What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

I wake up to what I call my gratitude rampage, as taught to me by my first meditation teacher Bernice Tordres.  Essentially, I wake to the following sentence playing in my mind:  “Thank you Great Spirit, for this new day, this opportunity, to live my life and serve the highest good of all.  Thank you for my wife, my daughter, my home……” and then I list off as long of a list as I can before I feel complete or before the day gets its hooks in me (my daughter asks for something for example).  I generally succeed at having this be my first thought of the day, and I find this helps me set my mindset and worldview to a vibration that best allows me to meet the day.

What are you having for breakfast?

Today?  Three pasture-raised eggs cooked in ghee my wife made (that tastes somehow like candy), cassava flour tortilla, and some spicy greens with olive oil from the farm.  Smashed avocado with olive oil and “everything but the bagel” seasoning.

What’s your daily beauty routine?

I’ll answer truthfully and then I will answer what I think you were probably meaning to ask me.

For my “beauty routine” I focus on what one of my teacher’s Paul Chek dubbed as “The Four Doctor” model, or, “The last four doctors you’ll ever need”.  The Four Doctors are: Dr. Diet, Dr. Quiet, Dr. Movement and Dr. Happy.

Through this process I have identified my core values around each category and try to live my life moment to moment according to these values.

Some examples from each Doctor (in my case) would be:

Dr. Diet – I eat foods grown in the most regenerative manner I can access and afford, I drink high quality filtered, mineralized, structured water, I avoid all refined sugars, lab derived ingredients, artificial colors and preservatives, gluten and most grains. If I cannot eat foods that meet these standards I would prefer to fast until my next opportunity.  I go out of my way to identify sourcing for such things before leaving the house (or just bring supplies with me).  If this sounds extreme, I should add that I get immense joy in doing the above.  Connecting to my food source and being mindful of its impact on my external and internal environments is one of my deepest passions.

Dr. Quiet – I try to go to bed by 11pm in a pitch black cool room absent of all electronics and lights ( covering small lights with black electrical tape).  I enjoy meditating (through intentional sitting practice, through mindful movement practices, through Nature connection, and through massage and other forms of personal care).  Primarily I try to keep Dr. Quiet with me as a thread of mindfulness that runs throughout my day.

Dr. Movement – I engage in all sorts of movement practices across a spectrum of intensity.  If I do not have enough energy to work out (defined as activities that expend more energy than they generate, such as heavy lifting, sprints, “Americanized” yoga practices, HIIT workouts, etc) than I would choose to work in (activities that generate more energy than they expend, such as Qi Gong, yin yoga, Tai Chi, slow walks in Nature, intuitive movements on the bare Earth, etc).  If I was on a desert island and could only bring one with me (work out or work in) it would be work in, hands down.

Dr. Happy – personal time to engage in activities that are purely for joy, such as painting, comedy shows, daughter time, Nature time, Date night.  The cost to do such things is usually as little as prioritizing my time and the return on investment replenishes my entire energetic bank account in ways nothing else can.

All that being said, I think you were probably asking me “what sort of skincare products do I put on”….or something more along those lines.  Here are my basics:

I DON’T

• put synthetic chemicals in or on my body (including things generally considered benign that you will find in clean beauty and processed “health foods” such as xanthan gum or “natural” colors, fragrances, and flavors).

• use sunscreen (maybe 1-2 days per year under extreme conditions).  I try to get as much (80%+ of my body) into direct sunlight as often as possible until my skin turns pink and then I enjoy the shade or more clothing and a hat).

• I never wash my face with soap or face cleansers and have not done so since around 2015.

• I never “strip” or do anything harsh to my face

I DO

• Use the Summer Solstice Serum as an oil cleanse (self massage with Serum for 5+ minutes and then wipe with a warm damp towel).

• Make homemade masks (which will soon launch as two new signature products known as Dry Mask and Wet Mask) to nourish and support my skin.

• Keep my face, beard, and hair well oiled, generally applying Serum once a day (not as often to my hair).

• Precede the Serum with any one of our Hydrating Essences, all of which provide hydration (which is then sealed in by the Serum).  Each Essence has its own aroma therapeutic benefits, so I like to rotate and enjoy them as the moment calls for it.

• Sauna usually once per day.  The deep sweat keeps my skin in top condition.  If I miss the sauna for a few weeks I will definitely notice a dryness and a bit of a struggle in my skin.  It is likely more complicated than “sweat is good for skin” as the sauna aids in a myriad of detoxification processes.  I just know it works for me.

How would you describe your day to day style?

I would describe it as “head to toe Jay Kos”.  His work is instantly identifiable as wearble art.  As a family friend I have been blessed with years of gifted clothing from Jay’s otherwise very difficult to afford collection.  If you have ever seen me in person and I wasn’t wearing a v-neck shirt with jeans then I was wearing something Jay made.

How do you inform yourself throughout the day? What are you listening to, watching, reading?

Reading:

The Bhagavad Gita comes alive (translation by Jeffrey Armstrong)

Watching:

Winning Time (HBO show about LA Lakers with Quincy Isaiah and John C. Reilly)

Listening:

Recently Rodriguez, Cold Fact, has been on loop.

Regarding how I inform myself, I try to focus on the above mentioned meditation practices so that I can be centered and clear headed (allowing for critical thinking) while trying to make any sense of the onslaught of information that is force fed into our bodies and minds throughout any given day.  In essence, I try to avoid the 24 hour news cycle knowing that issues of importance are going to rise up and be presented to me from about 30 different directions simply by owning a phone, dropping my daughter at school, and grabbing a cup of tea.  When such issues arise I try to speak with people in my network that have some sort of information edge on that topic and rely on their insight. I try to stay aware that experts exist on at least two sides of any topic. I hope to be able to discern what feels true to my innermost self, and I rely on that feeling to inform my behavior.

Do you have any personal life hacks for getting through the day in the most sustainable way possible?

Join a CSA (community supported agriculture).  They’re everywhere now and easy to find.  This creates a tremendous positive feedback loop between your family, the Earth, a farmer, their family, their farm and staff,  and your community at large.

Can you tell us the story behind Be Here Farm + Nature? 

Be Here is the end of a 10+ year journey of us trying to create the World we wanted to raise our now 7 year old daughter in.  When I say “us” I mean myself and my wife Velisa, who is my partner and muse.  As much as I am the front person of our relationship in the public light, she is the front person in terms of what inspires our brand internally as well as what inspires me personally to do anything on any given day.

As a family we wanted to live in connection with Mother Nature and to offer a way for people to re-connect themselves with Nature as well.  For us, re-connection was transformative and turned out to be a slippery slope which led to our lives changing many times over.  Our hope is that this will be the same for others in all the best ways.

Along the way we developed a very unique biodynamic farm and 300 acre property in California which acts as the source for all of our offerings.  The full story of this property and the devastating wildfires we incurred in 2020 has been told at length on a handful of podcasts we love, including Living 4D with Paul Chek, The Gabby Reece Show, and The Eben Flow with Eben Britton if you would like to hear the long form version.

Why is soil health so important?

Soil is the seat of all life.  There is a thin ribbon of topsoil that exists in SOME places on this rock of ours, and in that thin ribbon we can grow all of the plants and animals (and humans) on Earth.  A future where we grow all of our food in factories, hydroponically, under artificial lights will be a future with very sick people reliant on just as many if not more synthetic chemicals and medications as the foods they were raised on.  Artificial soil yields artificial health.  Ill soil yields ill health.  You are what you eat, and what we eat is what it eats…eventually you get to the soil.  We are the soil.  So your question, as I read it, is: “why is health important”, at which point the answer becomes self evident.

