Tag: sustainability

How to travel better. The Eco-friendly cosmetic pouch makeover

admin0 Comment eco-friendly, Plastic-free, reef safe sunscreen, travel, Travel essentials , , , , , ,
Cosmetic pouch

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There are many little things that one can do to give a helping hand to our planet when travelling but one important cornerstone would be what you bring with you in your suitcase.  A refillable bottle and reusable shopping bag are always good ideas but let’s go a bit beyond and take a deep dive into cosmetic pouches.  Never big enough for some and an afterthought for others. There are a few ways by which we can do a healthy and planet-friendly makeover for vanity bags. The good news is that toiletries can easily be swapped for better alternatives.

First of all, I would say that the pouch/bag would be a good place to start.  Avoiding or limiting plastic pouches and favouring more natural materials such as hemp and cotton may be a good start. So swap plastic for natural fibres and you are heading in the right direction.

Next, what about your toothbrush and toothbrush holder? Ditch the plastic toothbrush for a bamboo one and do the same for the holder.  Not sure where to find the holder, check the link here.

Whilst we are on the dental hygiene topic, let’s not stop with the toothbrush.  Swap the toothpaste in the plastic tube with toothpaste tablets. Wait, what, how does that works?  Easy to carry, tablets contain the perfect quantity of toothpaste for one wash. All you need to do is to pop one in your mouth, chew a little and brush. Easy, plastic-free, no mess, you can even bring them in the plane as they are solid.  The earth will be smiling. Get yours here or here.

But wait, what about flossing. Remember your last conversation with your dentist? Yes, flossing is part of good dental hygiene but it does not have to cost the earth.   A cardboard case will work just fine. Try this one here or here.  Make your dentist and the earth a little happier.

Next, let’s move on to other essentials.  What about your deodorant? Ditch the plastic and trial one of those two options. The first one is in a tin can (click here or here) and you will need to apply with your fingers. Compact and effective, this is a great way to smell like a rose.  If you are not ready for using your fingers to apply your deodorant then you can get the cardboard stick. Effective and eco-friendly, both options are available. Check them out.

And one last thing. Soaps and shampoos.  Get rid of the plastic tubes and avoid using the hotel provided ones.  These are rarely fully used and end up as waste. Plus, I have found that they often contain way too many chemicals for my own taste.  BYO soap and shampoo kit it is.  Whether you have oily, dry or sensitive skin, get your perfect travel kit (available in dry, sensitive or oily skin and hair options)

Haaaa, feeling better now.  How cool is that?  Add your reef-safe sunscreen and you are good to go (here ).  If this is sounding a little complicated, build your own perfect cosmetic/toiletries/vanity pouch in a few clicks, right here!

Until next time, travel safe and eco-friendly. 

Cheers,

Julie

How to travel more sustainably in North Queensland

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How to travel more sustainably in North Queensland

Missing those exotic places. Can’t go to Bali this year because of travel restrictions? Well, come and visit the Sunshine State! If you need vitamin sea and a good dose of sunshine, North Queensland is blessed with both of those and even more. Australia, check out your backyard, there is just not enough superlative to describe what you will find.  So, holiday here this year!

Get your free guide!

But wait….. do I hear, I want to be a responsible human and travelling can be at odds with my carbon footprint reduction objectives. Humm, yes, that can be true. When we travel, it is not only our carbon footprint that increases, but we also change our habits such as buying more food on the go. It is not good for the earth. How to turn this around? Could sustainability and travelling go hand and in hand?

So let’s have a chat about our impacts and how we can handle this a bit better, one step at the time. Small steps. I am a strong believer that each small step counts and that we should do what we can. We each live different lives and what is easy for someone can be difficult for someone else.  But, if we all make a small effort, life can be better. We all need to adapt this to our own circumstances. And if the only thing you do is remembering to take a bamboo toothbrush and swap your regular sunscreen for a reef safe one, then, it is a win.  

If you are ready to go on a journey with me then, I have prepared a great resource for you. I have compiled a guide to help you have fun by exploring North Queensland and doing it a bit more sustainably. The guide includes two different itineraries for a week-long trip and discusses how we can make better choices for the environment.

I have been blessed with living and travelling through both of those regions and they are quite dear to my heart. You can’t care about what you don’t know or experience and that is what travelling is all about. So, we can learn to care for the places we discover and ensures that future generation enjoys them as well, just as much as we did. I hope that this book will inspire you to explore this beautiful region and to care for our planet. You can find the free guide here.

See you soon and until next time, travel safe and sustainably!

