Make instead of buying.

Making your own dips is way easier than you think, and most dips come housed in plastic. Find some of our fave dip recipes here.

10. Grow your own herb garden.

Not only will you be reducing your plastic intake, as most herbs from the supermarket come wrapped in plastic, but a little bit of greenery and something to take care of and love on is always a good thing to introduce to your home.


Hopefully, some of these tips have inspired you to make a small change and remember, it’s not about doing it perfectly, it’s just about being mindful, and making changes where you can to help protect this incredible planet we’re lucky enough to call home.

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https://nutraorganics.com.au/blogs/blog/our-pledge-to-australian-bushfire-services 2020-01-09T17:35:00+11:00 2024-07-15T16:35:38+10:00 Our pledge to Australian bushfire services Jemma Quinlan We are deeply devastated by the bushfires that have torn our country apart, and are heartbroken for the families, communities and wildlife that have been tragically affected.

Nutra Organics are pledging $30,000 to Australian bushfire relief services over the next 6 months.

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We are deeply devastated by the bushfires that have torn our country apart, and are heartbroken for the families, communities and wildlife that have been tragically affected.

But we are so in awe and full of gratitude for every volunteer, every business and every generous person for standing up and making a difference.

We stand with you, and we promise to make a positive difference alongside you.

We are pledging $30,000 to Australian bushfire relief services over the next 6 months.

Our donation is going to New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery, and WIRES Wildlife Rescue, as our next Project Give Back commitment (every 6 months we make a commitment to support our environment and community, where it’s needed most. Learn more here).

If you can, please donate directly to any of the relief services via the links below, and let’s keep fighting and rebuilding our country together.

NSWRSF
Red Cross
WIRES
Salvation Army
Vinnies

OzHarvest

Image via @david_appleton
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https://nutraorganics.com.au/blogs/blog/project-give-back 2019-06-07T13:24:00+10:00 2024-07-15T16:35:46+10:00 Project Give Back Emma Stewart We want to thank every customer who has inspired us to make better choices and go greener. This is just another step we are taking alongside our commitment to transition our entire range into compostable and more sustainable packaging. You have the power to vote with every dollar you spend, and we are so proud that a portion of your purchases with us are going back to help our environment and community. 

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We are so excited to announce to you on World Environment Day our new 6 month project as part of our sustainability commitment to you and our planet.

For the next 6 months, we are partnering with 3 organisations to:

1. Clean 100 kilometres of Australian shorelines

2. Plant 2,000 trees on Australian soil

3. Provide 30,000 meals to Australians in need

These causes are really close to our heart, and we have rigorously researched the organisations we are partnering with to ensure we are providing the best support to our environment and our community. We will release more information throughout the next two weeks, so stay tuned for details.

We want to thank every customer who has inspired us to make better choices and go greener. This is just another step we are taking alongside our commitment to transition our entire range into compostable and more sustainable packaging. You have the power to vote with every dollar you spend, and we are so proud that a portion of your purchases with us are going back to help our environment and community.

Clean Ocean Foundation

We are so excited to announce our partnership with Clean Ocean Foundation to clean up 100km of Australian beaches over the next 6 months! Clean Ocean Foundation is an Australian Charity whose aim is to reduce all forms of ocean pollution. We have partnered with them to fund the clean up of 10 different sites in Australia over the next 6 months that have a high density of litter, that are 10kms long, with teams spending 10 hours cleaning up each site.

Here's a few facts about why we're taking action to help clean up our beaches:

1. Globally, 8 million items of litter enter the marine environment everyday, with estimates of 70% ending up on the sea bed, 15% on beaches and 15% floating on the surface.

2. According to research by CSIRO, 75% of rubbish along the Australian coast is plastic, and the density of plastic ranges from a few thousand pieces to over 40,000 pieces of plastic per square kilometre.

3. In one day, Australians produce enough plastic waste to fill an entire beach.


4. Plastic takes up to 1000 years to decompose and every piece can therefore kill more than one marine animal.


5. At least 77 species of marine wildlife found in Australian waters are affected by entanglement in or ingestion of marine debris. It's believed over half of all sea turtles are harmed by plastic ingestion.