How do you wind down at the end of the day?

I usually enjoy a sauna and cold shower after watching something funny with my wife Velisa.  I also have a deep love affair with my “volcano” which allows me to inhale water vapor extracted from a wide range of medicinal and edible herbs and flowers.  This is likely my main practice.

Words from Jared Pickard @beherefarm

5:00 am

I like to wake up early and get a head start on the day. It sounds cliche, but living on the farm and hearing the roosters crowing in the morning really makes the wake up so much easier. It feels much more natural. I used to have the habit of checking my email first thing in the morning. But now I am making an effort to meditate for about 15 minutes before I fully plug-in. I’ve found that practicing breathing exercises has really helped me feel more centered and focused throughout the day. After that, I quickly scan through my emails and respond to anything that is super urgent.

5:30 am

While the kids are still sleeping, I always try to get outside and walk the dogs. It’s so peaceful on the farm in the morning. It’s before everyone arrives so it’s the only time where it’s truly quiet. I’ll say hi to the animals and sometimes pick fresh fruits and veggies from the garden. It’s a nice way to get my body moving in the morning before I head to the gym. Right now I see a personal trainer virtually and focus on core strengthening exercises. Working out in the morning has tons of health benefits like lowering blood pressure. And helping you to feel balanced and level headed. I don’t exercise to be fit, but to feel both mentally and physically strong. For me, it’s really the most effective stress reducer.

6:30 am

I will hop in the shower right after my workout to refresh my skin and body. Before I do my skincare routine. More is more when it comes to my skincare. I use a multitude of our products everyday, twice a day. I always start by exfoliating with Regenerating Cleanser. Exfoliating daily really lets my skin breath and glow since it gets rid of any build up that accumulates overnight. It also helps products absorb better. I follow with Hydrating Floral Essence to help prep my skin for treatment and help my serums penetrate deeper. Then it’s all about layering. I use Elixir Vitae on my whole face, next I’ll use Elixir Vitae Eye Serum, and then Repairative Moisturizer.

7:30 am

By the time I wake up the kids, I’m dressed and ready to go for the day. I make them breakfast, organize their activities, and spend some time with them outside. In the summer months, we love to walk down to the berry bushes. We pick fresh fruit off the trees for their oats or yogurt.

8:30 am

My meetings typically start at 8:30am and I am in them back-to-back most of the day. I’ve been living on the farm this summer. I’ve loved being able to work outside on my porch to get fresh air throughout the day. The porch wraps around the house and overlooks the fields with the cows and gardens. When I have breaks in between calls, I love to check in on what’s cooking in our batch room. Or I’ll try some of the new products our chemists are formulating in the lab.

10:30 am

I do intermittent fasting until around 10:30 when I will have a celery juice. I find that it really helps with digestion and is best on an empty stomach. It is packed with vitamins and minerals and is filled with phytonutrients that have anti-inflammatory properties. Celery juice is certainly not enough to hold me over until lunch. So I’ll wash and cut up some of my favorite raw fruits and veggies. I love mangoes, blackberrys, peaches, and whatever else is in season. I’ll typically have a tulsi tea with ginger along with my fruit. It’s a lot of liquids, but hydration is so important for your body and skin!

1 pm

By 1pm, I am always starving for lunch! I try to have lunch with my kids whenever they aren’t in school, doing their activities, or in camp. My typical lunch is a bed of greens with a piece of fish or plant-based protein. I like to fill my salad with veggies and seeds. The extra vitamins and nutrients keep me full for longer.

1:30 pm

After lunch, it’s back to meetings for the rest of the day. My calls typically wrap up at around 6pm. I’ll help the kids with their homework before we sit down for dinner. They have been loving this healthy pasta recipe made with chickpea pasta and loaded with veggies from our garden. I sneak in spinach and kale that wilts down. They don’t even know they are getting all those extra greens! We almost always have Colombian chocolate for dessert. I bring some back every time we visit. It’s such a special treat and it reminds me of home.

3 pm

In the afternoons, I spend an hour or so with our photographer shooting on the farm. I am a creative person, so I find this time to be super calming in between meetings and calls. We try to source a lot of our props on the farm. We use our natural backdrop for the photos. It’s authentic and organic and embodies our brand ethos.

8:30 pm

The kids get ready for bed and then draw myself a bath to wind down. I love to use a body scrub in the bath and I’ll read. I am loving Becoming Supernatural by Joe Dispenza. It’s all about how the mind body connection can transform and change your life.

9:30 pm

I’ll get in bed at around 9:30 and end the day with some meditation. I find that visual meditation helps with sleep, especially if after looking at a screen all day. Keeping my phone across the room at night helps with this. I try my best to disconnect and relax my mind. Before I wake up and do it all over again in the morning!

Imagery from @tataharperskincare and @tataharper

If you liked this morning vs night skincare routine…

Check out these links that may be of interest:

Our Podcast with Tata Harper

Best Organic Skincare for Your Skin Type

The Benefits of Tallow for Skin Health

Follow @revenvert for even more content like this.

First of all, can you let us know how you ended up in farming and with a specific eye to regenerative agriculture? 

I never imagined myself as a farmer however I was always interested in plants, food and the environment. I had a countryside upbringing and my father was a leading scientist and professor in environmental engineering so eco-living was something I was always familiar with. I ended up studying at art college and after graduating I met my now husband Charlie. It was love at first sight, and while I was working in a city at the time, he was just starting up a farm business called Broughgammon Farm on the North coast of Ireland. I ended up moving up to the farm and I sort of tumbled into the lifestyle!  Both Charlie and I have now been working together for around a decade to create a forward thinking farm that uses regenerative and permaculture principles. It’s so important to both of us that we farm in a way that benefits the natural world and gives back to the land. So, we spend a lot of time thinking about the soil health and local wildlife and finding ways to support that. 

Can you begin by telling us a bit about your personal connection to farming – how did your creative spirit with the natural world evolve?

I’ve always had a very deep connection to nature, even when I was young. As a child, growing up in the Irish countryside, I would spend my free time collecting wildflowers, chatting to plants, and napping in our meadow. It was a very idyllic childhood with a lot of free time to develop that nature connection which I’m so grateful for today. I remember once as a child I even set up a ceremony to marry the trees! Some time, when I was about 8 years old I came across a book by the herbalist Juliette de Baïracli Levy. It was a beige covered hardback, very indistinct and hidden on the top shelf of my parents library but once I opened it, it was a whole world that opened out to me. Full of herbs and their medicinal uses, I felt an immediate pull towards its contents and that’s when I started my journey with herbs. From there I have now gone on to study for many years and it’s very surreal to say that I have just realised my own book on herbalism called The Garden Apothecary. I hope that it will inspire others to love plants as much as I do and create their own herbal journey.

What does slow living mean to you?

For me slow living is really about living a meaningful life, letting go of some of the external pressures that society and the commercial world can place on us and finding pure joy in the simple everyday things, such as brewing a cup of tea, doing the laundry, waking up and seeing the sun shine through the curtains. Our lives are so fast paced that I think the ideas behind slow living can be a real essential way of grounding ourselves into the now.

