"A fresh start isn't a new place or even a new year - it's a new mindset"

New year, new habits. If you want to reinvent festive season consumerism into environmental conservationism this handy guide will give you simple tips to have an eco-friendly January, turn trash into treasure and create sustainable habits to get 2023 off to a feel-good start!

Reimagine leftovers

Entertaining and socialising often means an abundance of food, which unfortunately also means a lot of waste. Instead of mindlessly pouring good food into the bin, dust off your Tupperware and use the food to create new meals for the following week. You can create tasty salad wraps, invent new pasta sauces, try some crazy pizza toppings and blend leftover fruits into delicious smoothies or freeze it into ice cream. Each year there is more than 7.3 million tonnes of food wasted (that’s almost 300kgs of food per person, per year!) and we are guessing that a significant chunk of that is thrown away during the festive season. It’s time to turn that around and start getting creative with leftovers. You can also make a delicious vegetable broth with offcuts. Simply thrown the veggie scraps into a pot of water with some herbs and a dash of salt, bring to the boil then simmer on low for two hours, strain and voilà!

Composting

For those scraps that really are at the end of their life (or to dispose of the boiled vegetables from the broth mentioned above) composting is a sustainable way to keep food out of landfill. Even if you’re in an apartment, there are many ways you can compost your food scraps, including small worm farms that sit on a patio or balcony. Composting is an eco friendly way to honour the natural rhythm of the Earth and create fresh new soil that will, in turn, cultivate new life and growth.

Regifting

Okay, so regifting has a bit of a bad rap but it really does make a lot of sense for the environment. If you’ve been given something that doesn’t fit or that isn’t your style then it makes sense for someone else to have a chance to love and use the item. Rather than it gathering dust and taking up space in a cupboard somewhere, only to eventually end up in landfill anyway then why not pass it on to be enjoyed? If you’re a bit awkward about regifting then honesty is your best policy. You can let the gift giver know that it’s not something you’d use but you have a friend who LOVES that colour/object/style and then explain to your friend that you were given the item but think it would be a better fit for them. Sneaky regifting is also an option, but the truth might come out eventually anyway!

Donate

Time to clear out your wardrobes, cupboards and garages. Start the new year feeling lighter and help give others something to smile about as well. There are lots of ways to donate clothing and household items to your local charity shops or shelters. A quick google search will give you lots of options in your area. For sporting goods (including Yoga mats) we support Fair Game Australia who work with remote Indigenous communities to provide sports gear for the community.

Up-Cycle

Looking for a summer project? Upcycling is a fun way to spruce up your home for the new year, make gifts or even create an extra revenue stream on the side. Instead of throwing out old furniture or clothes that aren’t suitable to be donated or to breathe fresh life into something in your home. Up-cycling is a great skill to learn and can include sewing (making quilts from old shirts or recovering sofas and chairs), painting old items such as tables and TV cabinets and any other creative ways you can think of to extend the life of something. Why not make your new years resolution to take up sewing and make quilts for your friends? There are so many great videos online to use for inspiration, it’s easier than you think!

If you are looking to create a more eco-friendly home try our Australian Essential Oils and Sprays  made from Australian native botanicals. Essential oils are so versatile and a natural way to infuse beautiful aromas into your space as well as using them as natural surface cleaners. We have both essential oils and sprays available in our signature scents - Breathe, Focus and Cleanse.