Categories
A few weeks ago I gave you a heads heads up that something very special was in the pipeline.....
Well it's come out the other end I'm I'm so thrilled to share with you that Sustainahome is now open for business!
You can check Sustainahome out HERE.
Sustainahome is an online eco / toxin-free store where 20% of profits are donated to environmental scientific research and conservation projects.
It's the store where your purchases not only help you to create a healthier, more sustainable home, but also help to improve the quality of our environment across the board.
With your support Sustainahome will grow over the weeks, months and years ahead to become a true leader in the eco-retail space and in turn, we'll have a serious crack at making green mainstream.
To reward you for being a loyal subscriber, if you shop between now and 31 December, you'll receive 15% off your entire order.
Just click this link and the discount will be automatically applied to your cart, or enter voucher code ECOCHAT.
And while you're there, be sure to follow Sustainahome on Facebook and Instagram.
If you’re a bit frazzled leading up to Christmas and think you have no hope getting through your TO DO list, let alone carving out time for YOU, this episode is for you. I’m sharing 5 easy ways you can fill your cup this Christmas... without even leaving the house!
If we don’t care for ourselves, and keep our cup full so to speak, we can’t fill others, and we definitely can’t look after the environment.
If we’re frazzled, stressed and tired, we’re more likely to make decisions based on convenience and generate more waste, not to mention spend more money in the process.
More seriously, if you’re busting your butt trying to live a more sustainable, zero waste lifestyle and you’re putting yourself last, you’re much more likely to not only burn out, but get resentful too!
You have my permission to take some time out and rejuvenate, even for just 5 minutes a day.
Happy Christmas!
As Christmas fast approaches and adults the world over look for cheap stocking fillers to gift to their children and children’s friends, I thought it was a great opportunity to chat about fad toys and the impact they have on the environment.
In particular, I wanted to check in on the fad toy of 2017… The Fidget Spinner. In this episode I chat about the Lifecycle of a Fidget Spinner and share Five Alternatives to Gifting Fad Toys.
Click HERE to get your FREE Seasons Greenings eGuide.
If you yearn for a simpler, minimalist lifestyle and are yet to declutter your house, this post is for you.
I’m sharing the ins and outs of our decluttering attempts for our upcoming house move.
Links for Specific Charities Mentioned:
- Bras…. Uplift Project Drop off locations
- Glasses – Lions Recycle for Sight Australia
- Business Clothing – Dress For Success
Like This Topic?
You May Also Like To Listen To These Previous Eco Chat Episodes:
If you choose to eat meat, and you care for the environment and care for your own health, I bet you’ve wondered “what is the best meat to eat”?
It’s a question I’m asked a lot, particularly by my Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs members, and it’s a question I’ve also contemplated.
I mean if you walk into a typical supermarket meat section you’re faced options such as organic, free range, grass fed, grain fed, no added hormones, antibiotic free, pasture raised and more! It can be hard to make an informed choice!
If you’re keen to discover once and for all what the most sustainable meat is, this post is for you.
I’m chatting with Peri McIntosh from Borderpark Organics and we uncover what is the best meat to eat from an environmental and health perspective.
Before you dive in though, you may like to also listen to Episode 49 –Regenerative Farming and It’s Role In Healing Our World (with Joel Salatin from Polyface Farm), and Episode 51 – 7 Ways To Smarten Up Your Meat Consumption.
But in this episode we dive into what all those different terms for meat mean, what are some of the common additives included in conventional meats, and how you can better ensure less waste from the animal (i.e. tip to the tail eating).
This episode is a meaty one (ha ha!) but I hope you get a lot out of it. Because if you do choose to eat meat, I really want to help you make the most sustainable choice for you and the environment.
Lotions and potions, deodorant, perfumes, soaps, exfoliants, shower gels and make up: many of us probably use some or most of these personal care products every day and may not give a second thought to the impact they might be having on the health or us or our environment.
In this episode I’ll share why you need to be savvy when choosing which personal care products you use and why beauty products may not actually be that great for both you and the environment.
To be in the running to WIN a place on my Home Detox Boot Camp be sure to share your best eco beauty tips in the comments on this episode's corresponding blog post HERE before Tuesday 31 October 2017.
It’s been said that they’re more immediately dangerous to the environment than a discarded plastic drink bottle … we're talking about microbeads. What they are, what impact they have on the environment and our health and how you can tell if a product contains them.
Beat the Microbead have made an app to help you find out if these tiny pollutants are in your favourite products. You can download the app and scan the product barcode and it will tell you if the product contains microbeads.
You may also be interested in Eco Chat Episode 93 - how our plastic oceans are impacting our environment with Craig Leeson.
If you have a pantry that’s brimming with food, much of which that’s been sitting there for a while. Or if you regularly find yourself tossing out stale or soiled food from your pantry, then today’s episode is for you.
I’m chatting about simple actions you can take to reduce food waste from your pantry.
