If you celebrate Christmas, I’m sure that with less than a month to go until the big day, you’re no doubt knee-deep in present planning or purchasing mode.

Gift giving is one aspect of Christmas that can get out of hand quickly….. from a cost and a sheer volume point of view alone (let’s not even go there on waste!).

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

In this episode I’ll discuss four easy, sustainable, homemade Christmas gift ideas that won’t break the bank or send you into a spin.

I’ve put together a free ‘Seasons Greenings’ eguide that’s jam-packed with practical and simple ideas for you to enjoy a sustainable Christmas.

Just click here http://seasons-greenings.lauratrotta.com/ to get your copy!

For images of homemade gifts discussed in this episode click here.

Have you ever come face to face with a techno-tantrum when you’ve wrangled the tablet, smartphone, computer or TV away from your child?

Are you worried your child is becoming addicted to technology and you feel helpless about the situation?

Are you trying your best to get your children outdoors and playing in nature, only to have to drag them away from their screens in order to do so?

If that sounds familiar (and I’ll raise my hand as we battle this in our household too), you’ll love today’s episode.

I’m joined by Dr Kristy Goodwin, one of Australia’s leading digital parenting experts (and mum who also has to wrestle devices from her children’s clutches!)

Kristy translates the latest research into practical and digestible information for parents trying to navigate the digital terrain with their kids (without telling you to ban the iPad, or unplug the TV).

Kristy takes the guesswork and guilt out of raising kids in a digital world and I love it how she arms parents with facts, not fears about what young kids really need to thrive online and offline.

Our kids will inherit a digital world…. it’s here to stay…. so we know digital abstinence is not the solution. Kristy’s here to help us find the solution that’s right for our families.

If you love this episode, check out our recent chat with Sarah Sutter of Nature Play SA (episode number 53) here.

How would three days without electricity, internet and mobile phone coverage impact your household?

Would it throw everything into turmoil? Stress you out? Or would it be an opportunity to come up for air and reflect on your lifestyle?

A few weeks ago, on Wednesday 28th September, the State of South Australia, where I live, was smashed by a massive 1 in 50 year storm that destroyed three elements of critical infrastructure and plunged the state, and its 1.7 million residents into darkness….some for a few hours, others (like my household) a few days.

Due to the scale of this event there’s not surprisingly been much finger-pointing and questions asked by the power-players (ooh love the pun!), and many, many lessons learned for the State and the main power providers.

But I also learned some lessons too.

Three days without electricity, internet and mobile phone coverage is enough to rattle any household or business in our modern fast-paced society…and my household and business were no exception.

However, I very quickly discovered that in my case, the inconvenience of the prolonged power outage was far outshined by the learnings and opportunities that came out of it……

In this episode I’ll share these learnings with you and in doing so, they might help you reflect a little on your current lifestyle.

Throughout October on Eco Chat we chatted about sustainability and our kids….  How to foster eco-conscious children, how and why we need to get our kids playing outside more, how to nurture a love of science in our children…. And even how to be a happier mama.

Today I’m joined by Belinda Smith of The Root Cause to hear how we all can instil healthy eating habits in our children. Bel Smith is a health and wellness coach and a mum on a mission to transform children’s health, one lunchbox at a time. 

The long-term health prospects of Australian children are a real concern. 27.4% of our children in Australian between 5 & 17 are now overweight or obese. Of these children, 80% will go onto become overweight or obese adults.

This stat alone is not the only concern. Chronic illness is now on the increase. Diabetes type 2, once an adult onset illness, is now occurring in our children, and Australia has one of the highest allergy rates in the world. 

Together with her husband and 2 children, Bel travels Australia in their big green bus Kaley, running fun and interactive workshops for children and parents about making better food choices.

My aims when launching this Eco Chat podcast 12 months ago (yes…we’ve just turned one!!!) were not just to share my thoughts, tips and tricks with you on how you could live more sustainably, but to bring in some guests to inspire you to go out there and create real change in the world.

My guest today is a perfect example of how one man with a strong vision, big heart and a good dose of get up and go, can make a difference.

At 19 years old Daniel co-founded Thankyou with a couple of friends. What began as an idea to tap into the millions and billions of dollars that consumers spend on bottled water to help tackle the World Water Crisis, has grown into 45 products that are stocked in over 4000 outlets, with 100% of the profit going to Impact. To date, Thankyou have given over $4.69million dollars to Impact, helping hundreds of thousands of people across 17 countries.

If this is the first time you’ve heard of Daniel Flynn or the Thankyou story, please pay them a visit and do your best to support their work as they expand into New Zealand, and then take on the world.