Southern Suburbs BM; Tuesday, 7th February 2012; Gymea NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

PIP Maintenance of Accreditation - Castle Hill; Monday, 13th February 2012; 4:30-6:30 pm read more

Hunter Valley BM; Monday, 13th February 2012; New Lambton NSW; 5:00 pm. read more

Northern Suburbs BM; Monday, 13th February 2012; Cammeray NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

Central Metropolitan BM; Tuesday, 14th February 2012; Burwood NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

PIP Cyber Savvy - Dee Why; Wednesday 15 February 2012; 4:30-6:30 pm read more

South Coast BM; Wednesday, 15th February 2012; Woonona NSW; 6:45 pm. read more

Penrith Blue Mountains BM; Wednesday, 15th February 2012; Penrith NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

Metropolitan East BM; Wednesday, 15th February 2012; Randwick NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

Central Coast BM; Thursday, 16th February 2012; Gosford NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

IEU Reps Training Day - Tamworth; Friday 17 February 2012; 9:15-3:15pm read more

Mid North Coast BM; Friday, 17th February 2012; Nambucca Heads NSW; 6:00 pm. read more

South East Branch Meeting; Friday, 17th February 2012; Griffith NSW; 6:00 pm. read more

Riverina BM; Friday, 17th February 2012; Wagga Wagga NSW; 7:30 pm. read more

North West Branch Meeting; Friday, 17th February 2012; Tamworth NSW; 5:30 pm. read more

Principals BM; Saturday, 18th February 2012; IEU Office Parramatta; 10:00 am. read more

Cumberland BM; Monday, 20th February 2012; IEU Office Parramatta; 4:30 pm. read more

PIP Maintenance of Accreditation - Sydney City; Monday 20 February 2012; 4.30 - 6.30pm read more

Ku-ring-gai BM; Thursday, 21st February 2012; Hornsby NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

IEU Reps Training Day - Orange, Friday 24 Feb 2012; 9.15 to 3.15 read more

North Coast BM; Wednesday, 22nd February 2012; IEU Office Lismore; 5:00 pm. read more

PIP Maintenance of Accreditation - Revesby Heights; Wednesday 22 February 2012; 4:30-6:30pm read more

Monaro BM; Thursday, 23rd February 2012; Barton ACT; 4:15 pm. read more

Lansdowne BM; Thursday, 23rd February 2012; Fairfield NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

Central Western BM; Friday, 24th February 2012; Orange NSW; 7:30 pm. read more

PIP Maintenance of Accreditation - Forbes; Monday 27 February 2012; 4.30-6.30 read more

Plastic - Not So Fantastic

In the most recent edition of Bedrock Journalist Suzanne Kowalski-Roth asks the question - Can some materials awaken our senses while plastic deadens them?

How does the feel of silk, fine wool, the smooth surface of a pebble compare to the feel of that plastic apple in home corner or the surface of a plastic cup held in little hands?

Since the dawn of the plastic age, generations of children have grown up sucking on plastic bottles, teething on plastic blocks and consuming food that has been touched by plastic on its journey to the child’s mouth.

American writer Norman Mailer called plastic the ‘excrement of oil’. He warned that in return for functionality, a kind of Faustian pact had been signed - where the cost of reliance on this cheap, ubiquitous material was a deadening of senses. Mailer also saw a link between violence and plastic. He argued that extreme actions were part of a search to discover the senses.

While you may not agree with Norman Mailer’s views on plastic it’s hard to ignore the flip side of plastics emerging worldwide.

The dark side

The recent decision of Federal Consumer Affairs Minister Craig Emerson to ban plastic toys and baby products containing more than one percent of DEHP (diethylhexyl phthalate) highlights that the risks long suspected by campaigners are now beginning to be taken seriously by governments.

DEHP is used as a softener in plastics and has been linked to reproductive difficulties. It’s found in dummies, cups, soft books, rattles and bowls among many other products.

While toys and products here are thought to be DEHP free, it’s hard to know what gets into the country.

National Toxics Network Convenor Jo Immig says we need to be mindful that in a globalised economy the rules are very different, ban or no ban.

“Because we’re relying so much on imported products there is no gate keeper standing at the docks saying ‘Hmmm. What plastic is in that raincoat?’ or ‘Is that formaldehyde level in that blanket more than what we accept in Australia?’

“Remember the Melamine in milk formula and formaldehyde in blankets incidents? It’s unfortunate because the regulatory system hasn’t caught up with globalised trade.”

BPA, otherwise known as bisphenol A, is another chemical used in plastics which is causing concern. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (2009) studied people who drank for a week from plastic polycarbonate bottles - those ubiquitous hard plastic drink bottles and baby bottles - and found that the BPA levels in their urine went up by two thirds.

BPA is also found in dentistry composites, sealants and in the lining of food cans. BPA has been linked to disrupting the endocrine system in animals, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and abnormal liver enzymes. Governments around the world are monitoring the research but many have yet to act in a precautionary way - the Australian Government included.
Jo Immig urges a precautionary approach in this complex area and minimising the use of plastics.

“It’s a nightmare to be dumping all this on parents and teachers who are trying to make the right decision but in an information vacuum. There’s a real need for some good educational material on the different types of plastics and plasticisers. What’s important is to look at the risk associated with each plastic and also the likelihood of exposure,” says Ms Immig.

Low plastics project

At KU Mayfield Preschool, Director Lisa Mearns and KU’s Manager of Sustainability, Julie Gaul, have been busy working on the pilot form of the Low Plastics Project.

The project was driven by IEU Member Lisa’s enthusiasm for cultivating a more natural learning environment for children and her move to take up the position as Director at the 60-year-old service. She approached KU’s CEO Sheridan Dudley for support and before long the pilot was underway.

The project has involved the introduction of a low waste lunch day which got people thinking about the way food comes into the centre, Julie says.

Information about the project was put in newsletters and the preschool’s children were engaged in recycling and looking closely at plastics.

A workshop was held and interested parents and carers learned about imaginative, open-ended play and the different types of plastics commonly found in early childhood settings. Volunteer staff and parents then audited the plastics at the centre identifying how they were used, the context they were used in and assessed their risk level.

“We looked at younger children and the types of plastics that were going to be mouthed first because they’re more vulnerable,“ Julie says.

Such a project may seem daunting and a lot of extra work but Lisa says there wasn’t any extra work except for the audit, attending the workshop and sourcing alternatives.

This challenge was taken up by keen staff who visited local markets, hardware and op shops. Lisa has even found pattern books for toys and she’s hoping to get families to volunteer some sewing talents to make toys.

The conversation the project has started in the community has been positive. But perhaps the most telling insight is the change in play. No longer prescribed by the fixed form of a plastic toy, Lisa sees children respond to the natural materials with open-ended, creative play, limited only by imagination.

The preschool bought some beautiful elves, fairies and mermaids toys made of felt, silk and unspun wool.
“The children look after them and play with them in a kind, caring way. I have a couple of fast boys and the way they sit and hold something made of unspun wool! I think the feel of different kinds of materials like that helps them understand how to use them. It awakens a child’s senses.”

She also describes a wooden car she thinks has been at the centre since it opened. It’s still there giving, generations on, with perhaps another 60 years to go.