Planet

Welcome to the most fabulous corner of the internet—Urban List's destination for the picks of the beauty crop. This month, our fave haircare has a glow up, there's new scents galore, indie brands are having a *moment* and a new immersive beauty space. 

The warmer weather is here, and that means it’s the season for lavender to bloom. Here are the best farms across New Zealand where you can stroll amongst the fields, take a picture for the gram and pick your own lavender. Hot tip: pop a few flowers into your next glass of champagne.

Sunflower season is short but sweet and while there might not be an abundance of sunflower farms in Aotearoa, there are five magical spots you’ll definitely want to visit.

There’s no getting around the fact that The Good Life requires something to live that good life on (aka a planet) but climate anxiety really knocks the dopamine out of a cheeky add to cart. 

To make things easy for you, we’ve created this list of the best places to buy your Christmas tree this year—now you have no reason to procrastinate!

Black Friday is on the horizon—Friday 29 November, to be exact—and while it’s a froth-worthy occasion for some, it prompts a wave of eye-rolling for others. The Conscious Countdown, however, is, allowing you to snag a bargain from a curation of local businesses that put the planet and people first. 

It’s all about choosing brands based on our own values—not just the dollar value of a product.

We've compiled a list of the top places to adopt a dog in Auckland so you can be part of the solution.

The best things in life are furry, so we've compiled a list of the top places to adopt a cat in New Zealand so you can help a kitty in need.

Forget everything you thought you knew about vegan and vegetarian food. Far from its can-o’-chickpea origins, vegan fare is now unapologetically delicious.

Give your space a budget and eco-friendly revamp with some of the best second-hand furniture stores in Auckland.

Sophie and Sam Hurley dreamt up Honest Wolf after searching for a niche in the market they could cater to using their farm’s existing resources.

How do the pair find time to inject subtle luxury into their jam-packed schedules as parents and sustainably conscious empire-starters?

Shop our selection of the best Christmas gift ideas this side of the North Pole.

From a 9-5 desk worker to a professional op shopper, Tabitha Coleman has turned one of her biggest passions into a full-time job.

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re a) on a device, b) connected to the internet, and c) know your way around the wonderful world web. While it’s easy to take these factors for granted, it’s important to realise this isn’t a reality for a lot of New Zealanders. 

Unless you're Barbie, the amount of single-use plastics we have is not fantastic. And with the drive of consumer culture and mass packaging, for many, the gravity of the problem is often overlooked. 

Shopping sustainably is becoming easier and easier, with more local NZ brands being launched all the time specifically developed to be way better for the environment than their predecessors. We've filled our list with some of the lesser-known brands, so you can support small business while you build your more sustainable life.

Green does not mean boring, folks. And, proving they know what’s what when it comes to all things good, The EcoFest Festival is returning for a month-long party of all things seriously eco! 

Well, whānau, what a time. As we finally come up for air following the unprecedented floods in Tāmaki Makaurau and with potentially more coming on the horizon, it’s time for us to come through for each other. 

Here we are again, whānau. Cyclone Gabrielle, hot on the tail of the recent floods, has put further strain on our communities. Here are 11 ways you can contribute to the Cyclone Gabrielle relief effort.

It's no secret we love Christmas and all the glitz and glam that comes with it, from beautifully wrapped gifts beneath pretty trees, to swanky end-of-year parties with fancy food and drink. However we also know that, as the Grinch himself discovered, 'Christmas means a little bit more'. It's about spending time with loved ones, creating special memories and most importantly—helping out those less fortunate than ourselves.

Make more conscious gifting decisions this Christmas.

Not many people can say they started a beauty brand in their own kitchen, but Brianne West did just that when launching Ethique.

Essential reading.

Chef's Josh Barlow and Brody Jenkins' menu deserves the top spot on your NZ eats list. 

It's time you watched Seaspiracy.

In recent times there’s been a welcome shift in tides to bring style and sustainability together thanks to some clever brands adopting planet-savvy changes. 

We’ve been longingly watching from across the pond and now it’s our time to enjoy the stunning outdoor vacay of a lifetime—Unyoked is finally launching their very first New Zealand nature escape, and it's going to be epic.

Say goodbye to plastic bottles and hello to healthy hair with Ecostore's new shampoo bars. 

Let's talk the "P-word".

Good for your tush, good for the planet.

adidas is inviting runners of all levels to crush the kilometres to help end plastic waste in our oceans. 

