Eve Cork Blog

Traveling with the greater good of our planet in mind can sometimes be difficult, but if every traveler had the same mindset (and implemented these travel tips) our collective impact could be unbelievable! Remember, we are guests on this planet we call Earth and it is our duty to protect it to the best of our ability. With that said, we put together a list of 10 impactful ways to decrease your carbon footprint while traveling across the world!

Book non-stop flights

If you aren’t able to take a train, boat or bus, you may be stuck flying to your destination. Don’t you worry, though! Booking a non-stop flight is one way to lessen your carbon footprint and have a clean(er) impact on the environment compared to connecting flights.

Take a S’Well  bottle!

Photo Via: @axelandash

Being sustainable while traveling can be as easy as packing a BPA-free refillable water bottle. BPA is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins that are melted to make cheap water bottles and containers - awful for the environment. Consider packing a refillable bottle such as a S’Well Bottle to maximize your sustainability (and style). S’Well Bottles keep your drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12, while giving back to those in need. Now that’s something the #EveCommunity can get behind!

S'well Biography from Swell Bottle on Vimeo.

Volunteer while traveling

The hardest part of volunteering abroad is finding the perfect fit in terms of your location, desires, and level of impact. An amazing NGO called Volunteer Forever takes the guesswork and headache out of finding a great volunteer program because it shouldn’t be hard to help. Their 3 step program allows you to pick a program, plan and fundraise for your involvement, and share your experience. You first search by location, then decide how you can have the best impact as a volunteer by choosing from various project types such as medical, education, conservation, career oriented, or community assistance. If you’d like to learn more about Volunteer Forever, here is how it works.

Stay in an Eco-Lodge

An eco-lodge is one of the most sustainable accommodations (other than camping) a traveler can choose to remain eco-friendly. Eco lodges emphasize elements of environmental responsibility through renewable energy sources, recycling services, eco-friendly toiletries, energy-efficient lighting, organic linens and towels, non-toxic cleaning supplies and most importantly water conservation methods.

Cook if you have a kitchen!

If you are staying at a hostel or hotel with a kitchen, cook homemade meals from locally sourced food. This not only helps the surrounding economy and community but reduces your overall consumption impact by a large multiple. As many countries rely heavily on travel as an important pillar for their economic GDP, it is important for guests to give back as much as they can. A great way contribute as a tourist is by shopping at the local food markets and buying as much as possible locally - not to mention this is a great way to learn about the culture and community.

Donate unused items

Those of you that have backpacked or traveled for an extensive time know that many of the things you bring you may end up not needing. If this is the case, you can donate your extra clothing and accessories to the less-fortunate or find a local non-profit to help out.

Buy carbon offset

One of the most impactful decisions you can make while traveling is to pay for carbon offset - a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gasses made in order to compensate for or offset an emission made elsewhere. In other words, you can mitigate the environmental footprint of your travel by paying a carbon offset fee to replace the emission you caused during your flight. This is done through NGOs such as the David Suzuki Foundation

Travel during the off-season

This may be obvious, but traveling when there is a smaller demand for flights is not only cheaper but more economical. The off-season provides a more authentic experience for the traveler, as they can absorb the true culture of the destination by genuinely experiencing how locals go about their daily lives. Oh, and there are smaller crowds and more wiggle room financially.

Keep an open mind - interact with the locals :)

The most valuable element of travel is the people you meet along the way, and by keeping an open mind and saying “heck yes!” to new experiences you will have a purely authentic trip.

(Obviously) Pack light with sustainable Eve Cork bag!

[Insert shameless plug here…] No, but seriously though. Packing a lightweight Preston Duffle for your travels is a great start your sustainable eco-friendly trip! Our premium cork fabric embodies a timeless approach to fashion, with sustainability and the greater good of our planet in mind. The cork fabric makes our bags soft, lightweight, and as durable as traditional leather while being waterproof and antibacterial. Need we say more? Well… we should also mention every Eve Cork product is PETA Vegan Approved as well.

Whether you’re jet-setting across the world or planning a road trip, the Preston is spacious enough to stow all of our everyday essentials, while small enough to be the perfect carry-on companion.

