OBÕæÈËÊÓѶ

Babe, wake up—a new luxury eco-resort is set to drop in 2027. After a ten-year hiatus, Hook Island is making its return thanks to Epochal Hotels’ CEO Glenn Piper. 

Sustainable living starts with small, impactful changes, so who better to inspire us than our fave eco-friendly cafes leading the charge? 

When searching for your next podcast binge, turn to Australia’s greatest storytellers—Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices—for a truly enriching listen.

Make conscious and considered choices when deciding what to buy and give.

Pride month 2021 is here and big brands are switching gear to monetise the rainbow. In the last decade alone it’s clear to see companies have caught onto the fact that LGBTQI+ folks, well... actually buy things. In fact, we buy quite a lot of things. Enough things, companies have realised that it might actually be worthwhile to try and appeal to us so we start buying their things as well. And thus, Rainbow Washing was born. 

Ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10, we want to hit you with a pretty cool initiative we’ve come across that’s definitely worth your attention.

I didn't know what to write for International Women's Day, so I did what any full-grown adult woman would do: I called my mum for advice. While riding the bus home from work, tired, my mum simply said, "Tell the truth." So here it is.

No matter how many snags you throw on the barbie and games of beach-cricket you play, the resulting centuries of dispossession and dislocation cannot be denied.

The collective strength of Blackfullas across the country, united in our fight against Australia Day, offers solace and a sense of belonging amidst the chaos in Australia. 

It was never the date to celebrate.

“We need to dramatically pick up the pace and get global emissions plummeting this decade.”

With a variety of fabrications to choose from—from recycled plastic bottles to cactus leather—these vegan-friendly and fashion-forward finds are just as luxurious (and buttery) as their non-vegan counterparts. Scroll to shop our favourite vegan leather handbags. 

Looking for the coolest cafes across Melbourne to fill up at? We’ve sussed the ultimate hit list for you below—happy sipping. 

Deadly tees, statement earrings and spicy pantry fillers.

Who would have thought that one would need to source native Australian produce from an international market?    

What can't he do?

Your quick guide to the very best.

Yorta Yorta rapper Senator Briggs articulated it perfectly when he posted—“There was always going to be work to be done, now we’ll know where to spend our energy”.

"Living in a consumer driven world, where we are constantly exposed to able-bodied imagery in social media, advertising, and the news; people with a disability are repeatedly left out and forgotten about."

As the date of the referendum on a representative body quickly approaches, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia find themselves in a familiar and unsettling position.

If you’re committed to voting ‘yes’, read on for your guide to Yes Marches taking place around Australia's big cities.

Here in Australia, we’re fortunate to have one of the oldest and richest cultures in the world. If you haven’t yet explored our beautiful backyard with a First Nations tour guide or travel company, you’re seriously missing out. Sometimes the hardest part is finding out which tour operators are truly owned and operated by Australia’s First Nations people, but not anymore. Enter Welcome to Country, Australia's first not-for-profit online marketplace for Indigenous tourism experiences and products.

As much as we love to travel, we all need to do our bit to help reduce our footprint, be it here at home or on the beaches of Croatia. While it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of planning your next sojourn, we all need to be conscious that the jet fuel, the plethora of packaging we take with us, the disruption to nature and the over-use of energy all add up. To help you become a more sustainable traveller, here are eight environmentally-friendly travel tips you should implement on your next holiday. 

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This year, the theme is Be Brave. Make Change — a challenge for non-Indigenous Australians to really tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation across Australia. 

Become a citizen scientist? Tick.

There’s no better place to start educating yourself on the environmental community, sustainable businesses to know about and zero-waste habits to start practicing, then with a podcast

Chances are you’re already dabbling in sustainability by using reusable products and making thoughtful swaps to better our planet. Now it’s time to take things up a notch by giving your reading list some serious cred with our favourite books on sustainability.

Your allyship is valuable, and the work that goes on behind closed doors is the work that ends up changing the cultural climate. 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, the artificial intelligence and chatbot boom we’ve experienced this year should come as no surprise.

This year’s International Women's Day theme is ‘Cracking the Code, focusing on innovation for a gender equal future and closing the digital divide’. 

Antarctica's oceans are the heart of our systems globally and so many communities depend on the health of this polar ecosystem. 

“Australian First Nations music is a powerful force that has existed for tens of thousands of years."

January 26 was never a day of celebration.