Held annually since 1974, the day acts as a reminder to individuals and businesses who are well on their sustainability journey or those at the very start, that we can all be making little changes in our day to day to protect the planet in a big way.

You’ve got Azalea Banks’ 212 blasting through your headphones, you’ve just clocked your fastest km to date, and you’re rounding out your morning run with an epic view of the sunrise. Feels good, doesn’t it? 

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. 

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 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. 

While the rest of us are settling into the new norm of an already strange 2022, luxe skincare brand Emma Lewisham has been busy proving itself a sustainability powerhouse once again by recently gaining a B-Corp certification. This means the brand is now recognised as meeting the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, joining the ranks of a global community of businesses that balance profit and purpose. Talk about a guilt-free shelfie. 

We all know how important good sleep is, just like we know how important quality bedding is for obtaining that sleep nirvana. Since it can feel a little daunting to navigate the many options on the market right now, we’re here to help. Whether it’s cotton or silk that tickles your fancy, we’ve got something for you!

If there’s one thing we love about summer, it’s the stacked social cal. And after this year, throwing on your party threads never felt so good. Whether it’s balmy beachside picnics, classy evening soirées or just a good old festive dinner—summer is where the socialising is at.   

If you haven’t heard of Rotoroa Island, you better catch up, stat, because you’re definitely missing out.

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.

We all know the struggle of trying to find the right pillow. Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for a healthy lifestyle, so we’re here to guide you in the comfiest direction.  

Face masks are now essential wear for all New Zealanders.

Making beautiful soaps with natural, plant-based ingredients only, this small Kiwi business is doing its bit to help to address the world’s big packaging problem by delivering bulk packs of soap to your door.

If Macklemore taught us anything during his brief but incontestable reign over the radio, it’s that thrift shopping—correction, op shopping—is f**kin’ awesome.

With Plastic Free July coming to an end and Conservation Week on the horizon, being mindful of our consuming habits should be our way of life. With the average Kiwi consuming 31kg of plastic per year (yikes), reducing our environmental footprint is something we need to consciously strive for every day.

When it comes to the beauty industry, sustainable and eco-conscious aren’t often the first words that come to mind, which is why we’re just a little bit obsessed with Anna Ross, the boss babe behind vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand Kester Black.

The winners of The Circle Awards AUS & NZ 2021 have officially been announced, and our carts (and hearts) are full of sustainable swaps we never knew we needed.

Washing your hair with solid shampoo and taking your keep cup everywhere is a solid way to make sustainable changes, but it’s super easy to forget that the environment comes into the equation with pretty much everything we do, and that includes getting married. 

Realising this gap between food waste and food insecurity, Nick Loosley founded Everybody Eats - a locally-based, not-for-profit with a mission to reduce food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand. With Everybody Eats scaling across NZ, we caught up with Nick to find out more about their origins, their mission, and hear about their new Goodie Box initiative. 

From growing your own vegetables to cutting down on single-use plastics, slashing your food waste and walking more, here are seven ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

Here at Urban List, we're passionate about putting our best foot forward, dedicated to being as conscious as possible when it comes to sustainability.

Little else compares to the feeling of drinking a coffee when you so desperately need one. As you’re sipping on your daily fuel, it might not occur to you that coffee directly contributes to environmental degradation in a myriad of depressing ways.

Ethique have gone and launched the line of eco-friendly lip balms we’ve all been waiting for.  

Check out our picks of Auckland’s best health food stores and get set to overhaul your pantry.

From combining pure, organic oils and creating divine signature scent combinations to making classy recyclable packaging, Becca Project has reimagined essential oil use through a range of covetable products.

Time to let op-shop fever set in. Whether you could easily lose a day browsing pre-loved goodies, or you’ve come across some of the harrowing stats about the clothing industry, there’s no denying the demand for second-hand clothes is growing.

Kiss goodbye those roots and split ends the environmentally-friendly way, here are the very best of the sustainable salons in Auckland. 

To feed our obsession with bees we caught up with the founder of Bees Up Top, Jessie Baker to ask her all our burning bee-related questions and to also ask how she ended up championing our tiny buzzy friends.

2020 is officially the year of the staycation, and we can't think of a better spot to spend our next getaway than in the heart of the city itself, at the newly revamped Britomart precinct.

Follow a few of these gems to fill up your feed with sustainable, original and drool-worthy fashion. 

There are times in life when you just need to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and treat your body and mind to a little TLC.

We caught up with Natalie Procter ahead of her show at NZFW '19 to talk setting up your own business, teleportation and her life-changing trip to India.