Like Christmas, although to a much lesser degree, Easter is a time of high consumption. Big feasts, heaps of chocolates…. we all tend to indulge more than normal. As Easter is upon us all this week, I thought I’d share seven ways to make your Easter more sustainable.

If you would like to have a go at making your own organic Hot Cross Buns, you’ll find my recipe here.

Given that the average woman only tends to wear around 20% of what’s in her wardrobe and buys the same pieces over and over, I thought it would be a great idea to unpack sustainable style on the Eco Chat this week.

And the perfect stylist to help you discover your sustainable style is the gorgeous Alma Barrero.

Alma Barrero is a style coach, personal power advocate, family girl and your right hand when it comes to helping you make the impact you were born to make.

Her goal is to provide you with the tools to open the door to dressing with confidence and projecting the best version of yourself.

And she prides herself on her ability to help busy women wake up in the morning knowing what to wear to boost their success.

Sounds too good to be true? Well it isn’t because Alma is real and she’s with me today to share her sustainable style secrets with you! 

Plus, Alma has a very special offer for our listeners today - be one of the first 10 people to sign up here for her 6-week Style Power School using coupon code ECOSTYLE to save $300! 

You can also find her on Facebook at Effortless Style Hub.

This month has all been about Minimalist March in my Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs membership community, and so many of us have been making an effort to get on top of clutter in our homes and lives, and learn to live with less. For some of us, it’s been a bit of a struggle moving gear on, others have been ruthless and have transformed rooms very quickly. But one thing in common has been that everyone has welcomed the challenge and said how much they needed it!

Our homes have so much more clutter and stuff in them compared to homes from a generation or two ago…. and this stuff is impacting our wellbeing and the health of the environment.

Toys and consumer goods are cheaper than at any time in history… and it only takes one child’s birthday party for a room to seriously be full of stuff. Of course, much of these items will be short lived in function, but will last forever in landfill.

If we’re to truly embrace sustainability, we need to learn how to control our stuff before it control us … not to mention we need to get better at not accumulating so much stuff in the first place. To chat about decluttering, minimalism, and to help us all shift the physical and energetic clutter from our homes we’re joined by professional organiser and elemental space clearer, Helen Butler on Eco Chat today.

Helen isn’t just a guru at decluttering, she’s a recognised expert at helping women discover who they truly are through the help of their home. 

It’s Minimalist March in my Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs community and we’re all encouraging each other to declutter our homes, live with less, and become conscious consumers.

In my own home over the past month or so we’ve literally spent hours decluttering, selling some items on our local Buy Swap and Sell Facebook Group and even holding a stall at the local Rotary Car Boot Sale. Despite these efforts we still have boxes of items we no longer want or need.

I know that we’re totally not alone when I say we’re feeling suffocated by our stuff.

In fact, if you’re anything like the average Australian, you live in a big house (yup, Aussies win the prize for the biggest houses in the world!) and your house is full of stuff.

If the past month of decluttering has taught me anything, it’s reminded me to be extra discerning when I’m bringing new items into the home. So, in this episode I thought I’d share with you four questions you should ask yourself before buying something new.

If you’re trying to make a difference in the world by packing up your skills and experience into a conscious business online, then you’re in the right place.

On today’s podcast I’m going to take a week off from chatting about sustainable living to chat about another passion of mine, conscious businesses instead.

I’ll explain what exactly is a conscious business, how I’ve built two conscious businesses online that are making a positive impact in the world, plus I’ll share a few tips on how you can take your idea to impact and create a thriving and profitable conscious business online.

Register for my FREE Online "Idea To Impact" Training here.

Join in LIVE in Melbourne or Adelaide at Idea to Impact Intensive in April and May. Click here to reserve your seat.

Join the FREE Conscious Biz Creators Community on Facebook here.

Do you sometimes struggle to live up to your own expectations of yourself? Especially in the lifestyle areas of things like living more sustainably, eating healthier, or even being the kind of mum, wife, husband, or business person that you want to be? Then today’s episode is for you!

I’m talking perfection and why it's not sustainable.

Join me tomorrow Wednesday 8th March 2017 for my FREE online workshop 'Lurking Dangers: The 5 Main Sources of Toxins In Your Home and What To Tackle First When Creating a Healthy Home.' Click here to register.

PLUS doors are about to close for my Home Detox Boot Camp.

I’m super delighted to have one of my very good friends join me today to chat about raising healthy kids.

Jessica Donovan is a mama of 2, naturopath and holistic health expert that helps families thrive. Jess is passionate about educating parents on nourishing their children with real food; helping to boost their health and heal naturally. Jess combines her extensive naturopathic knowledge with a realistic, empathetic, inspiring and down-to-earth approach to empower women to look after themselves and take charge of the well-being of their families.

Plus, we announce an amazing special offer!