You asked, we delivered.

“We have a window of opportunity this decade to shape a better future for our Reef."

Essential reading.

Protecting Country is protecting people.

From TikToker’s like Dylan Mulvaney and nonbinary actors like Emma D’arcy, this year has been massive for trans representation—so let’s keep the ball rolling.

With the weather getting warmer, we love to kick-start our day with a nourishing smoothie. But not all protein powders are created equal, which is why we’ve rounded up the very best for you to get that extra hit of goodness in your daily shake.

The stuff is best described as an eco-friendly super-soap for more reasons than one—here’s why you should be adding a little castile soap to your life.

Australia has a toxic relationship with clothing waste.

We’ve found a bunch of absolutely stunning companies that value both the environmental impact and human rights of sourcing the stones and materials to help get you started on your exciting journey ahead.

Strap in, it’s time to Maria Kondo your bra collateral.

The people of Zenadh Kes are on the front line of climate change with rising sea levels, increasing extreme weather events and coastal erosion affecting the 18 inhabited islands in the region, threatening many communities’ way of life and culture.  

“The big Supermarkets have Asian, Mexican, English aisles but they don’t stock our incredible Native Australian ingredients. Why?”

Supports your body, and supports the planet. 

So you want to live a greener life but don’t know where to start? Since we’re all on our phones anyways, why not add more sustainable content to your Insta feed? From drool-worthy, plant-based recipes and where to find the best keep cups to fashion and zero waste hacks, we’ve got you covered with a list of accounts that are bound to motivate and inspire you to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

Say goodbye to an empty supplement shelf with Vitable delivered straight to your door. 

 Today, we’re making a case for bamboo tumblers, the single most important detail that will really raise your vibrations and make your day that much better.

It’s shocking to discover that almost half of the waste thrown out in the typical Aussie household is organic material that could have been turned into black gold rather than being mindlessly chucked out. We here at OBÕæÈËÊÓѶ believe that every individual has a responsibility to make small attainable changes in our everyday lives to help our beautiful mother nature prosper, and while we know it’s hard to rewrite the world’s carbon emissions, we’ve started small and created a simple beginners guide to composting to get you on your way.

Style shouldn’t cost the Earth, so now’s the time to adopt a new mantra: buy less and choose well.

Life-altering stuff.

As much as we're all conscious of living a more sustainable life, some things are, simply, hard to do greener. Unfortunately, the old bathroom cabinet is one such space, packed with bottles, tubs, single-use wrappers and more plastic than a five-year-old's toy box.

Let's talk the "P-word".

Good for your tush, good for the planet.

Natural deodorants contain safe and recognisable ingredients like coconut oil and cornstarch to neutralise that bad-smelling bacteria, whereas antiperspirants use aluminium chlorohydrate and other pore-blocking, hard-to-pronounce chemicals. FYI, if you have sensitive skin, you should look for natural deodorants that are free of fragrances and dyes to put your pits completely at ease.

The Iconic is embracing modestwear with a new section dedicated to modest fashion. 

If you, like us, dread the Sunday night pilgrimage to the supermarket to get your week’s worth of groceries then rejoice because you no longer have to leave the couch. Bulk food stores, as well as being incredibly good for the environment, are also super handy and even better, many have gone digital. Yep, that means you can shop sustainability whilst vegging out in your trackies at home. 

Do your part for the planet by checking out these eco-friendly beauty products, so you can look good and feel great doing it. 

Lined with the latest collections from hard-to-find labels to the bigger international houses, these are Australia’s best online fashion rental sites—so you can own-it without owning it.

The statement is a formal declaration calling for the constitutional recognition of First Nations people.

Just a few days ago, I saw a tweet from Yorta Yorta rapper Adam Briggs that resonated with me. “Reconciliation is for white people. [They] are the ones who need to reconcile”. I laughed, but then thought I couldn’t have said it better myself. I can’t speak on behalf of all First Nations people, but in my opinion— the celebration of reconciliation and the surrounding events are problematic. Here’s why.

Ethique's new range of conscious and concentrated beauty and household cleaning bars are guaranteed to be a game-changer in the sustainable space.

Innovation throughout the fashion and beauty industry is at an all time high this year with brands waking up to a new age of inclusivity. 

Today, Monday 17 May, is International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), a day which has been celebrated every year since 17 May 1990 when the World Health Organization declassified homosexuality as being a mental disorder.