Click Here To Be Notified When Self Sufficiency In The Suburbs Opens Again For New Members
I've decided to take a couple of weeks off the podcast to do some work behind the scenes and improve the way I do things around here.
But before I make any changes, I want to make sure I continue to cover the topics that are going to be the most helpful to YOU...
So my question to you is this:
When it comes to living sustainably, what's the single biggest challenge you've been struggling with?
Would you please CLICK BELOW to tell me so I can be sure to address your specific situation in upcoming content that I'll be creating:
Thank you so much!
Laura :-)
P.S. That question again:
When it comes to living sustainably, what's the single biggest challenge you've been struggling with?
Thanks so much!
This episode highlights three simple plastic habits you can kick to improve your health.
WANT TO WIN A SET OF HONEYBEE REUSABLE WRAPS?
Review the Eco Chat podcast in iTunes before Friday 18th August for your chance to WIN. Not sure how to leave a review? Follow the steps in this 1 minute video.
When focusing on reducing the environmental impact of plastics, it pays to look at ways that will decrease the amount of plastic you use. Avoiding single-use plastics is the key here.
This episode highlights three simple plastic habits you can kick to improve the environment.
WANT TO WIN A SET OF HONEYBEE REUSABLE WRAPS?
Review the Eco Chat podcast in iTunes before Friday 18th August for your chance to WIN. Not sure how to leave a review? Follow the steps in this 1 minute video.
What is crowdfunding?
How does crowdfunding work?
What are the benefits of crowdfunding?
I’ve been asked these questions and more countless times over the past year, particularly during and after my two successful crowdfunding campaigns where I raised over $37,000 upfront for sustainability projects in my business.
There are many benefits of crowdfunding. From securing funding upfront, to catapulting your profile, to testing if a business concept will fly, more and more entrepreneurs and business owners are turning to crowdfunding over traditional forms of finance. In fact, in 2015, an estimated US$34 billion worldwide was raised via crowdfunding!
In this episode I’ll explain what crowdfunding is and how it works. I’ll also share five benefits of crowdfunding (hint: only one is financial!) and why you should consider it as an option to not just raise capital, but to grow your business.
Join Confident Crowdfunding before Friday 28 July and SAVE $100 on the upfront plan with code EARLYB
The Plastic Free July movement is sweeping Australia and for very good reason.
Our obsession with plastics, particularly single-use plastics, is causing devastating impacts to our oceans, our land, our wildlife and us.
If you’ve ever wondered just what kind of impact, and the degree of this impact, plastics are having on our environment then today you’re in for a real treat. Actually, today may not be a treat at all, because my guest has some pretty alarming information to share with us all.
Craig Leeson is an award-winning journalist, television presenter and filmmaker. His debut cinematic feature film, “A Plastic Ocean”, which he wrote, directed and executive produced, hit the coveted no.1 spot for documentaries on iTunes in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada and is listed globally on Netflix with the backing of Leo DiCaprio.
What’s more, Sir David Attenborough has described A Plastic Ocean as the most important film of our time.
If you haven’t yet watched A Plastic Ocean, I have a strong feeling it will be top of your “must watch” list after today.
I’m chatting with Craig about what he discovered and learnt while filming A Plastic Ocean, what changes he’s since made to his own lifestyle and what he believes needs to happen at a global and local level to stem the flow of plastics into our oceans.
Support Plastic Ocean Foundation
If you’re keen to learn more about the impact of plastics in our environment and how you can reduce your consumption, check out these other blog / podcast episodes:
Eco Chat ep 39 - What you Need to Know About Plastics
Eco Chat ep 40 - 19 ways to break up with plastics in your home
When it come to transforming women's health, look no further than Courtney Townley from Grace and Grit.
Courtney Townley is passionate about a multi-dimensional approach to women's health and fitness, and integrates the practices of clean eating, functional movement and stress management. She loves to move and share her love of movement with others while also introducing them to optimal health through healthy living practices. To her, it’s the greatest gig in the world to work so closely with women who want to be happier, healthier and more fit and change their lives for the better.
In this episode, Courtney and Laura chat about sustainable eating and dieting, and how women can best transform their health, naturally.
If you value eating real foods, fresh seasonal produce and cooking from scratch but you’re yet to start growing your own food, you’re going to love this episode.
Today I’m joined by a guy who believes that gardening is for everyone.
That’s right! Organic veggie gardening is no longer the domain of those with a migrant background, a large backyard or heaps of time on their hands.
The trend to higher density living and dwindling backyard sizes in our cities has given rise to the conventional gardener….. a home gardener who values real food and is having a red hot go at growing their own.
Mat Pember is the founder of Little Veggie Patch Co, and he’s undeniably leading the trend of growing food in small spaces. In today’s episode he’ll share some of his best tips on how you too can grow some of your own food in small spaces.
Today on the podcast, I’m sharing an interview that, retail strategist and host of the Bringing Business to Retail Podcast, Salena Knight did with me last week.