During a week where many of my friends were rocking out at the Guns n Roses concerts around Australia, I chose instead to sit in an audience of thousands of adoring fans in Adelaide’s Festival Theatre to listen to the Rock God of the Natural World, Sir David Attenborough, on his “Quest for Life” tour.

For two and a half hours my husband and I were mesmerized listening to Sir David share stories from his lifetime of amazing adventures bringing images of the some of the most exotic species in the most remote locations on Earth to our loungerooms. And if that experience wasn’t amazing enough, I was plucked from the audience to ask him a direct question in Q+A time (and yes my legs were shaking!).

In this episode I share the experience of my evening with Sir David Attenborough, one of my personal Eco Heroes, and tell you exactly what I asked him in front of that massive live audience.

Lotions and potions, deodorant, perfumes, soaps, exfoliants, shower gels, and make up: many of us probably use some or most of these products every day and may not give them a second thought.

But it’s worth giving them a second thought because the average woman applies hundreds of chemicals to her body daily, in the form of cosmetics and personal care products, and around 90% of the ingredients used these products have not been safely tested for human health effects.

While there’s a growing range of luxurious, organic body and personal care products on the market, you have almost everything you need on hand to keep yourself clean and presentable, without dosing your body with nasty chemicals, and these trusty toxin-free personal-care products are right in front of your eyes, each and every time you open your pantry or fridge.

In this podcast episode I’ll discuss why you need to be mindful of the personal care products you use and I’ll share 3 Easy Ways to Use Food for Beauty and Body Care.

So you’ve been trying hard to eat clean and reduce the additives and toxins in your diet, but are you cleaning clean?

You may not be aware of it, but the typical unassuming suburban home has hundreds, if not thousands, of chemicals contained in the cleaning products that are applied every day to windows, floors, toilets, bathrooms, carpets, furniture, crockery, glasses, clothes … even the air we breathe (!).

Just like eating the junkiest junk food, using these products to clean our home can make us feel like crap and even worse, significantly impact our health and that of our environment.

You actually have almost everything you need on hand to leave your home spick and span, without dosing your living environment with nasty chemicals, and these trusty toxin-free cleaning products are right in front of your eyes, each time you open your pantry.

In this podcast episode I’ll introduce the concept of “Clean Cleaning” with you and share 3 Easy Ways To Clean With Foods.

It’s little surprise that the foods we eat impact our environment. Whether it be high food miles, large amounts of water or chemicals used to produce the food, land degradation caused by food production, or resources used to process and package the food and transport it to market, the choices we make when it comes to our diet can make a lasting impact on the world in which we live.

The good news is that by making a few small changes to our diet and including more plant-based foods, we not only improve the health of the environment, we improve our own health at the same time!

In this podcast episode I share 5 ways to increase your intake of plant-based foods.

I hope you enjoyed the previous two episodes where I chatted biodiversity and climate change with Professor Bill Laurance from James Cook University.

Discussing the big issues always helps to reignite our passion and remind us just why we’re on this journey together.

But I also realise that hearing the big issues can throw some of us into overwhelm. So today I want to share with you my thoughts on conservation and the four key areas we need to consider when striving to live more sustainably.

It’s my hope and intention that sharing the four C’s of conservation will help bring you back to the basics during those times when you might feel a little overwhelmed on your eco journey.

Welcome to the second piece of my two-part series on the State of the Environment chat with Professor William Laurance from James Cook University.

Last week in Part 1 we discussed Biodiversity and why it is so important. Today we’re chatting about climate change and will cover:

• What climate change is.
• The impact for life as we currently know it.
• What changes we can expect to see in the next 10-50 years.
• The main factors driving the change in our climate.
• What needs to happen to halt or slow the current rates of climate change.

This is another meaty article but one that is so important given that climate change is really changing life as we know it. It’s important that we get this knowledge out of our Universities and science institutions and into the general community so that we can all know as much as possible about the topic, and feel empowered to do something to address it.

Given that we are so close to the start of a new year, over the next couple of weeks on the podcast I wanted to stop and have a look at how our global, regional, and local environments are tracking along.

Today and next week, I’m lucky to be chatting with Professor William Laurance. He is a distinguished research professor and Australian Laureate at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia. A tropical conservation biologist, he has written eight books and over 450 scientific and popular articles. He is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Sciences and has received many professional honors, including the Heineken Environment Prize. He is director of the Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science at James Cook University, and founded and directs ALERT—the Alliance of Leading Environmental Researchers & Thinkers—a global conservation-advocacy group that reaches over 250,000 readers each week. He is also a four-time winner of Australia’s Best Science Writing Prize.

The topic of today’s chat is Biodiversity. Many articles and media over the last few years have reported that the Earth is facing a Mass Extinction event on a scale similar to that which wiped out the dinosaurs. It’s been termed the Sixth Mass Extinction event and is really quite scary for life as we know it on Earth.