Featured Image Via: @origin.destiny

We have all been there. Scrolling through Instagram contemplating packing up your life and jet-setting across the world. As most of us don’t have that ability at the moment (damn responsibilities!), we have to settle for our fix of wanderlust in others ways. Instagram is a great start! These 7 Instagram accounts will have you visually captivated and (spoiler alert) might convince you to drop everything for a life abroad.

1. Jeff Duke - @jeffduke_ | www.dukeslens.com

For the last six years, Jeff has traveled Central America, Australia, Europe, Indonesia, and North America where he found his true passion for photography after ditching business school and selling everything he had. This lead Jeff to create a socially conscious clothing brand called Lifestyle Over Luxury - making socially and eco-conscious apparel for the modern adventurer. The best part? For every item sold by L/L an entire garbage bag of plastic is cleaned up off beaches and prevented from entering our oceans! 

2. Sabina - @girlvsglobe | www.girlvsglobe.com

Sabina is a photographer/blogger with a passion for responsible travel, fashion, and food. Visiting many countries around the world (Austria, China, England, Germany, Greece, Ireland and Morocco to name a few), Sabina has an amazing eye for the moment. She captures incredible experiences during her travels and has an amazing storytelling ability to provide her followers with the right context. Seriously, check out these photos! 

3. Clint Johnston - @triphackr | www.triphackr.com 

Clint has visited over 105 countries (and counting) in just over a decade of traveling with one goal in mind - to show his followers how to Upgrade Your Adventure. He does this by “travel hacking” - getting the most out of your travel experiences, using travel hacks, and finding the best resources available to book a great trip. These hacks have enabled Clint to experience the world, and we are damn happy he can share that with us on Instagram. 

4.  Jake Graham - @jakegrahamphoto | www.jakegrahamphotography.ca

Jake is a photographer from Toronto, Canada who seriously knows how to capture a moment. Scrolling through his account you will discover National Geographic-level photography with his own personal twist (in some photos, Jake can be found rocking a red jacket to reveal the sheer scale of the shot). His photography is primarily landscapes, the night sky, and his many travel adventures.

5. Sailing La Vagabonde - @elayna__c | www.sailing-lavagabonde.com

Riley and Elayna are an Australian couple traveling the world by sail, despite having no sailing experience when they first began. They document their daily encounters on their Youtube Channel and curate the best photos from their adventures on Instagram. If you’re looking for an outlet to experience the great open seas without leaving your comfy couch, you need to check out their pages! Expect crazy storms, encounters with real life pirates, equipment failures, and most importantly amazing photos of the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Caribbean and Pacific Ocean.

6. Stephanie Steinman - @lepostcard | www.lepostcard.com 

Stephanie's photos are an inspiration for those who love a good beach hangout - palm trees, margaritas and hammocks fill her feed with amazing colors and destinations. When she's not flying around the world searching for the best beaches, hotels, restaurants and hangouts, this travel journalist can be found in her native Los Angeles. It's easy to see why Stephanie has chosen the @lepostcard handle, as her adventures and photography are unbelievably picturesque - straight out of a postcard.

 

 7. Oneika The Traveller - @oneikatraveller | www.oneikathetraveller.com 

Oneika is an experienced globe-trotter having been to 95 countries and counting, documenting her experiences on TV, YouTube, her blog, and most importantly sharing her breathtaking photos with us on Instagram. Her intense passion for travel, culture, and language is amplified through her commitment to demystify issues surrounding diversity and travel for oft-marginalized groups.

We take coffee shops and backpacks pretttty seriously, so this was a post we were pretty excited to write. 

If you've been following us on Instagram, you may have heard the news that we've recently expanded our line to include *drumroll*... backpacks!

Genesis Backpack featured above.

We are thrilled about our new lineup and we are designing a few more new styles to launch later this year. (These are limited quantity- so definitely get them before they're gone!)

Your backpack is like your right hand man. Home to your laptop, charger (when you remember to throw it in your bag).. pens, wallet, the book you're currently devouring.. It's kind of like your best friend. It's also kind of like a significant other based on the amount of coffee dates you have together. 

Montana Backpack featured above.

We know there's a lot of Eve Community members who live in Toronto, and this post is for you! Our vibrant city has so much to offer in the form of art, music, culture, community, and most importantly...coffee. ;).

