All posts by A lazy Girl Goes green

A self-confessed dreamer and wannabe hippy; I’m passionate about living greener; for a happy, healthier body and planet. But unfortunately, I’m also passionate about lie-ins, catch up TV and convenience food! Can I change?

A Lazy Guide to Buying Vegan Friendly Shoes

Being completely oblivious to the latest trends and fashions has its benefits. I spend very little money on clothes, happily avoid horrifying changing room mirrors (or at least my reflection in them) and I rarely have to upgrade my clothes and shoes unless they are literally falling apart. Win win!

I usually take the zero waste approach to clothing and either do swapsies with my friends or buy in charity and second hand stores, but every now and then I have to venture out and kit myself out with some new garments. This has been true over the last couple of months as I’ve had to transition from flip flop tie dye wearing traveller hippy, to semi professional city dweller as I settle into my new life in Sydney. 

Shoes in particular have been on my mind of late and – as anyone who has ever tried to navigate the world of ethical clothing will know – there is usually the choice between stereotypical ugly clunky vegan footwear or highly bespoke, beautiful but deadly expensive clogs. 

So what is the deal with footwear and vegans anyway? Whats ethical and whats not? and more importantly, where on Earth can you get some decent vegan footwear at a reasonable cost?!! Fear not my lovelies, I may have a couple of answers…

Continue reading A Lazy Guide to Buying Vegan Friendly Shoes

The Worlds Most Energy Efficient Countries [infographic]

You may have noticed that German and parts of Scandinavia have been leading the way in renewal energy in most recent years; investing more time, money and commitment into technological innovation and country wide installation than many other places in the world.

But when you compare all levels of efficiency – including transport, construction, industry and carbon footprint – which countries really deserve the gold star for effort when it comes to championing clean energy? Well, this shiny infographic halfprice.com.au may just have your answer (Hint: Germany is still top dog…) 

Continue reading The Worlds Most Energy Efficient Countries [infographic]

Five lazy Girl Hacks For Saving Your Skin From the Cold

Bbbrrrrr, it’s getting chilly over here! As the Aussie summer gives way to (a still fairly respectable 25-30 degree) autumn, I’m starting to prep myself for a new wardrobe and a new skin routine. And though Winter is officially over back home in the UK in just a couple of days, word on the street is its still pretty cold over there too, so there’s still time for my lovelies on the other side of the world to benefit from my lazy wise words of wisdom.

We all know the key to good skin, no matter the weather, is a balanced combination of healthy diet, lots of water, sleep and regular exercise. Or as my will power likes to call it: “blah blah blah” But let’s face it, as simple as these things may sound, they are not always easy to incorporate consistently into an active or lazy lifestyle.

So instead of sharing with you a lecture on the importance of nutritional purity (because frankly, I am a vegan but way off a foodie saint…) here’s a sneaky peak into my lazy hacks for keeping your skin tip top as the weather gets colder… Continue reading Five lazy Girl Hacks For Saving Your Skin From the Cold

Newtown’s Naked Foods Organic Bulk Store

It’s well documented that I love a good rant about the pointless amount of packaging that is sent home with us with almost everything we buy. From the familiar plastic bags full of salad, apples or seeds to the ridiculous cellophane wrapped broccoli or bananas; packaging represents a huge majority of what we collect in our shopping trolleys. But in most modern supermarkets, or indeed local health or farm shops, packaging is an unavoidable side effect of being a consumer and it has catastrophic implications for our planet.

This is why I am such a huge fan of wholefood stores which allow you to bring your own reusable container and scoop up exactly how much you want straight from the source. Not only do they save on packaging, they also help to reduce food waste as you can take away exactly how much you need; rather than buying 2 kilo bag of linseed which will sit in the back of your cupboard for 6 months before you have to throw it away because you didn’t seal the plastic bag  and they now smell weird…! If I need 4 cashews for a recipe, I can just pop in and scoop ’em up. No worries! Continue reading Newtown’s Naked Foods Organic Bulk Store

Tackling Food Waste: Can the Aussies Catch up with France?

Greetings from Sydney! I have been living as a fully fledged Aussie for over a month now and I’m completely in love with my new summery, outdoorsy life. The weather is sweet, the city is full of gorgeous wildlife, and the vegan options are to die for! But one thing I’ve noticed since I’ve been back in Western Civilization is the insane amount of consumerism in the city, especially when it comes to excess grocery shopping.

We are all vaguely aware that food wastage is a big problem (as much as 50% of all food produced – or two billion tonnes – each year), and that much of that is wasted in the supermarket before it even reaches our homes. Here in Australia alone, as much as 44 million tonnes of food is wasted annually! Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world over one billion people experience fatal hunger and malnutrition. Something clearly needs to change, and fast!

Continue reading Tackling Food Waste: Can the Aussies Catch up with France?

16 Fascinating Facts about Vegan & Vegetarian Living [Infographic]

A huge number of people are opting to go for vegan products these days. You can not only eat the same number of calories and still gain less weight, but it also helps you prevent some types of cancer and live longer.

While it’s a known fact that vegetarians have a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer when compared to their meat-eating counterparts, a significant amount of CO2 emissions can be reduced if more people opt to cut out meat from their diet.

Herbalift recently came out with this great infographic that compiles the amazing facts and stats about vegan and vegetarian living. Let’s have a look: Continue reading 16 Fascinating Facts about Vegan & Vegetarian Living [Infographic]

10 Things Travelling Teaches You About Green Living

oh how times flies! It’s been over a month since my last post, and in that time I have passed through 6 countries, climbed 4 mountains, and eaten more varieties of tofu and tempe than one vegan can dream of in a lifetime.

But what have I learnt on my travels so far? And more importantly, how has it helped me on my path to sustainable living?

To give you the quickest snapshot of my round the world trip so far, and ease myself back into writing (my typing skills are rusty after months lying on the beach…) here are the 10 top things travelling teaches you about green living: Continue reading 10 Things Travelling Teaches You About Green Living

Hikkaduwa: hippy heaven or polluted beach hell? 

Luscious valleys, breathtaking mountains and more stunning waterfalls than you can shake a stick at; Sri Lanka certainly has it’s fair share of natural beauty. Outside of the hustle and bustle of big cities, like Colombo, this small island just south of India is the closest you’ll find to a living showcase of how beautiful and diverse planet Earth truly is.

But it’s Sri Lankas beaches – with their clear blue waters and sweeping white sands – which draw thousands of people to the island every year for surf, sun and copious amounts of rice and curry!  Continue reading Hikkaduwa: hippy heaven or polluted beach hell?