I’ve become obsessed with reducing waste and being aware of how much we overindulge and don’t even realise it. Grabbing a bottle of water from the cafe instead of bringing it in a reusable bottle seems crazy to me and I’ve been trying to educate my kids (and my man) why this shouldn’t be an option and to look at the bigger picture. Recycling is good but maybe you don’t even need to use the bottle in the first place so it’s about thinking smarter and not just putting band aids on things for the short term.

We’re all going so fast. We need to S T O P. Really. S T O P. It’s amazing what you see when you slow down and look at bugs or smell the roses. From slowing down our family now takes the time to make kombucha, kimchi, biltong, fresh bread, etc and we enjoy everything we produce because we made it. It feels and tastes better and makes you more mindful. I love the idea of going back to basics and my next project is to build a kick-ass veggie patch and get honey bees… baby steps (watch this space – we’re not moving to a farm in Byron just yet!!).

I was in the hospital recently and noticed they handed out a disposable water bottle to every room whenever you wanted one. I declined the plastic bottle and I used my reusable water bottle and put my thinking cap on (amazing what you do when you have time!). I wrote out a list of hospital improvements for my doctor and suggested that every patient get their own reusable water bottle that is then washed in the kitchen when they’re done with it and the hospital would save $$!! I know $$ is what makes companies sit up and take notice and being eco-friendly is really very profitable on many levels.

This might seem a bit extreme, but I think we all need to make any changes, no matter how small and really encourage everyone just to THINK. Don’t just do what everyone else is doing. Don’t be a lamb to the slaughter, use your own brain. So what eco changes have I made? Here’s a few that you might also like to adopt:

• Have a reusable coffee cup in my car always (love Huskee and Frank Green).
• Keep BPA-free water bottles (love our new Eco Earth Drink Bottles) in my car so one is always close - and I drink water without realising!
• Collect all the soft plastic (cling wrap, soft packaging, etc) and drop it to the local supermarket’s ‘recycle your plastic shopping bags here’ bins by RedCycle.
• Bring snacks when dashing out – chop up some fruit and throw it in a reusable container so you don’t get tempted to buy fast unhealthy stuff. Of course this is where you can use your Fridge-to-go Mini Fridge 6 bag!
  
• Passing on old clothes, sheets, shoes, toys, books to others who will love as much as you did… also makes you feel wonderful! #payitforward
• Using containers, stretchy lids and our Silicone Baking Mat to cut down on our use of baking paper, cling wrap, etc in the kitchen.
• Replace nasty chemical household items with eco-friendly ones – toothpaste, soap, cleaning products, shampoo/conditioner, etc!
• Host a clothes swap party! I hate shopping so host a swap at least twice a year to keep my wardrobe fresh and new - and I get to hang with friends!
  

There are so many changes you can make. Let's all do our part. What do you and your family do?