Finally re-opening the store!

admin0 Comment COVID19, Eco-fashion, eco-friendly, opinion, travel , , , , , ,
Finally re-opening the store!

If you have been on this site recently,  you may have noticed that the shop page has been unavailable for a little while.  Well, just like most of you, my life has been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.  However, I am very thankful that my health and the health of my loved ones have not been affected. I also have managed to keep my day job, for now anyway, so I am one of the lucky ones, I know it may not have been the case for you, so I would like to acknowledge any suffering that this crisis may have caused to you.  I am also thankful to live in a country that has an excellent health system as it is not the case in other countries.  And of course, thank you to all the dedicated health professionals and support staff that are so essentials.

Some of the things you will find in our shop: reef safe sunscreen, eco-fashion

This post is a bit more personal, but I thought I would share with you what has been happening in the last few months. I started with this business idea a long time ago but did not have the time, money to do much with it.  Very, very slowly it evolved from a blog to a shop last November (2019). I did not have much time to dedicate to it as I was working full time and needed to educate myself about business (that is still ongoing). Nevertheless, I was very proud of my achievements.  But then,  all that came to an abrupt end in March. Like most Australians, I went into lockdown. Unfortunately, that meant that I was away from my shop items in order to be close to my loved ones.  I was working from home with my day job and wondering if this was ever going to end. Well, it still has not ended but I would say that things are on the up-trend. Queensland has re-opened its borders and interstate visitors are slowly coming back. Albeit, some delays for Victoria.  So, great to see that despite everything, Australians have not lost their taste for travel. International travel is off the table for now but with such a blessed country, there is so much to see! 

I also sincerely hope that one of the things that will change is that we will travel more sustainably and ethically.  Because our health is intrinsically related to the health of the planet we inhabit, it would be a natural progression.  If you are ready to make a bit of a difference,  I invite you to come and visit our website, we have some great blog articles to help you make better choices and contribute to our collective wellbeing.  Shortly, there will be some more information about how to travel more sustainably in North Queensland.  So stay tuned for more info on this. 

But today, I really wanted to tell you that I am really excited about announcing that I will be re-opening the ‘’shop’’ section of the website on the 1st of August 2020. You will find there, eco-friendly fashion and travel essentials. Helping the planet by packing eco-friendly has never been more fun! Have a browse here….. and thanks for your patience during these unprecedented times!  See you soon and until next time, travel safely and sustainably!

Cheers,

Julie

Where do clothes come from – tackling the discomfort.

admin0 Comment Eco-fashion, eco-friendly , , , ,
Logo

Drum rolling….. First blog post! Feeling excited and yet full of doubts….. How will this new project of mine be received? Once again, looks like I am overthinking and if you are anything like me, that means ‘’overwhelm’’ is right around the corner.

Few big breaths later…. I am thinking about why I do this.  All too often, in this overly complex world, we need to stop and break things down so they become more manageable. My intention is to grab what is troubling me about what we wear, what I wear, and find ways to be a better person on this planet. Considering I am anything but an example to follow, I am proposing to tackle my discomfort in relation to how clothes are made.

In recent years, there has been an interest in where our food comes from. We have seen an interest in how our food is made. With the resurgence of the backyard veggie patch, an interest for the ‘’farm to plate’’ movement and organic food entering the main food supermarket chains, lots of progress has been made. Granted, there is still a lot to do but ‘’where does my food come from?’’ has become a socially legitimate question asked by consumers. One just has to look at the number of TV shows on the subject to see that it has now become a topic of interest.

I had been wondering why ‘’where does my shirt come from?’’ is a bit more of an uncommon and obscure question. After all, in both cases, agriculture and animal husbandry are heavily involved in the process. Just think about cotton and leather. Long-distance transport and its heavy carbon footprint implications is just as important for clothes as it is for food. Of course, extensive waste is another parallel to be made between food and clothes.   Lastly, but not least, the producers’ living conditions is ‘’question worthy’’ in both cases.

This blog is about where the discomfort comes from, exploring how the world is interconnected and making little steps to improve things. How we consume clothes have impacts for us and for others and the little steps we can take to improve things.

The angle I have chosen to approach this topic is through travels as I feel that tackling what is in your suitcase is less intimating than a whole wardrobe….. Plus travelling is associated with new discoveries and time out our daily routine which is an ideal time to change our habits.  

To see how our interconnectedness plays out, there is nothing like observing the world we live in. Because life is about exploring both our inner and external worlds, I invite you to come with me on a journey.  Come along and discover……

 

Hope you enjoy.