Your Sustainable Life Issue 8

YOUR SUSTAINABLE LIFE WWW.YOURSUSTAINABLELIFE.COM.AU THE ECO FRIENDLY MAGAZINE ONLINE ONLY

MAY 16 ISSUE #8

CODE GREEN How uni students are raising awareness about the effects of Climate Change on Health.

BACK TO NATURE Exploring Uluru/Kata Tjuta National Park

BONUS PLUS Our Top Pinterest Picks!

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Issue 8

YOUR SUSTAINABLE LIFE

Feature CODE GREEN

Recipe Pumpkin & Feta Salad

Do It Yourself Embracing Earth Early

Leadership Leadership starts with you

Wellness Back to Nature - Uluru/Kata Tjuta

Brand Highlights Jaydoe

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EDITOR'S NOTE

Kelly Petering EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Welcome to the eighth edition of Your Sustainable Life ­ The Eco­Friendly Magazine. We trust you enjoyed our last issue and that you continue to find inspiration and motivation to lead a more sustainable life here in these pages.

The feedback we have received so far is fantastic, and would love those suggestions to keep rolling in! If you have something you feel would add value to this magazine please feel free to email us at info@yoursustainablelife.com.au.

One thing I would like to mention ­ we are about raising awareness and opening the door for every day people to gain insight into how they can live more sustainably in all areas of life.

We are NOT here to judge or make people feel guilty ­ it’s about doing what you can, when you can, with the resources you have available to you.

We are a starting point ­ and acknowledge that there are organisations out there who focus more specifically on certain aspects of sustainability ­ we LOVE that there are others out there with passion for our environment.

We are NOT experts ­ and certainly do not claim to know everything ­ we believe there is always more to learn…

We invite experts to write for us and encourage those who are learning to contribute too…

We want to create a movement of people who are on the same page ­ maybe you’re not at the stage of political activism or would ever consider living off the land out in the bush ­ maybe you are ready to make a few small changes in your life… and we want to acknowledge you for that!

Please share the subscription link to your friends and family and send us your feedback!

Simply CLICK HERE to subscribe ­ it’s 100% FREE!!!

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Photo ­ Alex Siale

Back to Nature Uluru/Kata Tjuta National Park In my opinion, getting back to nature by visiting some of the beautiful places Australia has on offer is one of the top ways to battle stress, lead an active lifestyle and appreciate our surroundings. As I have mentioned before ­ when speaking about making changes that can help to alleviate climate change and work towards a more sustainable future, understanding WHY we are making these choices is very important. Appreciating the natural beauty this world has to offer can help with this understanding.

Last month we spoke about getting back to nature in Flinders Ranges National Park. This month I would love to share with you my experiences at Uluru/Kata Tjuta National Park otherwise known as Ayers Rock.

Located roughly in the centre of Australia (463kms from Alice Springs), Uluru is one of the most well known Australian attractions with around half a million visitors soaking up it’s beauty each year. Owned by the Anangu Aboriginal people of the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara tribes, Uluru is the name given to both the rock and the waterhole on top of the rock. Both Uluru and nearby rock formation Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) are sacred sites to the Aboriginal people.

The most spectacular moment of my travels around the National Park was quite often the Kata Tjuta (meaning many heads) hike ­ a far more challenging one than the stroll around Uluru. This time of year (May ­ August) is the best time to visit the park as it is not overly hot so you are able to venture out and explore the wonders of the scenery for longer than during summer where the high temperatures restrict activity.

Although in the Aboriginal tradition, only certain male elders are allowed to climb the rock, the government have allowed tourists to climb it since installing a metal chain in 1964.

There are many educational presentations run by the locals of the area that explain the importance of Uluru and why the Aboriginal people request visitors do not climb it or photograph certain areas.

Visiting National Parks like Uluru/Kata Tjuta that are steeped in ancient history, give light to the sustainable ways of the Aboriginal Australians who existed off this land for between 40,000 to 60,000 years before European settlement.

We have a lot to learn from the traditional owners of this land and I would urge anyone who has not had the privilege of experiencing it to get out there and soak it up while it lasts…

By Kelly Petering

Photo ­ Will van Wingerden

Leadership starts with you!

