THE SWAG BLOG

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ll have been hearing more and more about the benefits of the vegan lifestyle. Many people around the world have adopted the vegan diet including many famous faces both here in Australia and around the world. Most choose to go vegan to show their opposition to how farm animals are treated, and the effects mass farming is having on our planet. Below are some A-list evangelists of the vegan lifestyle: Liam Hemsworth & Miley Cyrus Our own home-grown Aussie Liam Hemsworth is one half of an extremely famous...

There is no shortage of articles, podcasts and presentations available online about the dangers of plastic and the detrimental impact it’s having on our environment. However, despite this wealth of information available, many people still choose to use plastic bags as their storage bag of choice. Whether its carrying your groceries from the supermarket to your home or storing your fresh fruit and vegetables and other foods, plastic is not the only answer and certainly isn’t the best one. Each one of us can make a huge difference to the world around us by making changes to adopt a more...

If you have ever opened your refrigerator or cupboard door to take out some fruit or vegetables to prepare only to find that they’ve started to decay, then you’re not alone. Australians waste tonnes of fruit and veg each year by letting it expire before consuming it. What many people don’t know is that there are natural ways to prolong the lifespan of your fruit and vegetables in storage. Below we have outlined some of our favourite tips for keeping your fruit and veg fresher for longer: Shop Local Where possible, it’s great to shop for fresh produce locally for...

While you may be conscious of not wasting food to both save money and help the environment, your children are unlikely to give quite so much thought to these things. As a result, it's important to teach your kids the importance of not wasting their food. As we’re a environmentally-responsible bunch here at The Swag, and know all about the eating habits of children, we’ve compiled the below tips to make your life a little easier when it comes to reducing how much food your kids waste: Be Stricter on the Snacks Children love to snack and graze as soon...

Did you know that we Australians waste around 20% of the food we buy, which is around $8 billion per year? Yes, $8 billion! This is an incredibly high figure and has a massive impact on the environment. The good news is that, now you’re aware of it, you can make a far more conscious effort not to waste food. In this article, we’ve compiled 5 easy ways to reduce how much food is wasted in your household, and save money in the process: Shop for less, more often It may seem convenient to do one big shop each week...

The negative effects of human behaviour on the environment has become an increasingly hot topic for discussion in recent years, and for good reason. Our planet, which has been around for 4.5 billion years is under threat more than ever before and we must all make small changes in our daily lives to preserve the planet we call home. However, despite the attention brought by go-green campaigns, one habit many people simply can’t shrug off is using too many plastic bags, and for the wrong purposes. We get it, plastic bags are convenient and readily available in our large supermarket...

For as long as we can remember plastic bags have been the go-to item for carrying our shopping home from supermarkets and retail stores. They are a part of every-day life and most of us don’t give them too much thought. However, there is a high price associated with our excessive use of plastic bags in Australia and it affects both our health and the environment around us. Many cities in countries around the world have either banned plastic bags altogether or attached a levy to their use whereby you must pay for each bag you use. Below we have outlined 5...

In the past 5-10 years, the vegan diet has been a talking point the world over. Australians have been quick to catch on this new dietary lifestyle choice with many of those following the diet quickly becoming evangelists for the cause. The vegan diet, quite simply, is part of a lifestyle which excludes the consumption or use of any products which come from animals. As animal products are renowned as important sources of protein, iron, vitamins and minerals, vegans must find alternatives sources of these key nutrients. Many choose to follow the vegan diet as they wish to prevent cruelty...

You don’t have to be on a cleanse to activate your body’s natural cleansing power. In fact, all you have to do is eat the rainbow! Mother Earth has given us a bounty of body-cleaning foods that come in red, green, purple, white, yellow and beyond! These foods contain a host of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that purify the liver and empower your body’s natural digestive processes, creating a stronger, more efficient you! As many doctors now know, 80% of your immune system lives in your gut. Here are some naturally toxic-fighting foods that will keep that gut (and...

(& Save Money to Boot)   Plastic-free July may be over, but we’re certainly not giving up the cause! I bet most of us don’t really think about what happens when we toss a plastic water bottle or wilted head of Romaine lettuce into the bin. But the truth is 27 percent of all food we buy ends up in the trash can. And that trash adds up fast. While The Swag helps you stay waste-free in the kitchen, here are some clever and creative tips from other Zero Waste leaders that will help you live a toxic-free, zero-waste life...

You make your list, check it twice. Then, you head out to brave the crowds at your local farmer’s market. Instead of buying packaged, sugar-ridden food, you buy what you know your body needs — crisp greens, tender tomatoes, fragrant herbs and fresh vegetables and fruit. While no one really enjoys creating waste, going completely plastic-free while eating fresh is tough. If you’re 80% plastic-free but tired of using plastic to get your produce to the checkout counter, check out our 100% natural cotton grocery bag. Before long, your bag is filled up with delicious, whole foods you will be...

Did you know that the food you buy in the grocery stores in America passed a rigorous “attractive” test before it made it on those shelves? It’s true! The apples, tomatoes and spinach you just bought are the most appealing and “blemish-free” produce available on the market. Their less-attractive sisters and cousins, on the other hand, did not pass the test. A recent report from The Guardian shows that Americans throw away all most as much food as we eat. Why? Because we want our food to look perfect, of course! From watermelons to avocados, if it doesn’t look just...