How can we all work to connect to nature more in our own lives? 

I think it’s important we create our own relationships with nature. It doesn’t have to look a certain way or be instagrammable but once we find our own gateway into nature then I think we can develop that into a deep relationship with the natural world. The first thing to do is find that gateway. For example if you are very artistic you could paint, sketch nature/local plants and enjoy their colours and textures. If you love cooking then foraging could be a gateway into nature connection. Or perhaps you love writing, then spending time in nature and keeping a journal about what you see could be a way of deepening that connection. Personally I recommend a nature walk, a regular one in the same area so you can notice all the little changes that occur as the months go by and the seasons develop. I also have a regular mini series all about seasonal nature connection on my podcast, Nature & Nourish.

You have two young children – how do you engage them with nature and sustainable living? 

I am a mummy to Rupert (5) and Toby (2) and they are alongside me during my day, so plenty of sowing and planting in the polytunnel, foraging, cooking… They see and do it all! I think children love being outdoors, getting their hands dirty and seeing where food comes from so it never feels difficult to get them excited about learning about nature. I actually set up a Nature Kids Club and Little Farmers club recently where I invite other children over to the farm to enjoy the beautiful surroundings, do nature crafts and get to feed the animals. It’s such a joy to see children enjoying the farm and countryside.

How important is seasonality when it comes to living in harmony with nature and more sustainably? 

Seasonality is so key as it shows the ebb and flow of nature. When I first moved to the farm it’s where I began my journey. I learnt about seasonal eating and realised the importance of eating locally produced where possible.From there I began to reflect the seasons into my own days, so for example in winter I like to spend more time inside, relaxing and taking it easy while in spring I very much feel that exciting energy and am busy sowing and tending to the animals. One of my favourite things to do is to create seasonal rituals to bring me through the year. It’s really enhanced my life.

Just speaking a bit to your personal experience, we read on your site that you were previously living in the city and also suffering from Hashimotos – can you speak a bit to how you worked with natural living and herbalism to overcome the issues you had? 

Yes I got an autoimmune condition when I was pretty young  and working on my undergraduate degree. I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason and there are lessons in all the challenges thrown our way. The autoimmune condition is the reason I am here today, podcasting, on the radio and being interviewed on your website! It got me started on my journey of natural wellness, I learnt how to cook better, to make my own remedies and natural skincare and most importantly it taught me about slow living. The journey of healing myself has been so eye opening, reconnecting with my body, returning to the seasons and leaning into the natural world. I have to say that I am grateful for it, for bringing me on this journey of healing. At the moment I am very lucky that I have worked with incredible nutritionists, naturopaths and functional doctors that have helped me bring my antibodies down and increased my health back to full vitality.

How do you think the food we eat affects our overall well-being….and how have you experienced this personally as you have begun growing your own sustainable food? 

The food we eat is the fuel for our bodies. I see it as absolute paramount that we eat food grown on healthy soil. Unhealthy soil produces food that has low nutrients and crops that have been sprayed in pesticides are a no-go in my house. I just wouldn’t want to put that kind of thing into my body or my familys. Then of course there’s the taste, whenever I end up with a vegetable from the supermarket I’m always shocked at how bad it tastes in comparison to our homegrown produce.

And we know you are a fan of natural skincare – can you also speak a bit about the connection to the food we eat with skincare concerns and outcomes? 

Personally I love to change up my skincare at the change of each season just like I do my food. The adjustments in day length, warmth, as well as central heating all play an enormous role in how our skin behaves and as a result we need different things from our cleansers, scrubs, body creams and facial oils come each new season. I also take into account my emotions and reflect this in the aromatherapy side of my natural skincare routine. Homemade skincare is completely custom made for you, smells incredible and is all natural. What’s not to love!

My skincare routine used to be so complicated and expensive, it was only when I embarked on my natural living journey that I started to minimise and make natural swaps. Once I saw the results I was hooked and now I make most of my products, from skin oils to lip balms and everything in between!

Are there any very easy vegetables you would recommend anyone try growing? 

I find most vegetables are pretty easy to grow, but I do recommend radishes as they have such a quick germination rate and are pretty foolproof. You can grow them in empty cardboard egg boxes on a windowsill, so they are suitable for all spaces. I love eating them in salads but they are also delicious roasted.

Can you tell us a bit about what we will find in your upcoming book, the Garden Apothecary? 

Yes I’m thrilled to announce that my first book, The Garden Apothecary is arriving this Spring. When I initially brewed up the idea for this book I had a vision of enabling people to create their own abundant home apothecaries, filling kitchen shelves with jars of powerful herbs using plants grown in their gardens, wild spaces or window boxes. From aromatic teas to potent tinctures I’ve covered a wide array of herbalist techniques alongside my favourite cornerstone recipes that will create the backbone of your herbal apothecary and can be adapted with the ebb and flow of the seasons. There’s tutorials for resinous ointments, luscious botanical oils, balancing teas to brew during the equinox and quick fixes for colds as well as herbal first aid recipes and stories of my own journey with plants. My hope with this book was to create a gentle but rich and beautiful guide to herbalism from my garden to yours. Within the book there are lots of beautiful photographs of my springtime polytunnel, the wild Northern Irish hedgerows as well as atmospheric recipe shots. The Garden Apothecary is the perfect companion for any gardener, plant lover or budding herbalist who wants to weave plant ritual and herbal medicine into their every day. I hope it will accompany the reader on a year of plant exploration, medicine making and nature connection.

What is one of the best herbs we could be incorporating into our diets for a bit of extra health? 

There’s a saying amongst herbalists that when in doubt use nettles. Once you learn the health benefits of this humble and abundant herb you’ll realise why. Nettle contains a rich array of vitamins, protein and minerals and is often used as a general health tonic especially for women and the convalescing, an adrenal soother, against hay fever and allergies and also for the kidneys and liver. I love nettle as a mother’s tonic-it can help with post birth bleeding, iron levels and producing breast milk. It’s also gentle and safe to consume throughout pregnancy and after and I currently have many blends containing this lovely nourishing herb. If you find yourself feeling burnt out then nettle is a great remedy as well. Its nourishing effects on the adrenals means it’s the perfect choice when your feeling run down and tired by external stresses. A simple tea or some bliss balls would all be nice and easy ways to consume nettle daily. Another great use of nettle is to reduce allergies and of course hay fever. Again a simple tea or tincture would be ideal for this.

What does an ideal, seasonal Spring meal look like for you? 

In spring I eat a lot of green omelettes, as my chickens are starting to lay profusely again and I always have extra to use up. I love to make a classic French omelette and fill it with sautéed spring greens like dandelion, mizuna, wild garlic and nettle. It’s so delicious and makes for the perfect  quick lunch. To drink I love a chilled glass of homemade water kefir, I love fermenting food so it’s always something I consume daily whether it’s a fermented drink or kimchi..

Do you have a favourite plant to grow and why? 

I find all plants so magical to grow, especially from seed. I always feel such a sense of pride and love when I see the little seedlings pushing up through the soil, and then later on when the plants have grown full size, I have a sense of wonder at their beauty! In particular I do love growing romanesco cauliflower as it’s just so beautiful with its incredible turreted shape. I also love strawberries and find them really rewarding to grow. There’s nothing like eating a slightly sun warmed berry straight from the plant in late spring.