By Angela Kambouris Leadership is one of those words that conjures so many images – title, authority, seniority, experience. When we delve into the formal definition it encapsulates the action of leading a group of people or the ability to do this. For me, the essence of leadership is about people. It is about who you are being when you show up in life, when you show up for the people who surround you.

It is your presence in the conversation, it is the deep listening and it is the establishment of a relationship connection as you lean in and build trust. When l really delve deep, it’s the moment you lead with an open heart, your rawness shines through and when you are not there, people connect with the experience that of what you made them feel at the time when you were leading.

Stepping in to the inner quest to unravel what it means to be a leader, involves understanding who you are, what you care about and above all why you do what you do. It begins with rediscovering you.

Your values, beliefs, strengths and your unique DNA that creates the blueprint for others. Know what you want to do and why you want to do it. To become the maker of your own life, you must know you.

There are many great leaders throughout history who have inspired millions of people. They in still confidence to allow others to achieve what others may not have considered possible. All great leaders led themselves before leading others. So it bears the question­ How can we inspire others if we don’t inspire ourselves?

Ange is super passionate about redefining leadership across the world, bringing back human connection and compassion. Her philosophy is simple – you matter, everyone matters and together we can make a difference.

As a global consultant, trainer and mentor, Ange shows people how to unlock their human potential, connect people back to their internal power and maximise results by leveraging their strengths. Self­leadership is the master key for aligning success in business, career and life.

AK Consultancy embraces you have unlimited potential and the ability to transform your life. When you transform your life, you transform the world.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT ANGELA KAMBOURIS ON FACEBOOK

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People want to know what you stand for. What you really care about, what drives you, what makes you happy, what ticks you off and what inspires you? They want to know why they ought to be following you.

Giving people your own time and energy is one of the most valuable gifts leaders can do. We often experience the exchange of energy and time having a far greater impact than money in building culture of trust and safety.

Over the years, it has come clear that hierarchical positions do not define leaders. Leaders treat every opportunity as something worthy regardless of role, responsibility or position. Each moment you share with a person provides an opportunity to inspire. When you recognise how you shine, you give the gift so others can see themselves through you.

All that we come in contact are our people. When we come from a place of being present in our contacts it fulfils a human desire within us. A universal need to belong. We know when others put the needs of their people above their own, they foster a culture of trust and safety. As social beings, we are innately predisposed to connect. We are wired to work on something bigger than ourselves.

Placing a person’s wellbeing ahead of a short term gain fosters a relationship, builds a culture of loyalty, resilience and productivity. Our gift is to empower others to achieve things that they did not think were possible. When we apply this idea to all facets of life we create human­centered workplace that prioritise the wellbeing of their people. People reciprocate by supporting each other, including the wellbeing of an organisation. What a gift to ourselves, what a gift to others and what a gift to the world.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT ANGELA KAMBOURIS ON FACEBOOK

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Photo ­ Dmitry Kotov

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Life, Love & Muddy Puddles

BY HELEN COLLINS We are interesting beings. What we love, who we are, the things we like, are all unique and different for each of us. Having worked with children for over ten years I have watch them grow, studied their behaviours and learnt much from their thoughts, feeling and actions.

Love of earth and nature is one of the begging stages of very important development in kids. It begins with love of nature, collecting all those sticks, clumps of dirt and rocks, the more ‘non­living’ type of things, then into a fascination with colourful flowers, growing grass and soft moss. It moves on to a love of creatures, the small and cute to the big and scary. This then progresses to interest in more advanced living creature ­ humans, as they grow up connecting and contrasting with their peers, family and people around them. As they continue to grow their understanding and interest progresses to the more spiritual, thought provoking, a fascination in ‘the greater’, how we are connect. There is a desire to learn about things in the universe that may be considered beyond our understanding. This progression from non­living to living to the more spiritual is a journey, and each stage though built on, should not be lost. Knowing each of these aspect of our life and the world around us, and having an awareness of the difference and similarities between each can allow us to see our purpose and possibilities more clearly.

