Sustainability

If there was ever a time to shop local on the Gold Coast, it's now.

Babe, wake up—a new luxury eco-resort is set to drop in 2027. After a ten-year hiatus, Hook Island is making its return thanks to Epochal Hotels’ CEO Glenn Piper. 

The Gold Coast is a hub for tasty vegan eats, with vegan cafes, restaurants and bakeries popping up on the regular. 

Set yourself a pledge to give back. Volunteering your time and effort is a rewarding, warm-fuzzy experience. The positives are endless: you’ll experience a sense of purpose, learn new skills, and connect with cool new peeps.

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. 

A green getaway is more than just a fun alliteration—it’s the way we should all start thinking about how we travel. We’re talking booking a stay somewhere that uses low-lighting, harvests rainwater and composts, among other things. 

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.

National Reconciliation Week runs from 27 May until 3 June each year, so now, more than ever is the right time to acknowledge and celebrate the rich history and culture of Australia’s First Nations people.

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.

We all love a good pamper at the salon, it’s the ideal opportunity to sit back and relax and let the worries of the world wash over you. But you don’t want your hair and beauty regime to come at the expense of the environment. Did you know that the Australian hairdressing industry is responsible for sending more than 1-million kilograms of aluminium foil to landfill every year? Not to mention the nasty chemicals being washed down the drain and penetrating your skin during colour sessions and treatments.

Sea levels and temperatures aren’t the only things rising year-on-year. So too are a selection of the Gold Coast’s restaurants and cafes, rising to the occasion and doing their bit for the environment.

Want to put your green thumb forward while enjoying your break? Too easy. It turns out Queensland is stacked with sustainable, environmentally friendly eco-hotels. 

Created using Cottonised Hemp instead of regular cotton, Levi’s new High Loose and Stay Loose jeans are a revelation for our times. If you’re not yet clued into Cottonised Hemp, this water-saving, energy-saving, low-chemical innovation has been specially designed for Levi’s. 

This year’s Australian House of the Year awards have been doled out and the judges have spoken. Chosen by a panel of industry experts, one Gold Coast home stood out from the rest: this modest Cantala Avenue House in Miami.

Got your keep cup and a reusable water bottle? Level up with these plastic-free products from Go For Zero. 

Check out the five best community gardens on the Gold Coast, and see what you can do to get involved. 

If you're looking for a reason to start shopping at bulk food stores, we have three for you. It's better for the planet, you can buy as little or much as you want and you know the produce is fresh. 

Let us introduce Urban List Sustainability, a commitment we are launching in partnership with Bank Australia to take our platform and our incredible community to the next level as we commit to having an even more positive impact on the planet and its people.

These six standout brands with innovative packaging ideas are here to help save the planet. 

If there is one chef that everyone and his dog in the region knows about, it’s Darren Robertson. The man is a culinary legend, leading the charge of The Three Blue Ducks at Byron Bay’s The Farm and W Brisbane. And this weekend, at Noosa’s new The Curated Plate event, foodies are getting the chance to witness this culinary genius in action with a few of his closest culinary counterparts. 

On Saturday 31 August, Burleigh Heads will play host to the inaugural Gold Coast Whale Festival, organised by local NGO Humpbacks and Highrises. The festival will raise awareness in the community about our need to care for and protect our oceans and these incredible creatures of the deep. 

A few months back, an incredible farm cafe quietly opened with little fanfare and utmost modesty. It’s been flying under the radar except for those in the know. Until now. After a recent visit, we feel it’s our duty to spread the good word about our favourite new regional dining experience. 

Now all you've got to do is grab a reusable cup and take it places with you. Plus, you can even save yourself some coin!

If you’re on a plastic-free mission it can be a little disheartening when you arrive at the supermarket to find more than a third of the fresh produce suffocated in plastic. Had plans to make risotto and need one stick of celery? Too bad, you can only choose from a huge bunch (of which most will go to waste), half a bunch wrapped in cling-wrap or a few pre-chopped sticks in a sealed plastic bag.

First of all, forget everything you thought knew and had come to expect from a nail salon. Because Burleigh newbie, ERVA is the total opposite. The vegan and organic salon is welcome addition to the beauty scene in a time where we’re more conscious of what we’re putting in and on our bodies.

There are some incredible restaurants within a leisurely drive from the Gold Coast that should be on everyone’s weekend to-do list. 

Let’s chat about breaking a dirty, little habit. No, we don’t mean your daily 3pm chocolate binge, we’re talking about using and abusing plastic for just about everything. The time has come to give it all up. 

Sure, we may complain about the frosty mornings, but really, we don’t have winter too bad in these parts, especially when the GC are putting on some seriously stellar events. And there is absolutely no way we are accepting an ‘it’s too cold’ excuse not to get in on food fests, fireworks competitions and Cooly Rocks On! Here are the best things to do on the Gold Coast this June.

We all (hopefully) understand the importance of being Green. It is 2019, after all. Living a sustainable and responsible life is no longer a choice, it’s the only option. From a local perspective, caring for the earth means caring for the Gold Coast’s stunning beaches, clean water, amazing hinterland and diverse wildlife. Enter Gold Coast Green Week, a ten-day festival of activities that celebrate our incredible local environment. This year’s line-up consists of over forty-five events hosted by a range of community organisations and businesses.

You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t adore sartorial sister act Jess and Stef Dadon. From their perfectly curated Instagram account How Two Live (with 99k followers and counting), to their brand-new podcast and amazing vegan shoe range TWOOBS, the siblings are the definition of boss babes.

Described as “earth, people and animal-friendly”, each one of Wolfgang Scout's plush jumpers is hand knitted by Indian artisans, made using Australian yarn and hand-dyed with natural and organic dyes. 

As far as dream jobs go, they don’t get much greater than owning your own record label. Top that off with the fact that you’re only 23 years old and you’ve got Perth music mogul in the making, Vincent Tolefe. Transforming his love of beats into Your Angle Records, Tolefe is solid proof that hard work, patience and passion are all the ingredients you need for the kind of day job most could only image.  

Tkay Maidza is the ambitious Australian rapper taking up space on everyone’s playlist right now. We caught up with her during recording sessions in Melbourne to dive into her wardrobe and talk creative inspirations, self-discovery, fashion as expression and never (ever) blending in.

The best thing about vegan food is that it’s for everyone. Because, newsflash, you don’t actually have to be vegan to eat vegan, crazy we know. To meat eaters it was once thought that a secret society of basket weaving mountain monks held the keys to this mysterious meat-free lifestyle and if you didn’t have the right password (the password is “seeds” just so you know) then you weren’t allowed in. But never fear, it’s 2018 people and the Gold Coast is home to some top-notch vegan choices that not only bring joy to vego’s but delight to the rest of us trying to cut down on our meat intake. Rejoice!

Magnum has announced that vegans can have a piece of the goodness.

In the past five years, homelessness in Australia has increased by 14 per cent. Broken down, that’s 50 homeless people per 10,000 people. If you live in the city, there’s a large chance you encounter homelessness every day. But how often do you actually stop, sit down, and have a conversation with these people?

You never realise how hard it is to buy for a vegan until you’re stuck doing it. Make things easy on yourself and treat your vegan friend to one of these treats.

To propel positive change this holiday season, we’ve rounded up seven of our favourite ING Dreamstarter startups, each with standout causes to get behind and sustainable products worth giving.

Seriously though, how much time do you have because we’ve been lusting over everything all damn day.

Down in this beautiful pocket of the world we’re blessed with some of the most incredible beaches and marine life, but it’s on us all do our bit to ensure the next gen can enjoy and appreciate that big, beautiful blue and its inhabitants.