Sustainability In The Home

March 23, 2017

Picture: www.sachianddaphs.com

SheBrisbane had a chat with Natania Hinwood, founder of eco-friendly office and homeware brand and online store, Sachi and Daphs. This is what she had to say about taking sustainability to the next level…

Did you know, the average Australian family of four makes enough rubbish in one year to completely fill a three-bedroom home from floor to ceiling?

In addition, each year Australian businesses are generating an average of 1.7 tonnes of wastage per employee – yet only around half of that is being recycled.

These alarming statistics should give us all a reason to be concerned and to take action to change it.

The challenge of living a sustainable lifestyle and living consciously involves understanding and caring about the impact you have on the environment and then making considered purchasing decisions.

Almost every packaged item we bring home from the grocery store is plastered with labels prompting us to recycle, yet this is just one aspect that attributes to living a sustainable lifestyle.

When I created my eco- friendly business, Sachi and Daphs, I knew I wanted to lead by example for my children, family and friends and wider community.

Our products are made from a minimum of 65% recycled material and have a continuous lifecycle.

It’s products like these, where recycled materials are repurposed, that we see a tremendous impact on our environmental footprint.

Here are the four R’s which we live by in our home which can help you to live sustainably too.

Reuse – Australians use enough plastic bags per year that if they were tied together they would stretch around the world 24 times. Insane, right? Find an eco-friendly, re-usable shopping bag to use and say no to plastic bags. Start using re-usable water bottles and coffee cups.

There are so many trendy designs to choose from and they will help your water stay cold and your coffee stay hot.

Repurpose – Are there things around the home that can be given a second life?

Converting glass jars into food storage containers can be a cost effective, plastic-free and eco-friendly alternative. Think Vegemite jars and take-away containers from last night’s dinner. Glass juice bottles can store your next salad dressing creation.

Recycle – How do you dispose of your waste? Separating waste at key disposal points can make a big difference to your recycling efforts. I have a recycling basket placed on the kitchen bench so it’s in my face and I can’t miss an opportunity to give any plastic bottles a second life.

Make sure you’re familiar with what can and can’t be recycled.

Replace – When replacing items in the home, take the time to do research to find local and green alternatives. There is a lot more choice these days and they can be easily purchased online.

When it comes to choosing sustainable products for the home, don’t be afraid to look at recycled options. When creating the range for Sachi and Daphs, I wanted to bring a product to life that was beautiful, stylish and eco-friendly.

Using recycled material doesn’t mean boring colours, or uninventive designs. In fact, it’s the opposite! Our placemats, coasters and pin boards come in a range of bright colours and funky shapes. For the monochrome lovers, we’ve got that covered too.

You can even design your own pin board to perfectly compliment your home or office.

If you’re looking to improve the sustainability in your home, start small and have a goal in place.

Once this practice becomes habitual, it can flow through to other areas, and hopefully, all aspects of your life. You’ll also start to impact those around you without even realising!

“Sustainability is here to stay or we may not be” – Neil FitzGerald

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