Someone once said to me that humans are the ‘bridge’ between the living things on earth and the spiritual things of the world because we have both life and spirit. Whether you believe in a spiritual side of life or not, I feel that this image gives one a certain empowerment. We do have what it takes to be a part of this world, caring for our environment, as well as seek more, search, question and discover great things, things that may help us, and our world to be a better place. A connectedness that unites us with our universe and goodness!

Life is far more complex than this, and my musings are only a tiny snippet of the many wonders you see in the live of children. But I say, lets learn from living things and the lives of people around us. Let’s respect and seek to discover more of the unknown and see the greatness and goodness of our world. Make the most of life! Live, love and jump in muddy puddles!

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Embracing Earth Early

BY HELEN COLLINS

Advertising, example, education, there are so many ways we try to promote sustainability and care for our environment, but the best place to start, is at the start. If you have kids of your own, or happen to have experienced ‘play time at the park’ you will have witnessed first hand the fascination of a toddler for all things ‘earthy’.

They love to jump in puddles, draw in the dirt with sticks, pick all the flowers and chase insect around. This is were it all beings!

Lets be real about it though, some of the fascination they have for the outdoors isn’t always cute or clean; picking up dead bugs, covering everything in mud, getting wet and dirty, stoping every two second on the walk home to pick up another rock to pop in their already overflowing pocket, or insisting the pile of leaves they constantly bring inside must not be thrown out!

It is very easy to miss the opportunity to encourage them to embrace this. I will confess that I’ve been guilty of wanting to stop my little 2 year old son from picking up more leaves or wanting him to ‘stay clean’ simply for my own convenience. This is a perfectly normal stage of their development and one we should encourage, even if it means hiding the frustration in your voice as you wash those muddy chunks out of their hair for the third time that day!

So let them collect. Let them get dirty. Let them explore and question and study! Encourage this stage. If they embrace it early it can be the first step to a greater love and appreciation of the world for the rest of their life.

Helen Collins is a artist with over ten years teaching experience, a degree in early childhood education, training and experience working with special needs students, and the director of a creative arts company THE FOX BOX, a company that specialises in encouraging children's creativity and self­esteem through art.

It delivers monthly art pack subscriptions to children as well as runs weekly art classes for primary school students at THE ART ROOM ­ a place where everyone can create. www.fox­box.com.au

One of the ways I do this with my son is through art. Collect those leaves and draw pictures of them. Do paper rubbings with that rock and bark. Press and glue those flowers. Remember too, its not just for kids! Let that inner child in you no nuts…pick up a stick and draw a picture in the sand! Let the world see your love for all things nature!

Jaydoe - Every Day Eco

BY CLAIR MORRISON

When starting my business I wanted to focus on maintaining an eco friendly, sustainable business ­ which meant aligning myself with like minded businesses and groups. One of the businesses I am particularly impressed by is Jaydoe Eco Hair, this Scarborough based salon is really leading the way as far as sustainable businesses go.

Upon entering the salon I immediately felt relaxed, I'm not sure if it was all of the greenery or the friendly staff. The aesthetics of the salon are stunning, lots of recycled raw wood and natural light make you feel right at ease.

The salon also uses the Ecohead shower heads. Each Ecohead has a high­pressure flow of seven litres per minute that uses 56% less water than a standard shower head. Based on an average daily output of 600 litres per basin, that equates to savings of 330 litres of water a day for each chair. Sub­ micron filters remove all traces of sediment, rust and other impurities from the water, while tourmaline stones within the heads remove chlorine and generate negative ions that help smooth dry and damaged hair.

The salon also recycles all aluminum from foils, stocks natural eco friendly hair care products and are looking at starting a recycling station out the front of their salon. It was also an initiative of Jaydoe to donate $5 from every Love Grows plant sold instead of taking commission. The lovely staff are so passionate about running a sustainable business it has been an absolute pleasure working with them.

