‘Local’ disposable or reusable nappies trial
‘Aboriginal flag hijab’ & unity in minority groups
December 5, 2006‘Choice Employment’ wins PM’s Employer of Year Award
December 7, 2006A new Melbourne mum is encouraging others to consider nappy alternatives
Local rag ‘The Melbourne Times’ reports this week how Northcote mum, Meaghan Siemensma, has organised the Darebin Nappy Trial in conjunction with the local Darebin Council and The Environment Shop.
Meaghan has used a combination of reusable and disposable nappies since her first child, Chloe, was born 7 months ago and now she is hoping to encourage others to think about the alternatives.
Participants in the trial will use a combination of disposable and resuable nappies with the aim of comparing cost, ease of use, convenience and environmental impact of the disposable and cloth nappies and then passing on this info to new parents.
The difficult question – HOW do you get the info ‘out there’?
Meaghan tells PWF the local Maternal Health Centers will be the major ‘vehicle’ for getting the info distributed. She thinks the council plans to put a sheet together with the results, to be handed to new parents, and follow up the trial with a press release to the local papers.
Interested parents – and other communities around Oz? – can contact Meaghan via eamil, m_siemensma@yahoo.com.au, visit The Environment Shop at 221 High Street, Northcote, or ring Emma Hopkins at the Darebin Council on 03 8470 8405.
Local action like this – and the Eco-renovation Network – all make so much sense to me. The findings of a local group stand a pretty good chance of ‘reaching’ and influencing people….things just seem more ‘believable’ if they’ve happened right in your own backyard, don’t you think? These are certainly areas where local government, local groups and possibly Neighbourhood Houses could really contribute to a sustainable future???
2 Comments
Has she thought of contacting some of the online parenting communities to get their support? Sites such as http://www.realmums.com.au, http://www.kidsnmore.com.au, as well as directory sites such as http://www.smart-mums.com.au could help to get the word out there as they already have large databases of Mums who regularly visit the sites.
i use a combination of cloth and disposable nappies for my ten month old.
cloth during the day & a disposable at night.
unfortunately i now use disposables for him if we are heading out somewhere, purely because he is too active and rolls all over the place in & on public change facilities.
will the trail be expanding to incorporate other melbourne muncipalities?