Words from Becky Cole @beckyocole

Pelegrims

This brand was founded by two men with a purpose. Alex Verier (previously Director at Haeckels), backed by former tech executive (and Sommelier trained) Jerome Moisan. Pelegrims skincare is a low intervention active skincare brand formulated using grape extracts from waste material from a local vineyard in England. Perfect for the fathers that love wine and care for their skin!  Alex says, “Our intention is to formulate low intervention, active skincare formulations that work in harmony with the skin supporting it to heal and rejuvenate itself. Sustainability is hugely important to us, so using waste products from the wine making process and harnessing the powerful grape extracts are at the core of our brand and our future research.”

RAIN

If you are looking for a little rest and relaxation for the father in your life, this is the brand we love for its soothing, all natural CBD products. With a focus on CBD, RAIN’s beautifully designed collection is tailored towards happier, more balanced living. CBD can improve mood and sleep whilst alleviating stress, anxiety and inflammation – creating happier, more balanced lives. Premium CBD blended with tailored botanicals. Organically-grown hemp and cruelty-free ingredients from start to finish. Fully-recyclable, beautiful packaging with no plastic. A perfect calming gift with a wonderful ethos.

Sanbera

The men’s supplements from Sanbera are perfect for giving the gift of sustainable wellness. Their powerful blend of clean and premium-quality ingredients effortlessly meets the body’s nutritional requirements to sustain you during the day. Through an alliance of powerful antioxidants extracted from Guarana and Acerola alongside twelve essential vitamins, and six vital minerals, these tablets are proven to strengthen your immunity and boost energy levels – great for dads on the go!

Feldspar

A go to for us the Feldspar Cafetiere and coffee mug for the dad who loves a morning or afternoon pick me up. Pair it with some organic espresso and oat milk and you have a purposeful gift that looks great in any kitchen or work from home desk set up!

Vertly

For the very active fathers out there our new Vertly muscle soaks are perfect for restoration and recovery. Everything Vertly creates is handcrafted in small batches, made fresh weekly in Northern California and each ingredient serves a specific purpose. No extra ingredients. Nothing artificial. Vertly products are made fresh weekly in small batches, and they are transparent with ingredients and test each product for over a year before it actually hits the market — ensuring promises of relaxed and radiant skin are ones they can keep. A great ethical treat for dad.

About The Brand

Ida Skarp started Seela Studio in 2020 in Zürich. The studio aims to help women boost their body and mind using clean, natural products. Seela blends modern science with stylish design. They create durable, plastic free workout clothes and leggings that are made from natural fibers. At Rêve, we love exercise. It’s not about how we look; it’s about feeling strong and healthy. When we discovered Seela, we knew we had found the perfect activewear brand. Seela believes that the benefits of natural fibers in clothing far outweigh the short-term gains of low production costs. Seela always put material and longevity before gain and profit.

Why We Need Brands Like Seela

The truth behind microplastics in convential activewear

Manufacturers make most activewear from synthetic fabrics – often materials derived from plastics. Every time we wash our synthetic clothing, around 9 million microfibers are released. Scientists recently discovered microplastics in the blood of 80% of those tested. Microplastics have even been found in both the fetal and maternal sides of placenta. Microplastics are a huge concern – for our health and the planet. The fashion industry uses more than 8,000 synthetic chemicals [Common Objective]. Also, over 60% of clothing is made from plastic [UN Environment]. You might know some of these plastics: lycra, nylon, acrylic, polyamide, and polyester. Plastic fibers are found in sediments near beaches, mangroves, and even in arctic ice. They appear at the top of the Himalayas and in the ocean’s deepest point. [Ocean Clean Wash].

Microplastics pose a serious threat to our health. When the immune system meets these plastics, dendritic cells usually digest bacteria. But now, they swallow the plastic particles instead. As a result, they can’t break down the plastic. This causes inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation can lead to many disorders and diseases. Nanoparticle silver is an anti-odor chemical. It can cause hormone problems and DNA damage. Triclosan is another chemical linked to various cancers [ReMake].  These small plastic pieces are truly poisonous, for us and our Earth.

Why Seela is different

They donate to forest restoration projects

They use certified natural fibers

Some of Our Favourite Pieces

Geneva Crop Top –

Seela’s Plastic free workout clothes don’t compromise design. Their Geneva Crop Top has an elegant cutout back detailed with shimmery panels and a wide elastic under band that offers gentle support. It is super comfortable and perfect for any activity – from simply lounging to yoga to running!

Montreux Performance Leggings –

Everyone needs a pair of comfortable leggings. Seela’s Performance Leggings are plastic free and made from natural fibers. They also support your muscles well. They won’t feel too tight, so you’ll always be comfortable!

Foraging

I believe that one of the best ways to get in touch with nature sustainably is by going foraging. Find a local community garden, sustainable restaurant or foraging group and you will find yourself learning so much, meeting new people and potentially eating some delicious plants, herbs or fungi that you find!

We are always taking inspiration from people like Tonya Papanikolov from @rainbomushrooms and brands like Wunder Workshop and FLVC, who use the magical power of foraged plants to heal us. Remember to look out for the plants in season and don’t collect more than you need for yourself and those you are hosting!

Organic Gardening

At REV we are always striving to learn more about sustainable gardening as a whole but there are so many types and names like biodynamic, regenerative, etc, it can get overwhelming. We suggest starting simply with understanding the concept of organic gardening and beginning to plant your own seeds.

For gardening inspiration our go-to is always @charlesdowding! Who specialises in no-dig sustainable gardening. And we are sharing Maison Made skincare for the perfect pre-gardening prep for the skin, ready for the elements. 100% bioactive and biodynamic, Maison Made skincare is a highly nourishing elixir of plant extracts!

Beekeeping

This is perhaps an unexpected one but we all know how important bees are to our ecosystem. Although there could be a lot of resistance at the beginning or some may not even consider it, taking a beekeeping course or doing a day workshop will help you not only get out of your comfort zone but will expand your knowledge of the natural world. If you are always wanting to know and experience more about nature, this could be the perfect opportunity to do so. Who knows, you may even become inspired to start beekeeping yourself!

Below we have our favourite organic mānuka honey lipsticks from Madame Gabriela. Their family of beekeepers are based in a remote corner of New Zealand’s North Island where the native mānuka plant resides!

Beach Cleaning

This is a very simple but very rewarding one. If you live near a beach or have easy access to one, all you need to do is grab a bag and a friend, and head down. One of our favourite brands that supports clean beaches is our very own Factor Bermuda! Their collection is made from a luxurious Italian lycra using ECONYL®, a yarn derived from rescued ocean plastics!

Whilst we don’t expect you to turn your litter collection into beautiful swimwear, look for a responsible recycling centre to deposit everything you found!

Hiking

One way to appreciate nature is to go hiking. Staying fit and healthy whilst covering the most scenic parts of our planet can open your eyes to what’s out there and rekindle our connection to real life vs whatever distortions we absorb on the internet. It’s a great first step to getting back out there since you can hike as far and as difficult routes as you like depending on your capability and interest.

We love seeing the way Johanna from @in.aurea appreciates nature in a slow and mindful way. The perfect way to prep for a hike would be by taking Sanbera’s reload supplements to give you an extra boost before starting especially if you’re new to hiking and need a head start!

