While the phrase ‘New Year, New Me’ has been over-used so much that I feel it makes just about everyone cringe, I am excited to begin 2021 with some intentional rituals. There is this certain energy of hope and renewal that comes with a new year, and I feel that this is particularly true of 2021. 2020 is over, at last. And everyone is hoping for a different kind of year this time around. I have never experienced such a strong bond between all of humanity as I have in 2020. Everyone this year has experienced the same feelings of fear, the unknown, anxiety around what we cannot control, all ..read more

In this article, we will focus on how to improve sleep hygiene. Sleep is a central part of every person’s health and well-being. Yet, it is often neglected because due to our busy lifestyles. During sleep, the body heals and repairs itself and this affects both our physical bodies and our brain function. There is strong scientific support which suggests that sleep is an important contributor to the proper functioning of nearly all of the systems of the body, and consistent lack of sleep can lead to a wide range of negative health problems. But what happens when we find it difficult to sleep ..read more

It can be so easy to feel distanced from nature while living in a city. Our urban lives can seem concrete, indoor and exclusive from the habitats of the natural world. While this may not bother some, there is scientific research to suggest that being in nature relieves stress and improves our physical well-being. If we want to thrive and become a healthy and happy society as a whole, it’s so important to restore our connection with nature. Here are five tips on how to do just that. 1. rethink the term 'nature' When thinking of ‘nature’, I will often picture mountains, camping, the sea, an ..read more

Rose water is an amazing skin toner and cleanser. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and can reduce redness and acne, as well as control excess oil. It’s also so easy to make if you have access to a few fresh rose heads. Check out the recipe below to make your very own DIY at-home rose water. 1. Collect Rose Heads I simply snipped the heads off of three roses.  This made plenty of rose-water for me (around 400mls). 2. remove rose petals Gently remove the rose petals and pop them into a bowl. Blow off any excess dirt or bugs. 3. Add water Mix one part rose petals to three parts wat ..read more

No need to budge; helping the environment doesn’t have to be tricky. Sometimes all it takes is a few extra minutes to do something kind for the Earth, even while sitting on your couch!  1. Support a Green Bank Arguably one of the most effective ways of helping the environment from your couch: Take some time and switch over to an environmentally-conscious or ‘green’ bank.  Banks work through investing money, so why not choose a bank that invests in things that you support; such as low-carbon infrastructure instead of oil companies?  Banks have a huge amount of power and ..read more

If you are looking for an environmental charity in Ireland to get involved with or donate to, here are a few of my favourite. Some of these are membership based, which means you get the fun of being involved with their work, as well as supporting a great cause! I have tried to pick a variety of different types of work – supporting Irish biodiversity, trees and forests, wildlife, reducing waste and influencing policies, as well as working to protect Irish peatlands. While Ireland is a beautiful country, there is much work needed going forward to make Ireland more sustainable, for ourselves an ..read more

Intersectional environmentalism is a term I have learned recently due to increased awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement this year. I am ashamed to say that before the death of George Floyd and all of the other horrifying scenes and information floating about the media, I had been ignorant to the amount of racism still present in our world. When I began to expand my awareness and learn (I still have A LOT of learning to do) about these issues, I came across Leah Thomas’ instagram account, which has since gained an amazing following and has lead to an Intersectional Environmentali ..read more

Simple and sustainable living has been around for decades, but is now gathering so much momentum that it is becoming mainstream.  Simple living describes the act of simplifying and slowing one’s life down. It’s a voluntary practice that may be characterised with people being satisfied with what they have, rather than what they want. For me, simple living and sustainability go hand in hand, as through living simply we often naturally adapt sustainable practices. Alongside these movements comes many positive changes. Changes in our societies, our environment,  to the way that we con ..read more

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological term which is used to describe the stress one feels when their behaviour conflicts with their beliefs. Cognitive dissonance is an interesting theory, and one that I feel could help to explain and possibly remove some barriers that prevent environmental change. It may help us to see why people act in ways that damage the Earth, and how to recognise and reduce cognitive dissonance in ourselves as well as others. An example of cognitive dissonance would be when people smoke (behaviour) but they know that smoking causes cancer (cognition or beli ..read more

While the phrase ‘New Year, New Me’ has been over-used so much that I feel it makes just about everyone cringe, I am excited to begin 2021 with some intentional rituals. There is this certain energy of hope and renewal that comes with a new year, and I feel that this is particularly true of 2021. 2020 is over, at last. And everyone is hoping for a different kind of year this time around. I have never experienced such a strong bond between all of humanity as I have in 2020. Everyone this year has experienced the same feelings of fear, the unknown, anxiety around what we cannot control, all ..read more