This is the second step we are taking to help reduce waste in our country and beaches, with our first step being our commitment to moving our entire range away from plastic and into compostable or more sustainable packaging.

Carbon Neutral Charitable Fund

We are proudly partnering with Carbon Neutral Charitable Fund (CNCF) to plant 2,000 trees in Australia over the next 6 months.

CNCF has planted over 5.4 million trees since 2007 on degraded land in Australia, to support natural ecosystems and wildlife, and help reverse some of the damage that mass deforestation has caused in our country. CNCF’s approach is to take degraded, unused farmland and restore the natural habitat by planting a mix of native vegetation that are indigenous to the area. Planting trees offsets the carbon emissions we create every day, and they are absolutely crucial to the health of our planet and wildlife.

Here’s a few facts as to why we are taking action to help plant more trees:


1. Australia is one of the top 10 deforesters in the world and has lost nearly 40% of its bushland and forest.


2. Trees are critical for maintaining safe levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide on our planet. They filter air and water from harmful pollutants, and they help cool the planet by vacuuming up harmful greenhouse grasses and turning it into oxygen. In cities, trees can reduce overall temperatures by up to 8 degrees Celsius.


3. Native trees also assist our agricultural areas to be more sustainable, prevent salinity and soil erosion, provide shade, shelter, food and habitat to native animals.


4. The effect of land clearing has been disastrous. Around 20% of Australian mammals, 7% of reptiles, 13% of birds are listed as Extinct, Endangered or Vulnerable, including koalas.


5. Only 10% Australian land being cleared is being restored, so we’re racking up an extreme environmental debt that we aren’t keeping up with.

The rate of deforestation in our home is so alarming, and we all need to do our bit to help if we want Australia to stay beautiful and healthy.

OzHarvest

We are thrilled to announce the last part of our Project Give Back commitment to our environment and community. We're partnering with OzHarvest to provide 30,000 meals to Australians in need over the next 6 months!

OzHarvest is incredible. They are Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, collecting quality excess food from commercial outlets and delivering it directly to more than 1300 charities supporting people in need across the country. They have rescued 37,000 tonnes of food that would be otherwise wasted and delivered 109 million meals to Aussies in need since 2004

Here's a few facts about food wastage and people in need, taken from OzHarvest's website:

1. Nearly four million Aussies experience food insecurity each year, one quarter are children.

2. Over 710,000 Aussies rely on food relief each month.

3. Over 5 million tonnes of food ends up as landfill in Australia, enough to fill 9,000 Olympic sized swimming pools.

4. One in five shopping bags ends up in the bin = $3,800 worth of groceries per household each year.

5. The Government estimates food waste costs the Australian economy $20 billion each year.

There is more than enough food to go around to care for everyone in our country, and we are so grateful for the work that OzHarvest does and proud that a portion of your purchases with us will be going to help to nourish our country.

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https://nutraorganics.com.au/blogs/blog/our-new-year-resolution-to-you 2019-01-24T16:51:00+11:00 2024-07-15T16:35:32+10:00 Our New Year Resolution To You Jemma Quinlan More

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Image via @harrisoncandlin

To our beautiful customers, friends, supporters and advocates,

We are beyond excited to reveal some huge changes that are coming this year, but first we want to sincerely thank you for your continued love and support for our brand.

Nutra Organics is a brand for you, your family, and most importantly your wellbeing. You are our focus and the reason for our existence, and not a message, comment, idea or suggestion goes unnoticed. We listen to you, we learn, we appreciate your feedback, and most importantly, we grow from it.

We LOVE that our community is so passionate not only about health and wellbeing, but about the health of this beautiful planet we get to live on. Your passion has inspired us to take the time to educate ourselves on ways that we can join you, make better eco-friendly choices, and ultimately help to make the world a better place.

We have heard your passion for the environment, and your wishes for more eco-friendly packaging. We have listened. And we have been working tirelessly behind the scenes for some big changes.