Check out this fab business http://www.jaydoe.com.au/: 'Jaydoe Eco Hair aims to transform our clients, ourselves and our world one small step at a time. We create beautiful hair naturally, in a warm welcoming environment where individuality is nurtured and celebrated. We commit to lessen our impact on the planet in our choice of products, our use of recycled and recyclable products, minimising our use of energy and embracing sustainability. A visit to Jaydoe is a chance to kick back, enjoy some pampering, good conversation and real barista­made coffee. Better still if you bring your own mug to cut down the waste! Jaydoe Eco Hair has chosen to stock only the best products in the industry. All the products we use are paraben and sulphate­free. Our hair colours are available in ammonia­free or low ammonia ranges, so if you’ve have had problems with hair colour in the past, we’d love to talk to you. We make the same hair­care products available to customers so that they can maintain their style effortlessly at home and inexpensively as well, thanks to our filling station. Bring back your empty bottles for a refill at a saving of around 30%'

ARTICLE BY CLAIR MORRISON FROM LOVE GROWS We are a home studio based in Perth delivering homegrown plants packaged in recycled, handmade and reused materials. We are committed to maintaining a sustainable business and believe that through education and encouragement everyone can make conscious decisions to help live a greener life.

Each day we feature a different #plantoftheday available to order for $20 until 1pm for same day delivery, unless sold out. Each plant comes with a care guide for the new owner.

Custom and Corporate orders, event styling and collaborations are also available. Email us to enquire.

Keep an eye out for us at Pop­up Venues, Local Farmers Markets and Trade Fairs, details on our events page.

Price includes delivery in Perth, orders after 1pm or on weekends will be delivered the next business day unless otherwise requested.

CLICK HERE TO VISIST WWW.LOVEGROWSPERTH.COM

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Photo ­ Dan Musat WWW.YOURSUSTAINABLELIFE.COM.AU

PINTEREST PICKS Click >>HERE<< to follow Your Sustainable Life on Pinterest

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Recipe of the Month Pumpkin & Feta Salad Ingredients Spinach leaves Pumpkin Quinoa Feta Cheese Balsamic Vinegar

Method Step 1 - Peel and chop a medium sized Butternut Pumpkin into small bite size pieces and place in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper to roast in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 10-15 mins or until roasted.

Step 2 - Boil 1/3 of a cup of black or red Quinoa in 2 cups of water, when cooked drain and rinse under cold water.

Step 3 - Crumble Feta cheese into salad bowl with pre washed spinach Step 4 - Add pumpkin & Quinoa Step 5 - Drizzle Balsamic reduction & toss WWW YOURSUSTAINABLELIFE COM AU .

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CODE GREEN The effects of Climate Change on Health...

Universal Health At Deakin (UHAD) presents CODE GREEN WEEK At Deakin University, a bunch of over­zealous med students (global health nerds) run a club called UHAD. Throughout the year UHAD aims to increase student engagement in global health issues via peer education, community activities and volunteering opportunities.

This week UHAD is hosting CODE GREEN WEEK to raise awareness of climate change and its impact on global health.

There are three events throughout the week to engage fellow students and community members who are passionate about doing something active for the environment. At each event, we will be raising money for a project that builds flood­resistant toilets in Sanma province, Vanuatu. The islands of Vanuatu are particularly vulnerable to the effects of EL Nino. At schools in Sanma province, extreme weather causes existing toilets to cave in and collapse, spreading sewerage and wreaking sanitation havoc. Rats and cockroaches scuttle to the site of the sewerage, leading to spread of infection. Due to this, schools in Sanma often have to close during periods of heavy rainfall. The new toilet design has a reinforced pit top with bamboo lining to prevent collapse and control pests. It also has a shelter made from local, reusable materials. Each toilet costs $40 and will help create a healthier environment for students in schools and health facilities in which the toilets will be constructed.

During Code Green Week, there will be a real, live, pooey (not really – we’ll give it a good clean) toilet in the med common room for students to “PLOP THEIR POO CHANGE” as a donation to the worthy cause.

On Monday morning, we will host an info session ‘The Perfect Storm of Climate Change and Health’ with keynote speaker Gerard Finnigan, an epidemiologist and World Vision Regional Health and Nutrition Advisor. On Monday night, we will host a Sunset Walk and Pizza Movie Night. On Friday night, UHAD will host the big finale event – an ABCG (ANYTHING BUT CLOTHES or GREEN!) party at a local bar in Geelong.

For more information about CODE GREEN or the Vanuatu toilet fundraiser please email (uhad.deakin@gmail.com) or find us on facebook!!

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Photo ­ Gemma Garner

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