More than one billion people in 192 countries participate in Earth Day activities each  year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. 

To put it simply, the theory behind the CE is about transforming our current linear consumption model (Take-Make-Waste) into a circular one that keeps products and services in use for longer (well, forever) to reduce environmental impact and protect precious natural resources. 

The best thing to do when you’re unclear on how to use terminology to talk about the trans people you know is to ask them!

Each year, countries all around the world unite together for Earth Hour, one of the largest global movements where millions of people pledge to become more earth-conscious by partaking in an electricity-free hour. On 26 March at 8:30pm AEST we’re turning off the lights, the electricity and even our phones (you can do it!) for one hour all in the name of sustainability. 

Clean Up Australia Day is Sunday 6 March and it’s more important than ever that we all get involved. Among the regular garbage we unfortunately find littering our beaches, parklands and streets, COVID-19 has resulted in a drastic increase of masks and disposable gloves clogging up our waterways and threatening marine life. 

Textile waste is a huge problem in Australia, with every Aussie contributing an average of 23 kilograms to landfill annually

To make true strides to social justice for all women, we need to be receptive to all types of lived experiences for women.

Bless your ears with these incredible LGBTQI+ podcasts that will make you laugh and cry with their raw, honest and hilarious storytelling. From celebrity hosts and guest stars to award-winning journalists and activists, these queers podcasts are seriously binge-worthy.

LGBTQI+ stories on screen have become more prevalent in recent years (and rightly so), giving a historically silenced community a proud voice. From confronting and necessary stories of hardship depicting the queer community’s history and current realities to ones of hope and joy which celebrate and normalise LGBTQI+ sexuality and relationships. Lucky for us, streaming platforms are now dedicating more of their libraries to sharing tales of romantic love, friendship, family, self-love, and community.

An edu-gay-tional journey back in time.

When it comes to finding love, every person, with a disability or not, should have the right to seek and explore social connections online.

Born in 2019, Australian-based sneaker brand BLAC needs to be on your radar if you’re looking to take positive, planet-saving steps when it comes to style.

Clean beauty refers to beauty brands who have dropped the harsher, harmful chemicals in their recipes and packaging in favour of cleaner, more sustainable beauty. These are the clean beauty brands you need to know right now. 

Plan for summer's swim-filled days—these are the best sustainable swimwear brands to shop now. 

Top of our list this year for a gift that gives back is The Hunger Project’s amazing Hamper for Change.

Today is International Day of People with Disability—this year’s theme is “Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world.” It’s a day for disabled people to be centered and celebrated, and for us to reflect on the achievements within the disability communities.

Joining the strong list of Indigenous-owned labels that are sparking conversations across the country and decolonising our wardrobes comes Athe Threads, a Torres Strait Islander clothing label out of Meanjin (Brisbane) that was created to share and celebrate Torres Strait Islander culture.

If there’s one thing we all need, no matter the time of the year, it’s a fully stocked drinks cabinet. Instead of opting for your usual booze delivery, why not do the planet (and potentially your liver) a solid and try sustainable, organic tipples instead? 

The term zero waste has been on the upward trend for a while now, but it’s one that we hope will stick around for the long haul. When you consider that one million plastic bottles are purchased around the world each minuteand that 91% of plastic is never recycled, well it’s enough to make your head hurt. Most people are aware by now of what you need to do to reduce your waste at home, and it’s not all that different when you’re travelling, but we’re going to break it down for you so there are no excuses.

There are plenty of ways to live a greener, more eco-conscious lifestyle. Ditching single-use plastic helps, as does eating less or no meat, and taking public transport over hopping in your car is, of course, an obvious one. One lesser-known method to doing our part for the planet, and one that has the potential to improve our carbon footprint by 27 times, is to join the clean money revolution.

On a journey to live a greener life? Technology is proving itself as the key to protecting Mother Earth. Innovative products are making sustainable living more viable and, ultimately, making the world a better place.

When it comes to special jewellery, the sort you want to gift on special occasions and treasure as heirlooms for years to come, Sydney-based Natalie Marie Jewellery needs to be on your wish list.

While Australia has been making positive strides to support LGBTQI+ communities in recent years, there is still a significant amount of work to be done to achieve true diversity and inclusion, especially in workplaces across the country.           

We tried out Lush's zero waste skincare and beauty products for a week—here's what we thought.