Picnicking

Another beautiful way to spend more time outside whilst being sustainable is by having picnics. As there is nothing you need to do other than find a pretty view and set up some delicious food and drink with a friend or family member, this is an easy way to enjoy the season and seek out new picnic spots to appreciate nature. If you take some homemade food made using local farmers market produce, even better!

Take an OEKO-TEX certified wool blanket from Forestry Wool and put on an airy Loup Charmant dress and you’re ready to picnic, looking sustainably chic!

Visit A Local Farmers Market

If growing your own plants or foraging isn’t something possible or of interest to you, why not visit a local farmers market to collect some produce instead. If you have a farmers market local to you, this is a way of doing an outside activity whilst getting your grocery shopping done sustainably!

We recently spoke to the founder of @sitopiafarm on regenerative farming, in which Chloë discusses why and how to support farmers markets!

Grow Your Own Cut Flowers

Last of all, suggested by our co-founder, @corahilts, is growing your own flowers to display at home. In between looking after her new puppy, Cora has been learning more about sustainable gardening as a whole whilst beginning to plant her own flowers. Flowers surprisingly, are incredibly unsustainable, the power it takes to grow flowers in artificial settings and the flown half way across the world can be highly burdening when it comes to carbon emissions. Not to mention the pesticides and chemicals used on these traditionally grown flowers, you wouldn’t want to smell those!

Planting flowers seasonally and harvesting at home is a sure way to know how your flowers are being treated and you can have an endless supply! Florence Kennedy from sustainable flower farm @petalonflowers talks about this in our recent interview with her! We have also included Be Here Farm + Nature skincare to represent what high energy flower and plant extracts can do to the body in wonderful ways!

My Story.

Factor Bermuda was conceived following my diagnosis of melanoma which set me on a fruitless journey in search of beautiful sun protective clothing. Drawing from my background working for top fashion brands Burberry and Jimmy Choo, I began developing the pieces I wanted to wear. Chic, minimalist designs with a high-end esthetic, and a capsule wardrobing sensibility, each piece wearable both as a swimsuit or bodysuit.

It was important to me to create a choice of the level of skin coverage from the fully covered Bateau Silhouette to the more sultry Plunge Silhouette, but always with full coverage to the back. For Summer22 the capsule consists of 7 looks in 8 colors, including 4 one-piece and 3 two-piece looks offering unique mix and match options. All silhouettes come with a custom monogrammed belt, cinching the waist, and adding a touch of retro glamour.

Sustainability Ethos.

After moving my family to Bermuda from London, a greater appreciation for the environment and ocean sustainability also came into play. Living on the coastline, witnessing first-hand the daily effects of ocean plastics was the catalyst for creating my complete collection from sustainable materials. 

Made from luxurious Italian Lycra derived from rescued ocean plastics and ethically manufactured in small batch production in New York, every element of my business is carefully considered with sustainability at the forefront.

Sustainable Sun Protection.

Apart from the sustainability of my fabrics, spending much of my time in the sun in Bermuda also made me more closely consider the daily effects of harsh sunscreen chemicals absorbed by my skin and the effect these chemicals have on our environment. Regardless of if you swim in the ocean, when we shower these chemicals are rinsed from our bodies, washed down the drain and into our water systems and oceans. I take pride in developing a collection that not only protects the skin but also protects the environment and beautifully sculpts the body, combining timeless, elevated design with skincare and sustainability.

Browse - Berdoulat

I start my trip by visiting the most beautiful, Berdoulat. This multifunctional space serves as a bakery and shop on the ground floor offering products from herbs and spices, to dried and fresh flowers from Nice Bunch, wines, beers and ciders, through to dining, kitchenware and furniture. Upstairs you can sit and enjoy a coffee and pastry overlooking the shop below or browse through the library of incredible cook books available. In the basement, originally an 18th century servants’ quarters, you will discover more unique kitchen and dining products and interior decor as well as the vaults and a surprise fernery tucked in the corner outside.

The best part is that many of Berdoulat’s products are locally sourced within a few miles! The building dates back to 1777 and according to their website “Interestingly, all previous shop keepers have only ever sold a combination of what Berdoulat sells today – high end groceries, wine, joinery, homeware and interiors related produce”. Berdoulat is definitely worth a visit whilst in Bath and the perfect place to pick up a few provisions or gifts for home.

Dine - OAK

Possibly the highlight of visiting Bath will be going for dinner at OAK. Centrally located, OAK has to be one of the prettiest restaurants I have dined in, every table ready with a candle and small vase of dried flowers from Nice Bunch. This entire restaurant is built around sustainability, they rotate their dishes seasonally based on what is available. Stated on their website:

“At the heart of OAK is the idea that great food puts the soil first. As growers, grocers and cooks we want to sell produce and serve food that is simple and thoughtful, to find vegetables that not only look and taste great, but also come from land that has been farmed properly, without chemicals or over cultivation.”

They also sell a small range of locally sourced products and provisions including vegetables, chocolate from Harth, Comins tea, low intervention natural wines, ceramics, books and cards. “As a grocer we specialise in organic, biodynamic and low intervention ingredients.” Their small chemical free market garden just outside Bath lends to their ability to serve impeccably tasting vegetables for both the grocer and restaurant!

Stay - The Yard in Bath

A short 10 minute walk from OAK back through the streets of Bath, you will arrive at The Yard In Bath, and it will feel like coming home. Quiet, quaint and ever so tasteful, after you stay here once you won’t want to stay anywhere else. Ready to greet you when you return from dinner is a delectable cocktail and wine menu. If you aren’t yet full, they offer snacks and charcuterie boards too. In the morning they will either hang a breakfast basket on your door at 8am or you have to choice to dine at the breakfast bar downstairs.

The Yard in Bath is an independent boutique hotel with many conscious and sustainable features. They source much of their interior decor from local designers including fabrics and furniture.They also source produce from local suppliers, for example, organic and natural foods in their breakfast hampers and organic milk in every room fridge upon arrival. Not to mention, their drinks list boasts wine from lesser known regions, biodynamic and organic growers and some local breweries!

Brunch - Upstairs at Landrace

Before heading up the steps to grab brunch at Upstairs at Landrace, first visit Landrace Bakery on the ground floor. A tiny aladdin’s cave selling fruit, vegetables and flowers on the outside then an array of pantry goods and a bakery on the inside including their speciality, sourdough bread from stoneground UK grains.

Upstairs at Landrace is a casual but beautiful restaurant retreat near the centre of Bath. Their ingredients are sourced by local farms and market gardens and they only work with producers who have a natural approach and use regenerative and high welfare farming techniques. Focusing on small European growers and makers, all of their wines have been made following organic or biodynamic practices. They also hand-make their pasta, use line-caught Cornish fish and they source their meat from our beloved, Haye Farm in Devon!

Recenter - Comins Tea

Would this truly be a British city guide without mentioning tea? Located just a minute’s walk from The Yard in Bath, Comins Tea brings tea from around the world to a small, reclusive café near the centre of Bath. Whilst visiting, co-founder, Rob explained to me their meticulous process to ensure their teas are sourced from plantations with ethical practices and high quality tea plants. Many of their farmers care greatly about soil health and organic farming methods.

Their wholesale brand ‘Tea with Purpose’ is also available to pick up at Berdoulat and OAK and includes a range of 7 teas with its sustainable story printed the back and an illustration by the farm owners themselves on the front. All their tea products are refillable and come in compostable packaging. They have visited all but one of the farms they source from to ensure the tea is of the most responsible origin. Comins Tea is the perfect place to retreat and learn about sustainable tea before returning home after a fulfilling 24 hours in Bath.

