Activism has been brought centre stage with the intensity and pressures of the past few years. With the tragic death of George Floyd, the release of David Attenborough’s ‘A Life on our Planet’ and the Netflix ‘Seaspiracy’ documentary to name a few things, our news feeds were full of petitions, crowdfunds and marches signifying a group of people wanting change. I too wasn’t satisfied with my black square or my repost of something that had moved me in the moment, I really wanted to really make a change that would last but, I didn’t know-how.

The majority of us have just spent the past two years indoors, but do we have any idea how clean the air is we have been breathing?

Poor air quality can be caused by a number of things. We may automatically assume poor air quality is a result of pollution from factories and cars but the truth is it can be from what we clean with, the nail polish we choose and the candles we’re burning.

I loved putting together my Christmas gift guides and so thought it might be fun to do a semi-regular sharing of some of my favourite products.

I absolutely love when others share of the products they find or discover that make their life easier. I find this especially so when trying to live more consciously as it’s required a lot more trial and error.

Enjoy!

Let’s face it, we’ve heard lots about bamboo and it’s being heralded as the world’s most renewable material, but is it really that good? Join me as I take a look at why so many companies are using bamboo, ask if it’s really sustainable and take a look at why Boody really are top of the class!

I thought it was about time to get into one blog, a list of places where we shop the most. I have tried out countless places, looking for what works best for us as a family and these are our most loved. They will most probably change and evolve over time. I am always looking for ways to cut down our spending yet find things that don’t come at a cost to people and the planet.

As millions of trees are about to go up all across the UK this coming weekend with branches begging to be decorated I thought i’d write a list of places to find sustainable decorating options.

Also remember that although all these brands I’ve listed are great- still the most sustainable option of all is using the decorations you already have…i know you didn’t want to hear it!

enjoy! and let me know of any other brands you know of!

Yes it’s that time! Here are my ethical and sustainable gift guides for 2021!

It’s always my hope to help you buy better when you need to! Whether you have no idea what shopping more responsibly looks like, or whether you’re a pro but just need some ideas- let this be for you!

I have been hit with the realisation more than ever this year as I was writing the word “stocking fillers” that I then quickly deleted, that we don’t need things to fill a gap- make up a present count- or just because it was a bargain. Let’s buy differently and let’s figure out why we’re buying. I recently wrote an article over here if you want to know more about buying responsibly on dotte diaries -an awesome secondhand platform.

Thanks so much for joining me for my latest series. I really hope you found it useful. I thought to make things more accessible I would post a list of the brands I featured based on cost. This of course is tricky to do especially when there is a range of items available, and what is affordable is so different for each person, so these brands aren’t fixed in these categories it’s just to give you a general idea and to help you shop more consciously when you need to. Please let me know any other ethical brands you know of and value, I would love this to become a growing list!

It can be so overwhelming when you have a baby to not think you need a wipe warmer and every singing and dancing toy going to pacify your baby all hours of the day.

The truth is shops wanna sell, but do you actually need it? I found we didn’t need a lot, I learnt that from doing without but also from having things that went unused or made the house feel cluttered. So, I hope this helps.

I can’t quite believe it, but September is fast approaching which for us means my daughter is starting forest school (ARGH). Alongside me, parents and carers across the country are handed kit lists, school supply lists and are probably googling something along the lines of ‘what do I really need for nursery?’…

We made it! You made it! It’s the final day of the series- day 9!

Today we’re taking a look at activewear- let’s just say i’m not that active right now (but…in anticipation of a local netball team starting up wahoo!) and had never worn a pair of leggings unless I was doing sports until after I had Moses and a friend gave me a pair of girlfriend collective leggings and wow- life changed.

Day 8 comes with a list of amazing brands for wardrobe basics; mainly plain tees, cami’s and jumpers. If you are at the start of an ethical journey and looking to buy more sustainably, slowly replacing old basics as and when you need is a great place to start as they are more affordable than the bigger items and it’s usually the cost of ethical clothing that is one of the biggest barriers to why people don’t or can’t buy more sustainably.

It’s day 7 of the series. We are almost at the end! Are you discovering new brands you didn’t know about? Today we are looking at ethical and sustainable knitwear. Again, this has been a favourite because I absolutely LOVE a knit and always welcome autumn with open arms with a chance to layer up with the maximum amount of knitted items.

Welcome to day 6 of the series where we’re taking a look at jumpsuits and dresses that are sustainably and fairly made! Wow! I had SO much fun creating this incredible collection of brands below- I am an absolute sucker for a jumpsuit and apparently now dresses after drooling over how many incredible options there are available. I am in love. I’ve always been a pretty play it safe clothing-wise kinda gal. My wardrobe has always been small and because I spent a lot of time travelling and in need of easy clothing the majority of what I have owned was black, or very dark colours.

Welcome to day 5 of the blog series…YES, i’m still here! Today we are focusing on outwear, something I am so glad to say we won’t (hopefully) be needing this bank holiday weekend. Outerwear is probably the weakest part of my wardrobe and one that I will have to most probably look into for next winter as I noticed this year my vintage jacket is a little small and my Everlane jacket (a company I rated when I bought it and since have had some concerns over) is in need of some repair/some way of making it a bit warmer. With that in mind, I will be looking in sales of some of the brands below to make it work for our budget, second-hand and saving up and selling on what I already have to find something that works!

Welcome to day 4 of the blog series. If you’re still here well done! Today we’re taking a look at denim. The denim industry takes one of the biggest tolls on the environment due to the washes, dyes, chemicals and overall water usage needed to create one pair of jeans- it’s thought that it takes around 2,000 gallons or 7,600 litres of water! That’s a lot! Good on you wrote: “Over 10% of the world’s population is currently deprived of access to clean water, a staggering statistic which puts an alarming perspective on our thirsty denim purchases.”

Welcome to day 3! We’re taking a look at sustainable and ethical loungewear and sleepwear today! Take a look below at some of the best companies I found below some I have bought from and loved and some are new to me! Let me know any you know of! If you missed why this is all going on and want to know some more details about buying ethically why not head here…

Welcome to day 2 of the series where we’re taking a look at footwear! Incase you missed it, the aim of the series is to introduce you to a bunch of brands doing great things for the people and the planet and to empower you to buy well when you need to. My priority in shopping is always that those who have made my clothing have been paid fairly so you will see that all of these brands mentioned here, and across the whole series mention explicitly on their website or in answer to my questioning on emails or Instagram that they pay a fair wage, a living wage or above. Feel free to dig into these brands yourself though and ask them the questions you need to ask that allow you to feel comfortable in buying.