We know that certain times of the year, like the holiday period, can be harder than usual for our friends on the street. Someone looking to make those times a little easier is Tracey Bailey, founder of Biome Eco Stores. Tracey has worked extremely hard to empower people to make more earth-conscious choices. We sat down with her to find out why giving is important to her and how she connected with Orange Sky.
1. Tell us a little about the Biome story?
I launched Biome in 2003 as an online store to help people live with less waste, less toxins and to make choices that matched their values such as cruelty free and palm oil free. Biome was Australia’s first online eco lifestyle store, and one of the few in the wider-world.
Two years later we opened our first physical store in Paddington, Brisbane and now have four more stores located in Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, Balmoral, Gold Coast and Melbourne.
Biome has led the way for many years introducing and championing sustainable living. Biome was the first retailer in Australia to sell KeepCups and champion reusable water bottles, has never offered plastic shopping bags to customers, and recently, was the first Australian retailer to receive B Corp certification and the world’s first Palm Oil Investigations certified retailer for being 100% palm oil free.
The mission of Biome has always been to be part of the solution to the world’s environmental problems. Rather than despairing about what is going wrong in our world, we can all feel empowered and positive about the contribution we make to the planet each day.
2. Why is giving important to you?
Giving is one of the many reasons I started Biome. By giving to people less fortunate, you positively impact their lives and in doing so, you improve your own life by living in a way that is true to your values and ethical beliefs.
Having the power to improve the lives of others is a true privilege. Giving not only makes the world a better place, it also inspires others to give. We all can perpetuate the cycle of giving and by broadening our influence we extend our positive impact.
3. Tell us about 12 Days of Good Deeds and Good Deals?
12 Days of Good Deeds and Good Deals is a campaign we run every year at Christmas to highlight the importance of charitable giving during this time. This is a small way Biome gives back by promoting non-profit organisations whom we admire throughout the year.
For 12 days, we share with our community 12 charitable good deeds they can support. Each good deed is accompanied by a good deal from Biome.
Over the years we’ve supported many wonderful organisations including the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, QLD Koala Crusaders, Rainforest Rescue, Share the Dignity, Australian Conservation Foundation, WaterAid, The Orangutan Foundation and of course, Orange Sky.
4. Why did you choose Orange Sky as one of the 12 Days charities?
We chose to support Orange Sky as we not only admire their laundry and shower service, but more importantly, the community connection they provide for people in need. Christmas is a time for giving and we wanted to share with our community the opportunity to give back to someone who might not receive a gift or have a family to be with during this time. The gift of clean laundry, a warm shower and – most importantly – genuine conversation for $24 is an affordable gift that makes a big difference to someone in need.
We were honoured to be chosen as one of the 12 Days of Good Deeds and Good Deals charity partners. We love that Tracey uses her business to connect her customers to people in need. If you’d like to find out more about Biome, you can check them out here.
You can continue to grow Tracey’s gift on connection these holidays by supporting our friends with clean laundry, warm showers and genuine conversation.