How do you stop buying fast fashion and curate an investment wardrobe? 

This is a question I get asked a lot- by friends, family, clients and Instagram community, so I’m happy to tackle this head-on. With an estimated £30 billion worth of unworn clothing hanging in our wardrobes in the UK alone (according to the waste reduction charity WRAP), it’s clear the bad habits of impulse buying things we don’t really need is a nationwide, and even global problem. You are not alone! 

For many of us, our relationship with fashion changed dramatically as we spent less time curating office-appropriate looks or attending social events – and maybe now need some guidance as postponed weddings and work events are now very much back on the agenda, but we are perhaps more cautious about what we buy, and need our new purchases to really stand the test of time. 

Like most things, there is no one-solution fix, but here are a few tips if you are looking to reduce your consumption, but want to invest in quality pieces that you will love for seasons to come:

30wears rule

I heard campaigner Livia Firth and journalist Lucy Siegle share this great rule. When you go to buy something, ask yourself, “Will I wear this 30 times? If the answer is yes, go for it. But if the answer is no, don’t add to basket”. It’s such a simple rule, but it’s a great first step to help move away from impulse shopping.

Focus on foundations

A great way to curating a more wearable wardrobe is by investing in pieces that can form the basis of day to evening looks. Think black leather trousers that can be dressed up with a silk top or paired back with an oversized knit and chunky boots.  Blazers that can be formal for work, or teamed with ripped jeans or thrown over floral dresses in the summer. If you are really selective with these key foundation pieces, it’s a great step to creating a wardrobe that gets maximum usage.

Trends in your own closet

Aka shop your own closet or do an edit before buying. Take some time to study what you love in your own wardrobe- a silhouette, colour or texture that you know works for you. Implement my “refresh system”, steps include separating clothing into piles, and re-trying on pieces to find what still works and what doesn’t. This allows you to really see what you have so you can decide what investment pieces are needed.

Does it work for YOU

Don’t buy an item because it looks great on someone you admire or follow on Instagram. Think about YOUR shape, size and whether their lifestyle relates to yours.  When you are shopping it can be beneficial to establish and shop your values. Ask yourself, what sustainable or ethical attributes are most important to you? Your response could cater to core efforts supporting people, planet, and/or animals. Maybe it’s focusing on wearing natural organic fabrics, shopping from brands that produce locally, or focusing on vegan alternatives. Have fun and embrace shopping your values.

Cost per wear

Investing in quality pieces is more costly than fast fashion- there’s no getting away from that. However, shift your mindset to ‘cost per wear’, and you’ll soon realise the value that you can gain from investing in pieces that are well made, designed to last, and worth maintaining with repairs in years to come.

Who made my clothes

The above are all practical tips, but we should also be considering the ethical impacts that our fast fashion habits are having on people and planet. Let’s never forget this important question of WHO made my clothes. If you can, support brands that celebrate and highlight the people in their supply chain, and use your purchasing habits like a vote of what you believe in. Follow @fashionrevolution for more info and this question will become an integral part of your shopping process.

So first of all can you explain what Sitopia Farm is?

Sitopia Farm is a modern, urban farm in London. We grow vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers using organic, regenerative techniques, selling locally and working closely with our community. We’re a not-for-profit social enterprise.

And where does the name come from? 

Sitopia means ‘the food place’. Everybody eats. Food is the great connector. We live in a world shaped by food: it is central to our economy, our environment, our health and our culture. For us therefore Sitopia is both a means and an end. Sitopia comes from the Greek sitos, meaning food, and topos, meaning place, and is a play on the word Utopia. Where Utopia means ‘good place’ or ‘no place’, Sitopia means ‘Food Place’. The word was coined by Carolyn Steel, architect, lecturer, author of Sitopia and one of our advisory board members.

Where are you located and how did you end up there? 

We’re currently farming on two beautiful acres of land in Greenwich, generously loaned to us by the Woodlands Farm Trust who manage the wider 89 acre farm on which we’re based. 

There is a long and a short answer to how we ended up here! In brief, we started farming on various small patchwork plots of land in London at the start of the first lockdown in March 2020. In January 2021 we were lucky enough to partner with Woodlands to access our current, much larger and more permanent site. We launched a crowdfunder that February (a huge thanks to the 400 generous souls who donated!) and started work at the end of March converting what had been a pasture field into our farm. By June we had our first harvests.

Can you begin by telling us a bit about your personal connection to farming – how did your creative spirit with the natural world evolve? 

I’ve long been drawn to the natural world and utterly fascinated by the magic that is growing food and plants. I remember the utter joy I felt when I was a little girl and pulled up my first bright orange carrot, from seeds I’d sown a few months before, having cleared a tiny patch of our garden from weeds. 

Looking back at an old diary I realise even at university I’d had a secret fantasy about becoming a farmer, but no-one, least of all me, ever entertained that as a serious career option. All the farmers I’d come across then were big white men with tractors and 100s of acres: it wasn’t obvious to me how or why I’d actually be a farmer! But after many years working first in Tanzania and other East African countries for international development charities, and then as a senior civil servant working in central government for over a decade, I decided a few years ago that life was short and it was time to explore my dream. The urgency of the climate emergency and, actually, the sight of empty supermarket shelves during lockdown also spurred me forward. I also passionately believe that we can and should grow more food in the city.

Before we get into all the wonderful ways you are growing sustainably, can you first tell us a bit about some of the unsustainable issues with conventional farming in the UK and even abroad? 

Our current food system is broken. While food processing, marketing, pricing, transport, packaging etc all play their part, how it all begins with the actual production of food is a huge part of the problem. Industrial agro-chemical food production- which produces the majority of food sold in the UK- is hugely damaging to the environment. Vast mono-crops, heavy spraying with chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and heavy tillage, has degraded our soils, led to massive biodiversity loss and pollution of our rivers and waterways. Food production is also one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases causing the climate crisis.

The problem is that in our current system all these costs – to the environment, to our health etc- are externalised, by which I mean the price tag on food does not reflect these costs. Cheap food is a myth: someone, somewhere, and our planet, are picking up the tab. Of course access to good food and affordability are also critical, and it’s appalling that we have rising food poverty in 2022 in the UK and elsewhere. It’s why I believe we need a proper national food strategy including support for eco-friendly farmers, and taxes for more damaging goods to cross-subsidise and make healthier, more environmentally friendly foods affordable

Can you tell us why seasonality and keeping things local is so important when it comes to our food? 

Seasonality is just so important. It means you’re working in harmony with nature, growing food that thrives naturally at given times of the year without the need for damaging and expensive external inputs ike chemical sprays or fertilisers, heated greenhouses, or indeed flying flowers or food here from half-way across the world. (Incidentally why we need to cure ourselves from buying roses on Valentine’s Day!). Eating seasonally also means the food invariably tastes better: I defy anyone not to find the difference in flavour between one of our tomatoes grown in summer and one flown in and sat in a supermarket in winter…

Local is also important though the term is often overused and is misleading. I’ve lost count of the number of times when I’ve asked where my meat is from in a restaurant, and told ‘it’s from the local butcher/ farm’. Which tells me nothing about how it was farmed: it could be industrially farmed, indoor mass-bred meat for all I know. 