She is chatting with me and asking me a heap of questions about my upcoming trip to Antarctica. I thought it would be really cool to share this episode that has been aired on her Bringing Business to Retail Podcast, today with you.
You will understand a lot more about me, what’s coming up for me, and why I’m so excited to be chosen in Homeward Bound to head to Antarctica in February/March next year.
If you haven't yet pledged your support for climate action by some of the world's smartest and most passionate scientists, NOW is the time! Show your support here.
It’s time we humans took a long hard look at ourselves and how we’re living. In this post I touch why we need to stop acting like we have a Planet B. Plus I share a small action that you can do today to ensure we’ll never need a Planet B.
I’m changing things up this week!
Rather than showcase an interview or a “how to” episode on how to live more sustainably, I thought I’d share some thoughts and reflections with you on what’s going through my head this week as I turn the big 4-0!! Plus, I wanted to let you know of a few exciting opportunities and projects on the horizon….
Last week the POTUS, Donald Trump, announced that the United States was withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.
It was no big surprise.
He’d made it loud and clear during the 2016 Presidential Campaign that he’d withdraw from the Agreement if elected. Media speculation in the days leading up to the announcement hinted that it was just a matter of him saying the words and the U.S. was out. And of course there was the body language and the refusal by Trump to endorse his support of the Paris Agreement at the May 2017 G7 Summit in Sicily that basically confirmed that Trump was going to follow through on his pre-election promise.
So while we hoped he wouldn’t go there. He went there.
With the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement as it currently stands, many of us are wondering what this means for not only the Agreement moving forward, but for global climate action on the whole.
In this episode, I pull back the curtain on the Paris Agreement. What it is. How it works. Why Trump withdrew. And what the U.S. pulling out means for the rest of the world and global climate action.
What Can You Do?
You don’t need to be a world leader to have a positive impact on climate action. You can get started today by reducing your own personal emissions. Reducing your food waste and eating more plant-based meals are two areas you can focus on that will significantly reduce your carbon footprint.
If you’re after strategies and support to help you create a sustainable home, check out Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs. Doors are closing this Thursday 8th June 2017!
In a world where famine and hunger are a daily battle for millions of people, the need to reduce food waste, and indeed the concept of food waste, can be difficult to comprehend.
However, the statistics on the volumes of food wasted are alarming.
Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tonnes — gets lost or wasted.
In this episode, I unpack the issue of food waste and discuss how it’s generated, the impact of food waste on the environment, and simple measures you can take to reduce food waste in your home.
All too often I hear of people who are running their dream, self-sufficient home, but it’s become a nightmare.
They’re working around the house and garden more than ever, are stressed out, and what was fun and exciting when they started out has become a chore and a big weight on their shoulders.
In this episode, I’m sharing my best advice on how to build a self-sufficient home that affords you maximum freedom and flexibility (and don’t worry: this advice can be applied right from the beginning, or be used to tweak things if you’re a bit further along the path, but your self-sufficient home has begun to swallow you whole).
Click here to get your free shopping and meal planner.
If you’re wanting to live a more self-sufficient, sustainable lifestyle, it’s likely you’ll need to break some old, bad habits and replace them with new, sustainable ones.
But how do you break a bad habit?
In this episode I’ll explain why bad habits are typically hard to break. I’ll also share some tips on how you can replace an old habit with a new one.
Get your FREE Think Global Act Local eGuide here!
If you’re keen to reduce your impact on the planet and improve your family’s health and well being in the process, but you’re just not sure where to start you’re in the right place!
In this podcast, I’ve collated my best tips to start (or up level) your eco journey. You’ll also be able to complete a fun quiz that will help you identify how self-sufficient your lifestyle currently is. Click here to discover how self-sufficient your lifestyle is!
If you’ve ever built a new home, you’ll appreciate just how much time and effort goes into planning, designing and building. But what about it you want to take it a step further and make sure that your build is as sustainable as possible?
This week on the podcast I’m joining my husband Paul to share some of our learnings and tips on how to build a sustainable home.
Last week on Eco Chat we heard from Melinda Tually from Fashion Revolution who shared many of the social and environmental issues of the fashion industry with us…as well as some tips for how you can make a difference by asking your favourite fashion brands “who made my clothes?”
I wanted to continue the conversation this week, in Fashion Revolution Week, by bringing the founder of an exciting new local eco-bridal label onto the show.
Lenka Couture’s founder, Lenka Harvey, is on a mission to revolutionise the bridal fashion industry and give conscious brides more sustainable options, particularly when it comes to the most important day of their lives.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 113,595 couples said "I do" in 2015. Lenka Harvey, sees this as 113,595 opportunities to create a gown for the bride who is interested in making a lasting positive impact in the world, through her considered choices. Lenka Couture’s designs are intended to enhance the beauty of the woman in the dress, showcasing the individual wherever possible, and always striking an exciting balance between honouring and breaking traditions.
Regardless of whether or not you’ve already tied the knot, you’re going to love hearing Lenka’s story and what the future holds for Lenka Couture.