When I booked a weekend away at Holly Lane Mews, I thought I was off to enjoy a weekend of Yarra Valley wine and country cheese, market-hopping and horse-spotting. I definitely enjoyed all that, but I was also reminded of the good you can find in country communities and the unsung eco-warriors that are changing the world from their own backyard. Joanne Spears is one of those people and she's just as passionate about environmental conservation as I am. She's the owner and caretaker of Holly Lane Mews, but it's not her only role; Joanne ..read more

I love Christmas and I love a little Mariah Carey. As soon as we're officially in the second half of the year, I start planning Christmas; where we're going, what we're doing, what Christmas cocktail I'm making, what I'm baking, and who's got who for Secret Santa... Christmas in our family is a big festive affair. For some reason though, I plan everything else early and leave my shopping late, and finding last minute sustainable, ethical and eco-friendly gifts gets tricky. Braving the crowds for a last-minute shopping center dash can be stressful and standard store-bought gifts ..read more

Dangerous levels of BPA have been found in sports bras from leading activewear brands. It's not the first-time fashion has been caught out dealing in toxic chemicals, but this time, there's a tight 60-day timeline for change. The Centre for Environmental Health has issued legal notices to a handful of brands that have recorded BPA levels up to 22 times the safe limit in their clothing. What’s so bad about BPA? It’s a toxic chemical, a really nasty one. It’s used to make plastic and it wreaks havoc on the endocrine system. It’s been linked to cancer, heart disease ..read more

Stephanie Devine is a bit of trail blazer. She could have released a bra like every other bra on the market, but she wanted to do things differently. She could have settled for the status quo and designed her bras with the fixtures and finishings everyone else was using, but she wanted to create something more sustainable. She could have settled at ‘that’s just what everyone does in the industry’, but she knew she could do better. Her unwavering commitment to sustainability and her passion to be as sustainable as possible is what I love most about Stephanie Devine. We’ve never met in pers ..read more

I don't watch television. I rarely listen to the radio. I never click the 'news' tab on Facebook. I research what I need to when I need to, and I take my inspiration for positive change from my own intuition, books and unbiased studies.  The news around our environment, ocean plastic, animal extinction and climate change is bleak. Sometimes it’s even scary. Let’s be honest – it’s a lot to take on board – and sometimes it’s easier to bury our heads in the sand, do nothing, and hope that someone else will fix what’s going on in the world. But the easy way out is rarely t ..read more

If you've been following The Fashion Advocate and my sustainable living journey for a while now, you'll know that I'm anti-bleach and anti-toxins in my home. Bleach is a nasty chemical and besides the horrible smell of it, I'm also not a fan of what it does to the body. Stay with me while I give you a crash course on the science of bleach...  Bleach is a corrosive chemical and studies have shown that when bleach is mixed with citrus compounds like most household cleaners are, it becomes even more toxic. When bleach makes its way into our lungs like it does if you're using a spra ..read more

Every year we produce 380 million tonnes of plastic. More than 50% of it is made for single-use only. Micro-plastic particles have been found in the arctic, on the summit of Mount Everest, and at the bottom of the deepest seas. All the plastic we've ever made still exists on earth today. It doesn't decompose. It doesn't biodegrade. It just breaks down into tiny micro-plastic particles and ends up in our waterways, our oceans, and our environment. This isn't just my opinion either, this is science, and science is telling us that single-use plastics are a problem. So what's the solution? Your ch ..read more

I've spent the last ten years trying to find the best ways to live sustainably, be as plastic-free as possible, and have a positive impact, but it has been a very long journey.  I started my eco journey in fashion but over time, my passion to have a positive impact forced me to consider all of my consuming habits from the deodorant I was wearing to what kind of toothbrush I used, and the more I learnt, the more I wanted to learn. I researched a lot. I didn't shy away from the facts and figures about plastic. I didn’t bury my head in the sand or ..read more

One trillion plastic bags are made around the world each and every year, and in Australia alone, 150 million plastic bags are thrown out. Only 3% of plastic bags in Australia are recycled each year and over 200,000 plastic bags are dumped into landfill every hour.   If you are shopping a few times a week and using those nasty single-use plastic product bags when you grab your fruit and veg, you are contributing to this plastic problem. Plastic does not decompose or biodegrade. All the plastic ever made, still exists. So, if you’re using an average of five pla ..read more

Australians throw out over 2.7 million single-use or disposable coffee cups every single day, adding up to over 1 billion coffee cups every single year. They're not just ending up landfill though, plastic coffee cups and plastic lids are making their way into our oceans and environment, and every piece of plastic we've ever made still exists on earth today.  If you switch out your single-use coffee cup and start using a reusable coffee cup, you can have a huge positive environmental impact. If you’re buying just one coffee a day and using a reusable ..read more