My Little Green Book

I was recently asked if I had a ‘Little Green Book’ – a directory of all of my favourite resources that help me navigate my journey to living a bit lighter on the planet? While I love the romantic notion of a beautifully bound notebook filled with flowy writing of all of my go-to sources – the idea of adding yet another item to my already cluttered handbag doesn’t really excite me. But… the question did make me realise that I have a virtual ‘Little Green Book’ in my head. There are some brilliant New Zealand resources and guides compiled by some very cool people that I find myself going back to over and over again.

• Zero Waste Shopping: Hannah and Liam, the two epic humans behind The Rubbish Trip, have created a phenomenally awesome resource that I frequent often. Their Regional Zero Waste Shopping Guides list places all over the country that support a Zero-waste lifestyle.
• Secondhand: I love secondhand shopping as a way to keep things going for longer. The great team at Collectors Anonymous compile a guide every year with over ‘1,500 listings of vintage boutiques, op shops, antique stores, secondhand book retailers, auction houses, junk shops, recycled building suppliers and more’.
• Use Your Own: If I’m searching for a café that embraces the idea of reusable cups and containers, I head to UYO. It’s a brilliant online guide of cafes across NZ that are ‘ProActive about their role in halting throwaway culture by welcoming UYO = Use Your Own.
• Mind hive: With over 30,000 members, the  Zero Waste in NZ! Facebook page is a great resource for finding answers and information. I find it super useful for things like product recommendations or ideas on how to reuse, repair or rehome things.
• Filling up: If I’m looking to fill up my water bottle when I’m out and about, I’ll jump on the Refill NZ app. It’s an interactive map of thousands of drinking fountains and ‘water bottle filler upper friendly places’ around the whole of Aotearoa.
• Compost: On more than one occasion I have been out of my natural habitat and needed to find somewhere to take my compost. Enter… the Sharewaste app! This ingenious platform connects people with food scraps with people with compost bins – how cool is that?!?

Check out some of the resources and start compiling your very own ‘Little Green Book’.