Don’t toy with nature

Parents passionate about ensuring there is an environment left for their children to enjoy have a new option when buying toys.
As parents, Jackie Braw and Vicki Harding use toy libraries and recycle the toys their children outgrow. Now the pair are about to launch their own toy store, Flying Penguin, in the heart of Newtown.
The pair have sourced the most environmentally sound toys, which are also 100 percent safe and 100 percent fun.
“Toy manufacturers are beginning to become aware,” Harding told Sydney Star Observer. “We looked at and considered everything — how it was marketed, what it was made out of. If it was made out of wood, we asked what sort of wood. If something had recycled products then we’d buy those. And of course anything made in Australia we’d get, because there isn’t much made here.”
“There are many good toys out there, you just have to search around,” Braw added.
“They’re good quality, eco-friendly toys. We’ve sourced ‘good wood’ toys made of wood from sustainable forests, or that have come from toy manufacturers who have an environmental policy to plant trees for every toy produced. Or the wood comes from rubber trees, which is sustainable because once the rubber is used, there isn’t much else you can do with that plant.”
Flying Penguin opens on October 17. For the opening week, parents will be able to take advantage of some great discounts, and all children will be given a free toy.

info: Flying Penguin, 359 King St. Visit www.flyingpenguin.com.au