We are so excited to announce that our New Year Resolution to you is to move away from plastics, transition our entire range into sustainable packaging, and become more environmentally conscious & sustainable overall as a company!

Here are our 5 sustainability resolutions that we are committing to this year:

1. Switching to Environmentally Sustainable & Home Compostable Packaging

We have always considered the environment with our packaging, and have tried our best. All of our plastic tubs are 100% recyclable, and made from recycled materials themselves.

However, we know there is a better option, and we are fully committed to reducing plastic in every way possible.

It will be a huge process, and may take some time. It is by no means easy to do, and we are still unsure how long it will take, especially because the technology to manufacture home compostable packaging is still very new. It requires sourcing and testing new compostable packaging options for all 150+ of our products, redesigning all of our labels, and finding local manufacturing solutions that support compostable packaging.

We want to be as transparent as possible with you about this process and how long it will take. Our goal is to have our entire range move into either glass, reusable or home compostable packaging by the end of this year! While we can’t promise an exact timeline yet, we will absolutely be trying our hardest to make it happen and will keep you updated along the way.

We are so excited to announce that we will be launching our first (brand new) products in home compostable packaging in March! No clues allowed as to what the product is yet, but we know your garden worms will be loving the packaging, and you’ll be loving what’s inside even more.

2. Removing Unnecessary Plastics

We have included things like plastic measurement scoops in our Collagens and Gelatin products for your convenience of easily measuring the recommended dosage of the powders.

We will be removing all plastic scoops, and looking for an alternative. We have already removed the scoop from our Natural Gelatin, and will remove the scoop out of Collagen Beauty & Body once we have sold out of our current labels which advertise the scoop.

If you currently have a Collagen Beauty, Collagen Body or Gelatin with a scoop, we encourage you to save your scoop and reuse it.

3. Sustainable Ingredients

We have always taken sustainability into account when we source ingredients, and source them as locally as possible, and certified organic wherever possible.

We never use artificial ingredients, synthetics, fillers, flavours, preservatives, or GMO ingredients. You can pronounce every ingredient in our products, and you’ll never spot any mysterious numbers in our ingredients list or artificial flavours.

Our products are made from real wholefoods, respectfully sourced from the earth and not a lab.

This has always been our unwavering commitment, because your health and wellbeing is our ultimate mission, and this will never change.

So while there is nothing new here, we have added this to our resolution because we want to make it clear that we will never use an ingredient that we believe is not sustainable for the environment, even if it may be healthy.

4. Sustainable Operations

We have recently bought new land to build a new factory, because our business is growing so much and we have well and truly outgrown our humble space in Currumbin, Gold Coast.

We are excited to announce that our new factory will be fully solar powered!

All of our manufacturing will still be done locally, within a 100km radius of our business, and we work with companies committed to reducing their impact on the environment and supporting the community.

We proudly partner with Synergy Group and Endeavour Foundation, who are equal opportunity employers, and provide employment for so many local Gold Coast community members with a disability.

Our local box supplier, who supplies all our boxes for our bars, sachet packs, and our shipping boxes, operates under the ‘Environmental Code of Practice for Packaging’, a code which ensures minimising environmental impact, using resources (including materials and energy) more efficiently, reducing the amount of waste and litter generated by packaging through facilitating reuse or recycling, minimising negative impacts of packaging and packaged products on humans and the natural environment, and ensure effective and clearly documented practices are in place to address environmental concerns in the product development and review process for packaging.

5. Environmental Support & Sustainability Education

We are committed to providing financial support to a charity that supports the environment and educates the wider community. Plus, we want to do the same, and will be providing holistic support for our community on the environment, sustainability, and ways that we can help the planet.

We’ll be making more exciting announcements on this commitment soon!



So to wrap this up, we just want to emphasise once again that our heartbeat isn’t just to help you and your families health and wellbeing. We are fully committed to helping the environment too, in every way possible that we can think of.

2019 will be a huge year for us, and we want to thank you again for being a part of our journey. We would love to invite you to join us in our New Year Resolution, and think about healthy changes that we can all make for our planet together.

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