Local is generally best if it’s seasonal and grown in an eco-friendly way. While we strongly believe that we can and should grow more food in the city, and indeed in the UK as a whole, it’s unlikely ever to be better for the environment for us to attempt to grow lemons or coffee or cacoa beans for chocolate here. If it’s grown organically, shipped rather than flown here, and grown and eaten in season, that’s better. But it’s insane that we import nearly half our vegetables and over 80% of our fruit.

What does it mean to grow food regeneratively? 

For me it’s about growing food using organic methods and not tilling (digging or ploughing the soil). It’s about farming to nurture and enhance the environment. It’s about nurturing the soil, keeping it and making it more healthy and fertile. It means growing a wide diversity of crops to support biodiversity and all the benefits that brings, in particular for natural pest and predator control. It’s about using recycled or our own compost, natural foliar sprays and comfrey fertilisers rather than chemical sprays. It’s about harnessing, respecting, and enhancing the power of nature. Being organic (we’re under conversion, and should be fully certified come June) also means that wherever possible all our seeds, inputs (e.g. seed compost) are certified organic.

How have you gone about running the actual farm as sustainably as possible? 

Partly it’s about how we farm and all the organic, regenerative farming methods we use. We also strive to consider sustainability in all we do. So for example we are seeking to be an active part of London’s circular economy, using compost made from Londoner’s green waste for our beds, and wood chips from the local tree surgeon for our paths and to make more compost. If we need posts I pay extra to make sure they are FSC-certified wood. We make our deliveries using e-bikes or electric vehicles. We’ve participated in a plastics-alternative trial for organic farmers, and so when we re-launch our seasonal produce bags and flower subscriptions in a couple of weeks’ time, we’ll ensure that all our packaging and labels are either non-existent, or compostable.

Working so closely to nature have you started to see the effects of climate change on the ground? 

100%. You saw it last year in the oddly dry and then ridiculously wet spring months, which caused havoc for other growers who were further along than we were. The recent storms were a nightmare for many growers, many of whom lost polytunnels and greenhouses. We can expect to see much more of this. What’s particularly hard is that it’s so unpredictable: if we knew for example that London was going to be consistently hotter and drier than we could grow crops and plan accordingly. But we don’t: it can be unusually hot and dry, but then unseasonably wet and cold. That’s very hard for a farmer.

How does eating more locally help in the fight against climate change? 

(probably repeating from above here!) It helps reduce food miles and the pollution, packaging, storage and transport costs involved in that. It often means food is fresher, more nutritious and tasty. Personally I think part of the problem with the food system we currently have is the fact so many consumers are divorced from who and how their food is actually produced. Cultivating a relationship with your local food producer (or at least knowing where your food is really from) helps people to be engaged with the realities of production, and once you’re aware of that why on earth would you want the system we currently have?! That said local isn’t always better and can be used as sloppy inaccurate shorthand for good food- see above!

Do you think the way you grow is scaleable to a larger way of doing things in the food industry? 

Yes. I don’t actually think we have a choice. Yields are already beginning to decline in many industrial agro-chemical production systems as those methods strip the soil of its fertility. Without fertile soil you can’t grow as much food. Vast monocrops, lack of genetic diversity and over-reliance on chemical pesticides and fertilisers (not to mention the appalling working conditions many farm labourers endure) also means many crops are now succumbing to disease, such as the Cavendish banana disease wiping out whole plantations.

Of course in addition non-organic, non-regenerative farming is a massive contributor to the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.

I know that you talk about wanting to engage more with local communities in terms of what you are doing – how have you seen the response thus far with people wanting to get involved in what you are doing?

What is one thing that all people can do to help in the creation of a more sustainable food system in the UK? 

Vote with your fork. By that I mean use your huge purchasing power. We all eat at least three times a day. Use that to change things. Ask in restaurants where your meat and veg is from and don’t eat it if there isn’t a good answer (ie organic/regenerative). Buy from local veg box schemes. Support independent shops rather than supermarkets. Eat seasonally. Ask your MP what they are doing about the food system crisis.  Act. I guarantee it will make a difference.

This is a hard one, but do you have a favourite thing to grow and if so why? 

That is hard! Growing cut flowers for sale has been an experiment that has been hugely fun, creative and rewarding and I love all our flowers. But ultimately it’s the food- a basic necessity for all of us- that really gets me going. If I had to choose one favourite to grow I’d probably have to say it’s our tomatoes. We grow about 25-30 different heritage types, of all colours, shapes and sizes. The taste of one of those is indescribable. I absolutely love seeing the look on people’s faces when they try one. People often say it’s the best tomato they’ve ever tasted. And we’ve even managed to convince some children who thought they hated tomatoes to discover that they’re actually delicious.

And finally, what is making you feel most hopeful about the future of food right now? 

Growing awareness about the connection between food and the climate crisis and wider environmental issues (not to mention the obesity epidemic, and the fact millions in the UK and abroad suffer from food poverty, which is insane given the obesity epidemic and the huge levels of food waste). I really think people are waking up to the need for change. And farming is becoming sexy! Which is hilarious, but brilliant. And of course utterly true…

Words from Chloë Dunnett @sitopiafarm

Our Interview With Sydney Piercey…

Can you please start by introducing yourself – a little bit about your background and what you do?

My name is Sydney and I’m a mother to three young girls. I grew up in South London, where we were living until two years ago. My husband, our daughters and I now live in the South of France. I’m a crafter and make sustainable toys and games for my children and I run craft workshops too. My first book Sustainable Play, 60+ crafts for an earth- kind home is out in May.

How did you first become connected to sustainable living – was there something specific that brought you into this space?

I’ve been sustainably minded for a long time. I’ve always loved being outdoors and in nature. I loved picnics in the park as a child and climbing trees. In the area I’m from in London, I love knowing all the local shopkeepers and buying from them directly. For as long as I can remember I’ve made my own gifts, writing poems for friends or baking cakes for presents. I think these things get overlooked as being ways of living sustainably but they are. The birth of my children though led me to step everything up in a bigger way.

When your children were born did it change the way you viewed the world in any way?

Absolutely. It made me infinitely grateful for all the beauty in the world and for all of life’s ‘simple pleasures’. From the changing seasons, to the sun and moon in the sky, to colours found in nature, motherhood has really brought into focus for me how precious and sacred life is. It’s made me want to embrace it absolutely and do all that I can so that my children and generations to come can enjoy life on this beautiful planet too.

Your dedication to sustainable parenting is amazing – can you speak a bit about how you have tried to do things a little differently when it comes to raising your girls?

The biggest thing for us is being vocal in our anti-racist parenting. As a Black woman, I think about the ways in which prejudice affects me and my community a lot. And my husband and I are raising mixed race children so it affects them too, though there’s that degree of privilege as well. Environmentalism is one of many spaces where Black voices are often excluded – even though in so many areas, they’re the ones that are impacted the most.

How big a part does nature play in their lives?

A big part! It’s a big part of the reason we moved to France actually. We’re so fortunate to have a big garden where we live and are in the middle of the countryside. We do the school run through fields, along a stream and past our neighbour’s horses. My eldest and I both horse ride. We climb the hills behind our house a couple of times a week to watch the sunset. The girls are almost always outdoors – it’s wonderful.

How are you teaching your daughters compassion and awareness in this very challenging time in history?

