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Benchtop gardening - Microgreens

Small but perfectly formed... Not only are these guys super cute and easy to grow, but they are punching way above their weight when it comes to nutrition.And the best news is that they feel right at home on your kitchen windowsill and you can grow them all year round. Turns out you can throw microgreens onto almost any meal and it makes it look wayyyyyy fancier. Get growing... Get ya seeds:You can get microgreen seeds pretty much anywhere good seeds are sold... but I  got mine from King...

Can we fix it?

Fixing and repairing is a big part of how I keep clothes going and in use. Having less in my wardrobe, and loving what I own makes it so much easier to look after everything better, and I'll spend the time, effort, and money to get items repaired and altered. I can do basic clothing repairs myself. But despite my Aunty Wendy investing a LOT of hours in trying to teach me to sew as a child, beyond attaching buttons and fixing small rips and tears, my sewing ability has been sadly lacking. But the...

Clothes-go-round

The more things are used, the less we need - it's science, or maths, or something like that.I've found it totally works when it comes to clothes. The more we wear things, the less we need to own. And then the magic really starts to happen when we think beyond our own wardrobes... when we think about sharing.  Borrow:Back in my flatting days, when I lived with a gaggle of friends - it was totally normalised to borrow from each other's wardrobes.So why not keep that buzz going? I love it when...

Pre-loved love

94.2%* of the clothing that I own is secondhand. I reckon there's already enough clothes in the world, and I feel good about keeping things going instead of creating demand for something new. I get that navigating an op-shop or secondhand clothing store can feel a bit different from a typical retail store - so here are some of my favourite shopping hacks when it comes to buying pre-loved.    Pick your store:Not all secondhand stores are created equal. From beautifully curated consi...

Fashion - Leaning into Less

Leaning into less I've found having less in my wardrobe is lighter in so many ways. Fewer clothes means less impact, less washing, and less decision fatigue. If you nail it, you end up with a simple, curated selection that you always feel good in. Here are a few of the things that have helped me lean into less when it comes to what I wear. Getting to less:It's estimated that we only regularly wear 20-30% of the stuff we have in our wardrobe. It's the stuff we feel good in, the favourites we a...

DejaFood

I love soup.And the time has come to share my signature recipe - or maybe it's more correct to call it a 'style' rather than a 'recipe'. Brown off a quartered onion or two in a tablespoon of coconut oil - Dice it if you prefer, I just can't be botheredPour my freezer stash of random vegetables in - This is a big container I keep in my freezer and where I throw old droopy vegetables that we didn’t eat in time, half-eaten carrot sticks out of kids lunch boxes, the roots and shoots that I don’...

The temptation is real

Do I have enough? It's about this time of the festive season that I feel the urge.The urge to just shoot out and get a few more things.A couple of extra stocking fillers for the kids, a few extra supplies for Christmas lunch, a spare box of Christmas crackers.It's so easy to feel like you don't have enough, especially when everyone around you and all of the marketing seems to be telling you to madly stock up and shop until midnight. December hack One of my best hacks for a simpler December is t...

December hacks

December is picking up the pace.. So I'm coming back at ya with my second weekly tip of what I do to simplify December for the sake of my own wellbeing and the wellbeing of the planet. December hack If you've followed me for a while, you'll know I have a weird fascination with finding the quickest way to do things. I love timing things and filling in spreadsheets to dispel the myth of convenience. It's how I know I got back 2 working weeks a year by going to the supermarket less often. It's ...

A lighter December

It's December and I can feel the shift. There's tangible things, like the massive spike in shopping and retail sales, and the estimated 30% increase in rubbish that we create over the summer holidays. And then there's the visceral change - the shift in mood, the slightly frenzied feeling, the sheer pressure to get sh!t done.December has so much going for it, but somehow it seems to have become this crazed month of consumption and overwhelm.It's not great for our own wellbeing or the wellbei...

You to the power of many...

Have you ever tried to stand backwards in a packed elevator? I did once, and it felt super weird and uncomfortable.As humans, our decisions and behaviours are frequently shaped by social norms. We look to those around us to inform our behaviours and decisions – it creates an informal understanding of what’s acceptable or ‘the way we do things around here’. Sometimes we follow social norms consciously, sometimes not so much.The exciting thing is that we can use human insights like this as...

Lockdown beauty

If you run out of something during lockdown, or you just want to simplify things from an ingredients and waste perspective – here’s a few ideas to get you started.Edible beauty:I love the philosophy of only putting things on my skin that I would eat.I’m constantly amazed at how you can switch out beauty products for every day pantry ingredients.It’s also pretty liberating only having to make a trip to the kitchen when you run out of things in the bathroom drawer.Lockdown is the perfect l...

Skip a trip

I’m normally a huge fan of making fewer trips to the supermarket.But after going through lockdown, I’ve become an even bigger fan.Any trip to the supermarket that I can avoid is a win on so many levels – it saves me time, saves me money and means less trips in the car. It also forces me to ‘make do’ which helps avoid food waste and additional packaging. Here’s some of the things I do to skip a trip:SWITCH IT UP:Just because I’ve run out of something or don’t have the ingredient I...

Christmas simplified

Both our consumption and our stress levels hit their peak at Christmas.I find that both ironic and mildly depressing.To fit with our philosophy of living with less, we’ve evolved our approach to Christmas over the past few years.I’m not going to say we’ve nailed it – Christmas involves families, gifting and traditions… need I say more?But here are a few ideas that have significantly reduced our impact and stress levels. Less is more: We’ve simplified who gets gifts, the quantity and ...

