Remember the important thing about resolutions is to not give up. If you fall off the wagon on Monday, don't toss in the synthetic towel for the whole year. Pick up a more responsible towel tomorrow and start again!
I spent New Years with my partner on our boat tucked away in a quiet bay. Friends will come on board for a sail and beautiful home made meals under the stars.
My plans for 2019 – Celebrating the simple things in life, surrounded with more nature and less material is so liberating that we decided to go full time sailing in 2019.My eco tip for 2019 - Avoid single use products where ever you can. Find items you only buy once and surround yourself with people who don’t need a photoshopped you and just love you the way you are. Happy 2019!
We spent New Year’s Eve down in Margaret River in Western Australia amongst the beautiful beaches and wineries with all of our family. We made a huge picnic and watched the sun go down at Surfers Point for the last time of 2018. Then we all went and had a boogie to Grace Barbé. My plans for 2019 – To continue working on True Threads aiming to make choosing sustainable products easier. Our products, together with an active and creative lifestyle is what we want True Threads to represent, so for us collaborating with other like-minded people is such a huge part of our company. Right now we are working on a project with a school in Lombok that will be launched later on in February. My eco tip for 2019 - There are so many small ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Our tip is to keep your reusable water bottles, coffee mugs and eco straws by your side and also to avoid single-use plastics at all times!!!!
My plans for 2019 – Socially Conscious Club is finishing subscription plan boxes in February which will give me more time to dedicate myself to other work and causes. It will be a new era for me and that is exciting. My eco tip for 2019 - DIY! People often think this can be more expensive than buying the product, and it can be sometimes, but it saves in so many other ways. If you buy the right ingredients in bulk then many can be used in a variety of products, plus you can reuse your glass containers or tins to store them in. It’s also a lot of fun and we have been doing a lot of this with the kids lately. Our January 2019 Socially Conscious Box includes a few DIY recipes to hopefully encourage others to give it a try also.
My plans for 2019 – there will be more beautiful eco conscious brands coming to store in 2019. Also I’m planning some super exciting things for Mini Village. It’s still a secret but I’ll just have to put plans together to make it happen!My eco tip for 2019 - I'll do my very best to use sustainable packaging like recycled/recyclable satchels, biodegradable bubble wraps and recycled kraft papers etc. I’ll continue to do so while I search for better packaging solutions. One more thing is I’ve partnered up with One Tree Planted since Oct 2018, and we donate one tree for every purchase made. I’m so proud to be involved in this amazing charity and will try grow the numbers in 2019.
I am in Melbourne for New Year’s to celebrate with my brother! Very excited to bring in the New Year with family. My plans for 2019 – is to continue on my self development journey. Striving to improve balance in my life for work and play and to keep doing things that make me happy! Sounds simple but sometimes life gets busy. My eco tip for 2019 - Take a break from fast fashion and see how you feel. Just for a few months and consider investing in sustainable fashion.
VICTORIA MCGRANE, THE SCENIC ROUTE
My partner are doing a huge roadtrip to our new home in Burketown, Queensland over New Year so I was on the scenic route somewhere between Dubbo and Bourke!
My plans for 2019 – I am planning to make loads of new art inspired by my outback Queensland adventures, and add some more textiles and wallpapers to my range!My eco tip for 2019 - I have started making my own yoghurt and almond milks which is incredibly easy and saves on so much plastic, packaging and money!
My plans for 2019 – Our first big plan for 2019 is a photo shoot in January, getting set to launch our newest wall art hanger design.My eco tip for 2019 - I'd like us all to ask questions of the people we buy from. Ask what it's made from and why. With any luck, it will be what you want to hear - such as it's made from renewable or recycled materials, it’s vegan or second hand. If not, at least it will let the sellers know that people do care, and they may start asking the question of themselves. You'll learn from the conversations too.
