If you have read the About Us page, you will already have a rough understanding why we started this journey, but there is a bit more I would like to share with you to explain why living a more sustainable lifestyle has become increasingly important for us. 

I guess the best place to start is with our love of travel, which all began while we were living abroad. Travelling to new and exciting countries was easy and abundant, and we enjoyed many city breaks during our time overseas. Local travel or just exploring the city we lived in also provided lots of new and exciting adventures. Seeking out new adventures quickly became a way of life for us, getting lost in a new neighbourhood or city, living like a local and of course sampling the local cuisine – always trying to enjoy what each new adventure threw at us.  

Hanging out at 5,421 meters above sea level at Chacaltaya, Bolivia | 2014

After an eventful two years living abroad, we decided it was time to head back home to beautiful Aotearoa, via a 6-month detour through Europe and Central and South America. This very 'organised' adventure (if you know me, you know I like to plan) through many beautiful and interesting places had us finally settling in Auckland, New Zealand (don’t worry, the adventures don’t stop here), and it is here where our journey to live more sustainably really begins. 

Travelling truly opened our eyes, made us appreciate how beautiful the world is and how much of an impact we have on our planet. We saw first-hand how widespread plastic pollution was. In Morocco, the cities, farmlands and beaches were scattered with multi-coloured torn up plastic bags - they were a staple part of the landscape. In Colombia, Instagram worthy golden-sand beaches were littered with plastic bottles being washed in from all parts of the Caribbean Ocean. And in the diverse landscapes of Bolivia, piles of rubbish were a common sight within the cities, towns and countryside. 

The colourfull back streets of Essaouira, Morocco | 2012

 Litter filled doorway in the streets of Marrakech, Morocco | 2012

While travelling you are often restricted to what you can carry, which can lead to a reliance on disposable products to reduce what you have to take with you. Prior to our travels, we were already reducing our use of plastic bags and occasionally remembering to have reusable water bottles on hand. We kept this up throughout our travels home, and these actions made us think we were doing our part. It wasn’t until we returned to New Zealand however that we were really able to reflect on our adventure and comprehend how big an impact we have on the world. 

I was eager to discuss this with anyone who would listen, and quickly found a friend who was making an active change in her lifestyle to reduce her impact on the planet and lead a more sustainable and environmentally conscious life. I took an active interest in her zero-waste lifestyle, learning about why and how I could also make a difference. 

Meeting new friends through our adventures in Uyuni, Bolivia | 2014

And so it is here that our journey really began, a journey that I am forever grateful for, not only for myself but for the others who have decided to share it with me. Through our efforts to date I believe we have already made a significant reduction to our environmental impact, and we have found that we've been able to achieve this while continuing to live a life filled with new experiences, adventures and culture. 

And so this is why I have started this blog, in the hope that my experiences can inspire you, like others have inspired me, to live a sustainably conscious life knowing that you can make a difference, inspire others and enjoy every day of it.