OUR INSPIRATION

We are a family who aspires to get back to basics, live the simple life and be conscious of the

pressure that excessive lifestyles are putting on ourselves and the planet. We have been 

committed to reducing our global impact for many years now and raising awareness of this is something we would like to develop.

We are also a family who strives to slow down and this trip is an opportunity for us to be more conscious of the speed at which we race through our lives. Craig is always telling me to 'slow down' so perhaps the 'conscious pace' is something I need to be mindful of. 

​

What is conscious waste?

 

You might be familiar with 'zero waste' which is defined as sending nothing to landfill. This, to me, is an impossible goal that I simply can't wrap my head around. Without massive changes in our linear economy to a circular economy (more on that below) waste will be here to stay.

​

We've decided to be conscious about our waste without being scrupulous and wincing every time we forget our keep cup or put something in the bin.

​

The process will be rewarding and achievable, conscious and holistic.

​

I feel a strong passion to go down this path because I am conscious of the undesirable impacts that plastics, in particular, can do to our natural environment and our own heath - it can suffocate marine life, litter the sea bed for decades, break down into smaller pieces and end up in the food chain. 

​

'2 million single-use plastic bags

are used every minute

around the globe'

​

Every single day I see the extent of our global waste problem - rubbish on the beach, Mc Donald's wrappers in car parks, single-use plastics flapping in the wind, consumer advertisements for electronic goods.

​

The problem -

our excessive lifestyles, our attachment to this way of living and our indifference to the problem.

​

I believe that what you walk past you accept. I can't walk past it anymore, so this journey is a first step to making some massive changes in our lives. It might also help others take that step. 

​

What is the Circular Economy?

​

The economy, as we know it, is linear and extractive - we extract a resource, transform it into a product (often with little concern for the waste produced along the way) then dispose of it when we’re done with it. This is in vast contrast to how an ecosystem works.

 

An ecosystem includes all the living things in a given area, interacting with each other, and with their non-living environments. Ecosystems determine the health of the entire earth system. I see the economy as a human created ecosystem and it determines the health of those in it (i.e. animals, plants, environment).

​

Perhaps our economy needs an overhaul, so it works more like a natural ecosystem. A circular economy involves designing out waste (i.e. remove completely or use materials that break-down), designing a way to better reuse the product and extending the life of products. The circular economy aims to be regenerative and free of waste - like a healthy natural ecosystem. 

 

I've always wondered why we don't take more lessons from nature rather than taking away from it and that's what we set out to do - slow down, soak up nature and look after her along the way.

​