Four Sustainable Habits to Embrace This Year

From the restorative outdoor adventures we take or the garden projects we immerse ourselves in to clear our minds, to the potent botanicals that power our wellness and cleaning products, nature takes centre stage in everything we do here at Eden Tree Eco.  As a small purpose-led, social enterprise, we’re always working on incorporating more earth-friendly practices and sharing our learnings as we go.

Today we share four simple ways that we as individuals can reduce our impact on the earth and live more sustainable lifestyles. From becoming better informed conscious consumers to partaking in rewilding projects, these are the sustainably-minded actions we can all adopt or pay more attention to this year for our own well being, and that our this beautiful planet we all call home.

1. Create or join a rewilding project

With awareness around the conservation of nature growing, it’s only natural that more actions are centred around restoring it too. Rewilding takes a progressive approach to conservation, not only protecting existing natural landscapes but focusing on restoring and growing it. While rewilding is often used in relation to reintroducing wildlife to their natural habitats or repairing damaged ecosystems, it can also take place on a smaller but equally as important scale.

An increased understanding of the benefits of nature on mental health has given rise to the concept of urban rewilding; think rooftop herb gardens, green spaces within the city, introducing native plant species into pre-existing gardens, and incorporating biophilic design into existing and future projects. Look into joining a rewilding initiative near you or create your own - a simple apartment rooftop garden can serve as a way to introduce nature back into the concrete jungle and maybe even help you bond with your neighbours!

You can read more about Re-Wilding in our earlier blog here.  Or if you'd like some inspiration to support a gardening project that suits your living space visit our Home Grown collection. 

2. Avoid single-use plastic

While most of us have bought reusable drink bottles and try to be diligent about taking keep cups to cafes, single-use plastic has a way of sneaking into peoples lives. Making simple switches like using reusable mesh bags to carry your fruit and vegetables shopping in, opting for natural deodorants in tins or glass jars, and keeping a set of travel cutlery in your bag to avoid plastic options can go a long way.  We stock brands like Koala Eco, who's cleaning products utilise bottles made from recycled local curbside plastic, and are recyclable and refillable.

3. Change your approach to shopping for clothing

The concept of a circular economy works to minimise waste and prevent products from ending up in landfills. While each new piece of clothing produced has a carbon footprint, opting for vintage or thrifted clothing comes without the footprint attached to producing new fibres and dyeing and bleaching garments. Plus, opting for vintage or second-hand clothing gives garments a new lease on life, allowing beautiful pieces to transcend generations.

If you’re opting for new clothes, take a considered approach to shopping and invest in timeless pieces that will be worn for years to come. A good rule of thumb is to see if an item passes the 30 wears test; the concept was coined by Livia Firth, founder of sustainable business agency Eco Age, and encourages people to only buy clothing if they can see themselves wearing it at least 30 times.

4. Switching to environmentally-friendly household products

One of the key issues preventing customers from making informed decisions about their household products is a lack of transparency. For example, unlike other industries, cleaning products don't require a full ingredient list, making it easier to be swayed by greenwashing. Here at Eden Tree Eco, we’re proud of the fact that only plant-based ingredients go into the consumable products we stock, and the brands we endorse display their ingredient lists in their entirety on the back of each bottle as well as online. In addition to our products being powered by pure botanical essential oils, the solubilises and surfactants that go into a these products are plant-based and biodegradable, meaning they will break down and won’t make their way into waterways and contaminate the ecosystem. Additionally they are vegan friendly, ethically and sustainably made by Aussie brands and traceable throughout the supply chain.

Thank you sincerely for taking the time to read this short blog.  If you have any questions relating to Sustainable Living, or if there is anything in particular you'd like us to focus on in further blogs, please reach out and let us know. :-)