Homes

3 small changes you can make to live a more eco-friendly life

Busy professional and mum Laura Byrne shares her best tips for living a conscious life in the easiest way possible.

For working mum Laura Byrne, life is all about a balance of trying to do the right thing, without making daily tasks onerous.

She and her husband and their six-year-old son are a “typical Kiwi family” she says. Living in Point Chevalier in Auckland, they enjoy exploring the neighbourhood on their bikes, hitting the beach in summer and making the most of the local amenities.

Laura has recently begun brewing her own kombucha and has brought beehives onto their property as a way of increasing the bee population in their area.

Steer clear of unknown ingredients

“My rule of thumb for household products, which I also apply to food I buy, is that if I’m unsure of what the ingredients are, I’ll try to stay away. I’ve switched all my cleaning and body products to ecostore, because it’s an easy way to do it. It started when I was pregnant with my son – I was looking for products that are less harsh on the body and the environment without having to make things from scratch myself.”

Wave goodbye to your car commute

“We’re a one-car family and my husband bought an e-bike a year ago. He’s just about paid it off through savings on bus fares and it now takes him 17 minutes to commute from door-to-door, whereas the bus took 40 minutes. Plus, going to and from work every day he gets exercise that he wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Use naturally derived oral care

Brushing our teeth is a habit ingrained in us long ago, so make it a more sustainable practice with ecostore’s new oral care range. ecostore toothpaste and mouthwash uses naturally derived ingredients including magnolia bark extract and Kanuka oil to freshen and clean, and protect against germs that cause bad breath. The mouthwash packaging is made from plant plastic – as is the toothbrush – ensuring they are safer for you and the planet.

The ecostore oral care range is available now in supermarkets nationwide, from $4.99.

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