Live & Travel Sustainably

We’re heading off to revisit one of our favourite 2018 finds! @glenclovahotel is a hidden gem in the middle of nowhere, signal-free bliss! They are completely green 🌱; make all their heat and electricity on site utilising the natural resources surrounding them (including a hydro system featuring Loch Brandy 📷) and serve only locally grown food on a seasonal menu 👏👌. Next time you’re looking for a weekend getaway check out the behind the scenes of your hostel/hotel/b&b - you may be surprised what practices you’re inadvertently funding. We’ll be staying just next to Glen Doll (and Corrie ...

We have a new found appreciation for central heating and wardrobes full of layers since we decided to venture out this time last year and camp in a bothy in the middle of nowhere! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But please remember: 🧣turn off your heating when you’re not at home and before you ramp up the thermostat try putting on a few extra layers and lighting candles. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🦡 Spare a thought for wildlife trying to find food, water and shelter. As the @bbcspringwatch team and #winterwatch have already shown there’s a lot of life still out there even at this harsh time ...

It’s time for the @rspb_love_nature #biggardenbirdwatch 🦆 If you’ve ordered your kit already then what are you waiting for... off you go! 💪 if you’re wondering what on earth we’re talking about... 1. Choose a spot. A window in your home, a local park, a favourite outdoor area... and 2. Watch! For a one hour period count the maximum number of each bird species you see. 3. Submit your findings. It really is as simple as that and you’ll be contributing to a 40 year data set that allows experts to monitor and safeguard the species we ...

There is a week left in #veganuary - comment below if you've been a part of it?! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Even if you haven't eaten vegan every meal, have you had one meal or maybe replaced one ingredient with a vegan substitute because that still counts! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Overall the vegan diet is the most environmental friendly option out there. Of course some vegan products are better than others: choose oat rather than almond milk, choose tofu brands that source low-carbon soy (eg. Taifun) and skip the avocados and quinoa for which the global demand has out-priced ...

It's Squirrel Appreciation Day and what better day to share some love for our very own Red Squirrels. Reds are a real conservation success story here in Scotland and an iconic species we've had the pleasure of seeing several times. The Red Squirrel is an important species in the restoration of Scotland's Natural woodland, an exciting focus of Cairngorms Connect a project for which 2019 will be a huge year! You can stay up to date with their progress on @thecairngorms ✨ #squirrelappreciationday #squirrels ...

This time next week things get pretty exciting for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) - it's their Big Garden Bird Watch and we're all invited! 2019 marks the 40th year of the BGBW and it looks set to be bigger than ever (and 2017 had 497, 961 participants so that's pretty big!) If you haven't yet, head to their website and sign up to request your pack (they can post it out or you can do it all online). The BGBW started in 1979 as a one-off activity to find out the Top 10 most common ...

✈️ Airport hacks: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 1. Bring your reusable mugs, as long as they're empty it's not a problem to take them through security. Staying hydrated on any flight is really important so this also saves money on the inevitable water/coffee/juice purchase! #forthewin⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ✈️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 2. Bring your own snacks. Don't buy expensive airport food that is wrapped in plastic.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ✈️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 3. Take a bag with you to collect any rubbish you do end up accumulating so you can recycle it later.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ✈️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 4. Keep the plastic toiletry bag you get given through security. You have to use ...

What you eat has a huge impact on your health and the health of the Planet. We totally agreed with @chris.packham when he said whether you currently are a strict vegan or not, it’s about being open minded and not afraid of change, it’s a journey. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Not sure where to start?... If you're going to give up just one thing for the sake of the environment, let it be beef. With a 10x larger environmental impact than other meats, beef production requires a huge amount of land not just to rear the cattle but also to grow the ...

We're halfway into Veganuary - have you been following our top Vegan tips in our stories? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We're not strictly vegan but we do try to be conscious consumers and that means making informed choices which, more often than not, leads to the vegan option. We've made the switch from cow's milk to oat milk and dairy butter to olive spread with very little impact on our daily meals and habits. You don't need to beat yourself up about the changes you haven't yet made, just be open minded and make changes where you can. We prefer to think of ...

Sourcing food locally and having a seasonal diet is key in making good food choices. Have you thought about ordering a veg box? A simple Ecosia search led us to East Coast Organics - and now with their Bagless box we've eliminated the netting and plastic bags that was unavoidable with supermarket veg! Who else has discovered the wonders of a veg box? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 📷 from my Aunt’s garden! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #sustainableliving #greenteam

Our latest volunteer blog has been getting some serious love lately! Have you read about Claudia’s latest adventures at @Cikananga.foundation and if not why not 😂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Link in bio ⬆️✨⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #studentlife #studentplacement

When it comes to the environmental impact of getting around your local patch the best option is always public transport, followed by car sharing and finally private car use. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Living in and exploring Scotland is a privilege but finding (regular) public transport to remote, off-the-beaten-track locations can be a challenge… we therefore often find ourselves hiring a car to get us oot and aboot! This may not be the ideal choice but we make sure that we hire cars with the highest efficiency and lowest CO2 emissions. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ There is even the option nowadays to rent electric cars, which ...

A few years ago if you'd told us we'd be dabbling in veganism we'd have laughed out loud. And that's in spite of being serious animal lovers and conservationists. 🌱 Find your vegan inspiration with these instagram accounts: @zannavandijk @minimalistbaker @accidentallyveganuk @veganeatsplease @eatingwithmax ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #sustainableliving #eatvegan

One thing we are always saying we should do more of is read📚 We've made a pact to end the 'late night SM scroll' 📱by commiting to get to bed a bit early with a brew, pick up a book & read for at least half an hour every other night (...hey, it might not be the world's biggest commitment but it's something we should be able to do & we'll take it from there). Jess grew up being a proper book worm and apart from a weeks holiday in Cyprus in 2017 where she sat in a hammock ...

We’re a little *reflective* today... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ (😏 see what we did there)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We are serial planners... there is nothing we like more than a plan which is why we love New Year's resolutions because we.get.to.plan. We'll plan anything and everything and then stress and cry when it doesn't turn out the way the spreadsheet said it would. This year we've made a resolution to start each day fresh, to live each day fully and to focus on the huge positives and priviledges we have rather than trip up on the messy details✨⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We do this ConservationWise thing because ...

Cancel that gym membership whilst you still can - you don't need new lycra gear and a gym class list to get fit, you need to get outside... to quote Jeremy from Peep Show "...Mark, the world is my gym!" (pep talk to myself here). Whether it’s a walk through your local woodland, a jog through your nearest National Park or climbing a mountain, Nature has the full set of equipment and it's free. Commit to at least weekly sessions and thank us later 🕺🏻🏃‍♂️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #sustainableliving #greenteam ...

Every Jan our SM feed is chocked with messages about going to the gym, eating healthily, saving money…. BORING! This year try and go a different way with resolutions that'll save the world! Try and adopt small everyday changes that will cut your carbon footprint, like reducing the amount of meat you eat (going meat free is so easy nowadays - give it a try!), contribute to world changing projects (head along to the next SAS beach clean...live in-land, don't let that stop you - go for a walk/plog & pick up trash to keep it clean) & minimise ...

It can be pretty overwhelming to look at it all at once - plastic pollution, climate change, mass extinction and the urgent call for you to do your bit NOW… but don't get bogged down, global changes are afoot and each small step can add up to one big difference. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It's a time for resolutions and recommitments so join us in making yours to save the world. This is one you won't quit on! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It's pictures like this (mirror lakes in New Zealand to be exact) that remind us that when it's good it's really good, ...