Road trips and Easter Eggs

I'm finishing off the week with a cup of chai and my chocolate Lint bunny from a colleague. 5 days off and the excitements in the air!

I'm looking forward to the long road trip with my girls, drinking coffee and screaming some Alanis. We'll go to the beach, visit markets, go to church on Easter Sunday and in between all of that I'll be writing my essay on sustainable peace-building and reconciliation. We'll eat chocolate eggs, and wear our pyjama's till midday. We'll discuss our fundraiser party coming up in two weeks, and the project we're working on in Northern Uganda. We might watch a movie, probably a chic flick and dream of travels.



My head swirls in paradox as I dream and plan. I'm working for a charity, doing my Masters in Peace and Conflict, going to church on Sunday. It seems good and altruistic. But what about the chocolate we'll eat? And the clothes we'll wear? Somewhere in India or the Ivory Coast a young girl is working 18 hours a day so we can have these 'necessities'.

It's a depressing thought, and one we shy away from. I harp on about fair trade and being sustainable, yet I just bought some winter necessities and I can guarantee it's not ethical.

So how do we do this? How do we live in a world where we consider our neighbour and justice comes through peace?

I wish I had the answers, but that's why I started this blog. Because I don't. None of us do, but we can walk the journey together and learn from each other. 1st world living is full of inequality and paradox's. It's who we are and our environment.

On a weekend where we celebrate the grace and freedom of what Easter means, is we can eat Fair Trade chocolate, providing those who have never tasted what they pick, a brighter future.

Yoganics

What do you get when you add Yoga and Organic Bamboo?

Yoganics.



My new clothing obsession!!

I actually hate spending money on gym clothes (my runners will testify to that), because I'm going to be hot and sweaty in them any way, I don't really see the point in looking good. But Yoganics are the game changer! Not only do I actually look forward to wear my leggings, but I can wear them guilt free, knowing the material is organic and made from Bamboo, not cotton!

I've asked the designers of Yoganics to comment on the manufacturing and origin of the bamboo to make sure it's been an ethical process from go-to-wo. I haven't heard back yet, so if you purchase a bamboo cami or bike-shorts, drop them an email asking.

Alright, I'm off for some sun-salutations.

Namaste. 

Creating Hope at your Dinner Table!

What are your plans for catching up with your friends in May? I bet they consist of dinner somewhere, maybe a few glasses of wine…probably setting you back about $40? What if you still had dinner with your friends, but that $40 you’d normally spend went to the fight against homelessness? Well, HopeMonth can help you!

HopeMonth is where individuals like you and I can host our own fundraisers in support of our fellow Aussies roughing it on the streets this winter. All the money raised goes to HopeStreet – Urban Compassion, a grassroots organisation working to address homelessness in Sydney through programs aimed at offering a hand up, not just a hand out.  Australians aren’t immune to homelessness with the most staggering statistic suggesting that the average Australian is only 2 weeks away from homelessness if they lose their income. Almost one in a hundred of us did experience a spell of it during the last year. Anyone is at risk of homelessness.

HopeMonth is a practical way you can help end homelessness and still do what you love doing! So still have that dinner with your friends, just host it at your place! When you register your meal at www.hopemonth.com and invite your friends, you specify how much you want them to donate in order to book at seat at your table! It’s that simple.

What better occasion than to clear off that dining table and put the skills you learnt from Master Chef to the test! (Don’t worry if you can’t cook, I’m sure your friends will still love you if you serve them char-grilled sourdough).