For International Women's Day 2019 I am honoured to write this celebration of some remarkable women who are part of the Biome community, and to acknowledge all that the Biome team does to advance opportunities for women through business and giving. Biome is a woman-owned and led organisation and our team is predominantly female.
Over half of our suppliers are women-owned and led small businesses, and many of the community groups we support in environment, schools, and wildlife conservation are led by women.
This is not the norm across society, where there is still so much work to be done to improve gender equality. 93 per cent of the CEOs of ASX200 listed companies are male, and the number of women in the Australian Parliament is about 32 per cent. According to the World Economic Forum's 2018 Global Gender Gap Report, women are 202 years off gender parity across a range of economic and social measures. Let's celebrate.
OUR TEAM
Tiffany Senior Store Assistant, Biome City
Tiffany joined Biome in 2005 just after we opened our first store in Paddington. During that time, Tiffany has raised three beautiful children with her husband Sean. Tiffany is a Taiwanese Australian, who was born in Taiwan and grew up in Brisbane. Her kind and gentle manner nurtures our other team members and she has been a critical support behind the success of three Biome stores at Paddington, Indooroopilly and now the City. She is known and trusted by many of our customers for her care. Tiffany's religion is Tien Tao and she devotes much voluntary time to her local temple. She is vegetarian, a trained naturopath, and lives with gratitude and kindness. Tiffany says she is blessed and grateful for working at Biome and it has changed her in such a positive way. We say she is our rock!
Nancy, DIY Maker, Biome
Nancy began her connection with Biome as a supplier of gorgeous hand made soaps. And, more than 10 years later Nancy is still infusing her passion for making skin care into Biome's mission. Nancy came on board just when Biome needed new drive and knowledge to help our growth. She has sought out new roles and responsibilities as Biome has grown, up-skilling through sheer strength of character, passion and creativity to help transform Biome every day. At the same time Nancy has raised two sons as a single mother, cared for a menagerie of pets, and pursued her painting, macrame and crochet hobbies. Nancy gives time to share her knowledge to advance all the Biome team members. Her tenacity to track down toxins and palm oil hidden in ingredients is fearless!
OUR SUPPLIERS
Pip, Founder of Dindi Naturals
How we love Dindi's delectable palm oil free soaps, shampoo bars and lotions at Biome! And how we love dealing with a woman with integrity and passion for what she creates. Biome has purchased a significant amount of products from Dindi since 2012 and Pip has been a dream supplier to deal with. Pip maintains the highest ethical standards. Dindi does not use any palm oil or hidden derivatives, proving we can make beautiful, effective natural products without palm oil. As a mother of two, Pip experimented with homemade soaps to reduce the skin irritations suffered by her eldest son. The results were amazing, and before long she was receiving orders from retail outlets. Pip's base is in the mountainous north-east region of Victoria, known as the Murrindindi Shire - hence the name Dindi. Along with her busy wholesale business, Dindi Natural operates two physical stores. See all the Dindi range here >
Liz, Founder of Lil' Bit
We know well at Biome how tough it is to run a viable business while breaking all the rules! From the day we started working with Liz, we have seen her strive to find the most sustainable, toxin free ingredients she can. Liz lives on Phillip Island with her husband. How amazing that Liz can live in her dream location while building a sustainable business. They discovered beekeeping and fell in love with how much impact these little creatures have on our ecosystem. This hobby led to the realisation that if everyone made a “lil' bit” of change the overall effect would be enormous. Liz makes Lil' Bit cleaning, home products, and of course bee seed bombs to help her bee friends, by hand, from scratch without palm oil. We often receive an email from Liz letting us know the latest way she is improving the sustainability of her ingredients and how she packages her products. Liz recently wrote to us “the logistics are a tad challenging and will need a lot of work to get going but I'm sure I'll get there in the end!”. She sets ambitious goals for the greater good and goes after them. See all the Lil' Bit range here >
OUR COMMUNITY
Stephanie Homeward Bound, Marine Biologist
Pushing Barriers Supporting young women with refugee backgrounds
In honour of International Women's Day 2019, Biome is supporting a netball team of young women aged 12 – 18 with a refugee background through Brisbane-based charity Pushing Barriers. Pushing Barriers advances the lives of refugee youth by providing them with opportunities and funding to be included and welcomed into Australian culture and society through sport. Pushing Barriers says: “It means a lot to help them on their journey to feel included and part of Australian society. They have experienced so much adversity in their young lives and this goes a long way to helping them develop self-confidence and improve their mental heath." Learn more about Pushing Barriers here >
KIVA Micro lending to women
Since 2012, Biome has loaned money to women-led micro-enterprises that promote a more sustainable way of living and doing business. Join our lending team named Green Economy Biome » visit Kiva.org and make a loan. Plus, see our long list of other women-led and women-focussed community groups we support here >
Written by Tracey Bailey, Founder and CEO of Biome
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MORE READING
When Women Rise Up, Global Warming Can Fall
Why I Love Leading a Women Led Business
See products from Women Owned and Led Brands at Biome