In today’s podcast Bill and I discuss: 

• What biodiversity is and why it’s important.
• What this Sixth Mass Extinction event means.
• The current rates and percentages of biodiversity loss
• Where Australia sits among the rest of the world on the issue of biodiversity.
• What needs to happen to halt, or slow the current rates of biodiversity loss worldwide.

This is a really meaty episode but I’m excited and proud of that. I don’t like to shy away from the big issues on this podcast which is why I’ve invited Bill to come on and share his insights and knowledge on the topic of biodiversity.

Well holiday season is in full swing in Australia, which means that many of us are taking a break from everyday life to rejuvenate ourselves, catch up with family or friends, or just to relax and have fun.

While a break from everyday life is welcomed and to be encouraged, leaving your eco habits at home isn’t.

Regardless of whether you choose to stay in the most luxurious eco resort or sleep in your own tent in the wilderness, low impact holidays are more about HOW you behave on your holidays rather than where you stay or what you do.

In this podcast episode I share 14 of my best tips to eco-fy your holiday.

Hey Eco Heros,

Wow! We’ve come to the end of another year!!

Which means if you’re like most of the population, you’ll be setting some new year’s resolutions.

One of the things I like to do at this time of year is to reflect on where I’m at, where I’ve come from, and where I want to go….. in life and business in general of course, but I also like to hone in on where I’m at eco-wise.

That’s right, I set green goals.

And in this episode I’m going to share with you an easy little ritual I do that helps me clear the decks so I can start the New Year with a bang.

To work with me as you listen to this episode, download the one-page New Year’s Green Goals worksheet here and fill it out as you go along.

Let’s dive in!

Given we’re smack bang in the middle of party season I wanted to check in with you and raise the topic of ecotaining.

When I talk about ecotaining I’m referring to the process of keeping the environment in mind when you entertain your friends and family. In a nutshell it’s entertaining with real foods and being super mindful of the waste generated… be it food waste or waste from packaging, decorations and even items like plates, cutlery and cups.

It’s a topic I’m super passionate about….. that’s why I gave it a name (ecotaining!!)….. and in this episode, I want to give you a couple of super simple ideas how you can use fruits and vegetables to cut down on your party waste, including your washing up!!

Sound good?

Let’s dive in!

Well Christmas is just a couple of weeks away and I don’t know about you, but I’ve left it down to the wire and still have some gifts to organise.

If you’re in the same boat, rest assured you don’t have to drop your green values and buy the first thing you see when completing your last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve.

In this episode, I’ll discuss seven green gift ideas that are not only kinder to the planet, but will make your gift the favourite one this Christmas!

If you’re keen to perhaps even gift a membership to Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs, just a reminder that the foundation membership price ends this Friday 16^th December. To join a warm and inspiring community of like-minded eco folks, be challenged to live more sustainably and be in the running for awesome eco prizes, not to mention exclusive member discounts, join me in Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs.

I’ve also 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 to get your copy!

With less than a month until Christmas, many of us are now starting to plan for a Christmas feast of sorts!

If you’re like most of us, you’ll probably over cater.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

In this episode I’m chatting about Christmas leftovers and how we can give them a new lease of life to keep them out of the bin!

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 to get your copy!

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.

Sustainable living can require a bit more effort than conventional living, especially when learning the ropes, as instead of grabbing the items of convenience we may instead choose to make our own household products and foods from scratch.

If we’re not careful this can lead to overwhelm, burnout, resentment and chucking it all in or giving up entirely on creating a sustainable home.

But it doesn’t need to be that way at all!

It is possible to live sustainably, have time for work, friends, family, and yourself, and today I have a very special guest who’s going to explain why we need to put ourselves first in order to be able to create a sustainable home, and indeed a happy family.

Amy Taylor-Kabbaz is the Happy Mama.

She’s on a mission to help every new Mama she can feel connected to that strong, powerful, intuitive woman she glimpsed when she first became a Mama, but is now too tired and run off her feet to remember. She’s here to give you permission to put yourself first, to demand a happier life, to feel good about yourself, and to be a better Mama. The next round of her Reconnect program begins on 30th October 2016. Sign up here.

This episode is especially for the mums listening today, but if you’re a stay-at-home dad or even just a father who would love to support the mother of your children a bit better, then there’s plenty of gold here for you too.

Amy is coming into the Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs community as a guest expert next month to help our members re-shift their priorities, reclaim their time, and put themselves first. If you’re not yet a member, you have until 31st October to take advantage of the launch special and test out the first 3 modules for just $1!!  Go to selfsufficiencyinthesuburbs.com today to join this new, amazing online club that provides you with the tools, and the support, to create your own self-sufficient home in the suburbs!!!