My go- to way of teaching my children anything is to model it. I hope that my modeling compassion to them, and them hearing myself and my husband speak on global issues, race, social justice, the environment, helps them grow as compassionate, thoughtful women, and play their part in making the world kinder and more for groups outside just their own. It’s not possible to be earth- kind without being humankind after all.

You are now living in France, how did you feel about making a move with children?

Really excited! My eldest was 2 when we moved and my middle 9 months. Their ages at the time made it quite easy to move, as they were happy just being with my husband and I. We both work from home, so we’re all around each a lot. It’s been almost two years now, and we’ve found our little community out here. Our eldest is at French school and our youngest two have their French childminder. They’re growing up speaking two languages, get to spend so much time outdoors and more time with my husband and I too. It’s a wonderful way of life for our family and I’ll treasure the time we are having forever.

So tell us about your book! Sustainable Play is an amazing achievement – what motivated you to write it?

Thank you so much! Well I always wanted to write a book. And then when I was pregnant with my second the idea came to me. I was about to have two babies under two, and whereas my eldest’s first year had been full on (we got married in France, and we’d done trips all over the world with her), I knew I wanted to slow down this time round. I thought up all the ways I could enjoy gentle, drawbridge days at home with two babies and started listing ideas of things to make, do and play. And that list became Sustainable Play.

What sort of things can we expect to find in there?

A lot of cardboard crafts! I began sharing my crafts online a couple of years ago and seeing so many other parents inspired to do the same, I’ve packed them in. There are step by steps to make all sort of cardboard toys, costumes, decorations and learning resources. And there’s also a lot of play ideas for outdoors. Either to do outside, or to bring the outside in. The idea of the book came to me when I was living in London and we didn’t have so much garden space. It was important for me to include ways to enjoy the garden whether you have one or not.

Do you have a favourite sustainable activity to do with your girls?

I have so many it’s too difficult to choose just one! I love watching them play with a toy I’ve made them – their cardboard doll’s house for example or the cardboard shopping basket. Also, I love going on long walks with them in the countryside here, picking wildflowers, sending leaf boats or “Poohsticks” down the stream, watching the sunset. And dancing with them. I love blasting our favourite songs on the speaker and dancing outside in the sun.

How have you address fashion with your young daughters? I know we have a lot of people asking about how to do sustainable dressing for babies and children!

Having three girls all very close in age means I’ve been able to pass almost everything down. We’ve even had old clothes of my husband’s to pass down! We shop second hand a lot, at vide- greniers which is the French equivalent of a car boot sale. And online – we love Dotte and Kids O Clock where you can find so many beautiful brands that are pre-owned. I’d also say, speak to friends and family, those with slightly older or slighter younger children. Pass things back and forth. And learn how to mend things – something I’m working on!

And what about plastic – with so many plastic things being marketed to children and new parents how have you tried to avoid it?

Understandably, plastic gets a bad rep. But it’s more about how we treat it – getting rid of it after just one use rather than respecting it as a durable, long lasting resource. And for many families – the more affordable option. I’d say if you are going to do plastic, avoid new plastic and buy existing plastic second hand. Play mobil from the charity shop or from your friend whose child’s grown out of it. And then pass it on. And if you want to avoid it entirely then make your own toys! Instead of a plastic kitchen or a plastic costume, make one from cardboard, nature or things around your home. Making your own toys is fun, affordable and planet kind.

Do you have any other resources you would suggest for any parents out there looking to make sustainable changes within their families?

My friend Kate @my_plastic_free_home has an amazing account where she shares so many wonderful eco tips for the home. Aja Barber’s book Consumed, on fast fashion has been eye- opening, and another book, The Flightless Traveller for travel ideas. We reduce waste and save time and money by meal planning for the week, I’d definitely recommend that. And one pot cooking – One Pot Pan Planet and One Pot: Three Ways are firm favourites in our home and we look to those for ideas of what to cook with our seasonal ingredients. Lastly cloth nappies. Even if only using them occasionally, it makes an impact. We love Pim Pam Cloth Nappies.

Any final top tips that you would love to share to any parents out there trying to make sustainable swaps?

Start small so as not to overwhelm yourself. Enjoy the things you already have and get as much use from them as you can. Collaborate with your community, whoever that is for you. Consider: what can you reuse, borrow or pass on? And when you find swaps that work for you, share them! You’ll keep them going that way. And of course, keep hold of your cardboard!

Finally, what is making you feel hopeful at this time about the future?

Connecting with like- minded parents and thinking of how the next generation are being raised. The wonderful environmental activists and groups that I follow, who are doing great work. My online community massively – I’m old school and not a huge fan of technology but cannot deny how incredible it is for sharing and discovering more earth- kind ways of living.

What is one thing we can do today to honour Mother Earth?

Enjoy her. Open the window or get outside. Listen to the birds sing, the wind in the trees. Walk barefoot on grass or on the beach. Watch the sun come up and go down. Enjoy the sun on your face or the sound of the rain. Marvel at the moon.

Love Mother Nature. Love her so much that looking after her becomes second nature.

Words from Sydney Piercey @sydney.piercey

Sydney Piercey’s Book:  Sustainable Play : 60+ crafts and games for an earth-kind home 

If you like this editorial with Sydney Piercey –

Be sure to check out these related links:

– 10 Sustainable Baby Essentials and Newborn Must Haves

– Our Guide to The Five Best Eco Friendly Diapers

– All parenting and baby editorials

Conscious Fashion for Summer Holidays

I am so incredibly excited to travel again, and am hoping to be able to visit some of the eco hotels I have had on my list for a couple of years now – mainly Finca Can Marti in Ibiza! Two of our newest lines have the beach essentials I will be investing in – Cloe Cassandro does the most beautiful ethical resort wear and Factor Bermuda has upcycled ocean plastic bathing suits that provide nice coverage in the place of having to put on chemical-laden sunscreen.

A Fresh Scent

As we move into Spring I am always excited to freshen up my scents a bit more to something floral and lighter than the muskier fragrances I like in the winter. For me, St. Rose hits just the right chord everytime when it comes to the perfect sustainable scents. The founder Belinda, who I was so happy to have join me on the REV Podcast, moves between Austaralia and the States, drawing inspiration from classic fragrances like rose and sandalwood. The two below are my favourite for the warmer months!

Elegant Jewellery To Be Worn Everyday

I have relied a lot on accessorizing for a bit of glamour to an otherwise very simple wardrobe, and these items have both been handmade in England with recycled materials! I’m in love with our new line Carolina de Barros! I am also a huge fan of Pippa Small Jewellery, which gives jobs to artisans in war torn countries and helps empower people living in some of the worst conflict zones on Earth. Her beautiful items reflect the resilience of the people who make them.

Ethical Leather Accessories to Last a Lifetime

For personal reasons, I haven’t been a huge fan of vegan leather though I am a staunch vegetarian!

Beyond Organic Beauty - Biodynamic Skincare

This line has been my go to since I first learned of them – I have been extremely curious about the use of biodynamic farming to help regenerate our soils and restore ecosystems and Maison Made is the first line I have found doing this! Their cleansing and facial oils truly smell like a lavender garden in France, and my skin has been lit from within ever since I started using them!

Sustainable Home - Organic Hemp Sheets

I am completely obsessed with our new bedding line Casa Parini, which is the world’s first sustainable luxury hemp bedding. The line is fully organic, fully plant based and fees so soft you would not believe it is made from hemp. I have never felt so good about sleeping!