My plans for 2019 – In 2019 we plan to ramp up our experiments with new fabrics. There's an incredible array of suppliers in India working ethically with progressive textiles such as banana and jute. This is something we're really interested in. We will also be putting more focus on our LIFESTYLE pieces. In January we will be launching a market bag made with Himalayan nettle, a tree free note book made with forgotten cuts of cotton and navrang flower, and a new collection of pillow slips. My eco tip for 2019 - We're setting up a new home, which means we will inevitably find ourselves "needing" things. My plan is to read all the fine print and buy products that I can trace back to the source. I've got my eye on lots of things from Seed & Sprout, and hope to get our bedding from The Natural Bedding Company, as they offer vegan mattresses made with latex - a substance that can be collected from trees without harvesting them - which they import from a small company in Sri Lanka that has programs implemented to care for their workers, the community and the environment.
I spent a fantastic New Years curled up in bed with an episode of Prison Break before hand. #mumlife My plans for 2019 – I am not a “one big planner” kind of person but rather have a collection of aspirations and goals that I would like to achieve. One specifically is to officially launch my new foundation, The Plum Project which was created to support Indigenous bush food projects directly on country. My eco tip for 2019 – An accumulation of little things can make one big difference.
JANICE INDUCIL, KANDILA
My hubby and I spent NYE playing computer games. I know it's super nerdy but we absolutely had so much fun. We've had food prepared early so we were snacking the whole time until the New Year's countdown. My plans for 2019 – I'm having brand new fragrances released this year. Plus we're redesigning our packaging and that is pretty exciting.My eco tip for 2019 - I would love to start a small herb garden on our balcony and start composting. It is a challenge for someone living in a small space but I'm sure there are many others who've paved the way and created "how-to's" on both subjects. I can't wait to get started!
I love to start the year with a clear head and a good night’s sleep. This year we’re at home so I’ll spend New Year’s Eve hanging in my studio space – tidying, sorting, reflecting and envisaging another year unfolding.My plans for 2019 – first, the ongoing process of upcycling, wearing out and using up continues unabated. I am also trying to buy almost nothing except food and experiences. In the second half of the year, I’m planning a Slow Clothing Study Tour to the USA and UK to learn and share. I would love to make 2019 a year without sugar. Is it possible? If I say it here, it might come true.My eco tip for 2019 - Adopt a lifestyle of sufficiency. When you use your hands to make, grow or create something from resources to hand then the desire for bigger, brighter, newer seems irrelevant. The world needs us to want less and share more.
My plans for 2019 – Helping more big events ditch single use cups in the best way that works for them! A new system for washing used cups, working with new and wonderful people, who we seem to find everywhere! There's a lot coming up this year.My eco tip for 2019 - There are a lot of businesses operating with more eco friendly values in ways you wouldn't expect, so when you're in the market for a new product or service, search around! Bank Australia are making a difference in the banking world, and Sustainable Salons can help you find an eco friendly hairdresser, as a few examples.
My plans for 2019 – will have me complete my Natural Perfumery Certification which not only helps my business but it's also a personal win for me as I have always been obsessed with scent and the world of perfumery. For business, I will be looking at supplying bulk product to my customers for in store refill as well as retail refill sizes to minimize waste and freight.And I am constantly on the look out for new, more eco friendly packaging solutions not just for my products but for shipping and freight. We often overlook what our products come in and how they get to where they are going which to me are just as important as what we buy. There are exciting times ahead for Lil'Bit but you will just have to wait and see what they are....My eco tip for 2019 - Buy less but buy better. Fast fashion and cheap imports are not only bad for the economy but also end up in landfill far sooner than those items that are made to last. Handmade, artisanal products may cost more but they are made to last and made with love. People are far more likely not to care about a gift if it's mass produced- it's not special, it has no soul, and therefore is forgotten about sooner. It's the same for food. When we know the story behind what we eat, we eat that story, that hard work and care (and it tastes way better). We give directly to the families that produce it and show them the respect they deserve. We are lucky to have so much available to us here and although cost can be prohibitive to some, just one or two changes can make a difference.
We spent New Years with family and a whole bunch of friends at the beach watching the 9pm fireworks. My plans for 2019 – We have plenty on, but it's all top secret ;) Personally; I like to incorporate yoga into my morning routine.My eco tip for 2019 - COMPOST. It gives me such pleasure to turn my rubbish into a soil full of nutrients to feed my plants. Circular economy right at home. ;)