Upside-down guides sustainable living
Kate Hall sleeps upside down, dislikes the phrase ‘‘saving the planet’’ and has declared 2022 the year of the Wardrobe Freeze.
Self-described sustainability champion Hall, aka Ethically Kate, is providing advice on doing the right thing for both ourselves and the planet.
Hall offers her advice on Instagram and in her new book Better, Bolder, Different: Inspiration for Sustainable Living.
First up, Hall hates the phrase ‘‘saving the planet’’. ‘‘We’re not saving the planet, we’re just actually being a bit less shit,’’ she said.
For Hall, sustainability covers mental and physical health, lifestyle and relationships, as much as it includes the environment.
‘‘I believe even if we weren’t in this climate crisis, I would still be encouraging people to live this way.’’
Hall said people should think about their values and live ‘‘in a more conscious and aware kind of way’’, to have a more fulfilling life.
Every Thursday Hall and her husband sleep in bed upside down, with their heads up where their feet would usually be.
When you switch up your routine you look at your room differently, you get out of bed on a different side, and step out of bed using a different foot, she said.
‘‘You open your mind to a whole lot of new ideas and ways and it kind of breaks that routine and changes something in your mental space.
‘‘And I find that that’s a really positive thing for opening your mind up to other sustainable options and habits.’’
Avoiding fast fashion – mass-produced, lower-quality cost clothing often not worn long before it is replaced – is a topic Hall covers in her book.
Wanting to walk the talk, Hall has deemed 2022 the Wardrobe Freeze.
‘‘Nothing new has come into my wardrobe. Nothing second-hand, nothing gifted, nothing sustainably made. Nothing. ‘‘No jewellery, no underwear.’’
Hall was surprised by how she had found it, initially thinking she would miss shopping more.
‘‘I have found myself almost repulsed by second-hand shops, almost uncomfortable because just the overload of stuff.’’
Hall will be speaking about her book at a free event in the Palmerston North City Library tonight at 6.30pm.
Contact Paper Plus to attend. Email palmerstonnorth@paperplus.co.nz or phone (06) 3594635.