Down to business

None of your business…I was speaking with a business recently about how to get their staff using reusable coffee cups.The company “green team” had purchased every employee their own cup, and yet alas very few were being used.We’re only human…A brilliant initiative, but it needed a bit more attention to the fact that humans are freaken complex!Whilst a lot of the staff may have great intentions of using their shiny new cup, they often don’t.The key is to understand what the ...

The new normal

Did you feel that???There’s been a shift.People are becoming more aware of the waste we’re creating and the need to do something about it.Everyone is already all over plastic bags, and straws seem to be the next big thing to avoid.Even the Queen has banned straws from all of her castles!!! High five Liz. One small change…I’m pretty pumped about the shift that’s occuring.If people start by making one small change, they are way more likely to roll on and make other changes.Making on...

Brace yourself

Don’t panic…Only 18 sleeps till the big guy will be squeezing through our heat pump.It’s the Christmas countdown and it’s easy to get caught up in the hype.I often have that last minute ‘have I got enough’ panic.Presents, food, you name it…. more is more.Despite being prepared, I used to go into a late frenzy of buying extra stuff just to cover my bases.I think I saw other people madly shopping and thought I was missing something.It was never necessary and always stressfu...

Addicted to the green

Plantability…I once managed to kill a plastic succulent.For real.I had a new years resolution to get more plants.Why wouldn’t I, when I’m clearly so good with them?!? Kickass…I’m constantly amazed by plants (I don’t get out much these days).Their ability to clean the air is what got me signed up to the fan club.Lessening my family’s chemical load is a big deal for me.I can reduce a it a lot through the products we use, but there’s other nasties we can’t avoid. NASA di...

What really happens in my kitchen

Time trials…I ran my own kitchen time trial.It’s pretty weird, but I wanted to prove something.And I did. Mmmmmm pastry…I was making a pie and I was all out of pastry.My first reaction was to shoot to the supermarket and buy some.I could make some, but that would take ages (and I don’t like baking).It would be way quicker to shoot to the supermarket.Or would it?By the time I get out of my trackies, load my kids into the car, drive, park, walk, negotiate with kids, find pastry, ...

Have a less crap Christmas

It’s beginning to feel a lot like…Christmas – it creates a weird combination of joy and dread in me.It’s a magic time of the year to spend with cool people and do fun stuff.But what really dulls my baubles is the commercialism and waste that can come along for the ride. Consciously simpleEach year I try and simplify Christmas a bit without being a dick about it (I don’t always get it totally right).I don’t want to cancel Santa – no-one wants to be that guy.But I’m all about ...

Milking it

Milking it...We’re into dairy in our house.Milk, cheese, butter, yoghurt – it’s all invited.I made the decision to switch to buying local organic milk a while ago. It costs a bit more, but I’m totally down with buying local and reducing my chemical load. Plus it’s non-homogenised and still has the cream on top – it seriously tastes AMAZING. Bottling upI have my brownie badge in recycling, and will always recycle my milk bottles.But I’m always looking for ways to reduce my packaging...

All about cupping

Know thy cup...Flat white is now a recognised religion in New Zealand.Coffee is a fascinating ritual, and I love getting amongst it.I’m a convert for a reusable cup.I swear coffee tastes better out of glass.I also reckon they help give me a few points in the coolness department –and as I’m now officially a middle aged Mum, I need all the help I can get.Oh and of course there’s the whole reducing waste buzz too. Brace yourselfMainstream Green is all about focusing on what we can do, not d...

My Kmart confession

Weekend adventures...I went to Kmart last weekend.That may not sound like a big deal, but it was for me (and my 4 year old).As an aspiring minimalist, it’s not really a smart place to hang out.However, I’m exploding the plant population in my house (I’ll write about that another time), and they needed some pot action – what could possibly go wrong?!? I want one of those…I’m on the minimalist buzz, because I believe the world has enough stuff.But when I arrived at Kmart, ohhhhhhh...

Feel the power

A gaggle of coffee drinkers…I have a friend called Amy.She is very tall (totally irrelevant to the story).She works in a fancy corporate office in Auckland.She is part of a regular gaggle that go out to get a daily takeaway coffee.Christine got herself a shiny new reusable coffee cup. Day 1 – a couple of the gaggle took the p!ss out of her for being a ‘tree hugger’Day 2 – nobody said anythingDay 3 – a couple of other members of the gaggle started using reusable cupsDay 10 – ev...

Oversharers

Gotta fly…My daughter had a dress up day at preschool.She wanted to be a ‘sun fairy’.Personally I’ve never seen one, but she had a very clear vision of what was involved. Rule #1 – it had wings (fair enough).Challenge #1 – we don’t have wings, and I have 24 hours to get some, of which 23.5 are already accounted for. Consider your optionsEvery inch of my being wanted to pop into the $2 shop that I pass everyday on the way to work.So. Freaken. Easy.I contemplated making some, an...

What to do with July

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…I’m not a fan of winter, it just doesn’t suit me.However, turns out July has some pretty cool stuff going down.I know a few people who get on-board with ‘Dry July’ and feel all the more awesome for doing it.But I’m all about ‘Plastic Free July’ or PFJ for those in the know (which is you now BTW). All aboard the PFJ trainPFJ is a campaign to drive awareness of how sh!tty single use  plastics are. It encourages people to reduce t...