For all you Urban Explorers, grab your Eve backpack, pack up your camera and head out on a day-date to drink great coffee and see our great city. Here's 5 of our favourites. 

 

1: Baddies Coffee

Espresso drinks & creative brunch fare served in a chill cafe with whitewashed exposed-brick walls. 

 

2: Tucana Coffee

A small boutique espresso bar on Dundas that packs a lot of punch. 

 

3. Boxcar Social

Enjoy a curated, rotating list of coffees from the best roasters in the world.

 

4: Maman Toronto 

A charming cafe and bakery channeling Southern France. 

 

5: Jimmy's Coffee

A snug espresso bar for espresso drinks, and of course- pastries. 

 

Have a favourite coffee shop in the city? Comment below! Stay tuned for our new backpack designs launching this Spring. 

“Artists from all over the world tried to make their art and eke out of a living in this part of Paris. This convergence gave rise to a kind of vagabond lifestyle where the pursuit of wealth and other traditional indicators of success were abandoned in favour of a creative life and an active engagement in the search for alternative ideals of beauty.

This search for alternative lifestyles and aesthetics continues today- especially in response to a corporate cubicle culture that can sap the creative spirit out of anybody. Today’s bohemians seek to erase the distinctions between work and play, and our living spaces reflect that lack of boundaries. The new bohemian home is a multifunctional playground for exploration and experimentation: It is an office, an art gallery, a showroom, a daycare, a photo and music studio, even a pop-up restaurant, or all of these. Our new bohemian lifestyle is rooted in freedom: free-spirited, free form, and free of rules.

We chase free wi-fi. We blog from Brooklyn laundromats, and we check our email barefoot in Tulum. We are vintage hounds. We are resourceful and profoundly creative."

 

-Excerpt from The New Bohemians by Justina Blakeney.

 

If there was one book we bought last year that we would recommend to all of our friends, it was hands down The New Bohemians. Justina’s book tours 20 incredible homes, shares tips and ideas for your own space- and, our favourite: includes a plant growing guide.

We love Justina for many reasons like her fun loving free spirit and her eclectic and vintage style. We also love, Face the Foliage. #FacetheFoliage is a communal hashtag that Justina started where she encourages people to create portraits made from leaves and flowers. It’s therapeutic and very fun. (We can attest, we’ve tried it!)

So if you’re looking for something fun to do next weekend- treat yourself to a bouquet at the beginning of the week, and then zen out next weekend with a little creative art project.

Take a peek at the gallery below of other people’s masterpieces.

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Looking for more botanical inspiration? Be sure to follow along on Pinterest! Thanks for reading! If you make your own flower portrait, be sure to tag us @eve.cork so we can see!

 

Happy New Year Eve Community!

We love to recommend great companies and products that we think are considerate of our planet, but also great for overall wellbeing. When we came across the 5-Minute Journal, we just had to share. With New Year’s Resolutions in full force, often we can find ourselves overwhelmed with TO-DO lists. For lots of us, New Years Resolutions can get us pumped up and ready to start, but we can sometimes burn out much quicker than we had intended.

That is where the Five Minute Journal comes in and helps you set the foundation for each day. First and foremost, who doesn’t want to lead a happy life? And secondly, who doesn’t have an extra five minutes in their day? (For all of you busy bees, we can bet that if we were to audit your time in a day, there is definitely at least 5 minutes you can put towards self development.. Ah em.. *mindless Instagram scrolling*)

The Five Minute Journal is the simplest, most effective thing you can do every day to be happier.. And it literally takes five minutes.

When was the last time you sat and thought about everything you were grateful for? When was the last time you spoke aloud, a daily affirmation about who you are and what you stand for?

The purpose of the 5 Minute Journal is to start, and end your day with positive thinking. It’s been proven over and over that shifting your focus to the positive can dramatically improve your overall happiness.

The Five Minute Journal is laid out like so:

You write twice per day.. Once in the morning, and once at night.

In the morning you share:

3 things you are grateful for. Examples of this could be.. Your warm bed. The fact that you woke up a little earlier than usual. Maybe its your pup snuggling in bed next to you.

3 things that would make today GREAT! These could be things you have planned to do like, head to bed before 10PM. Call your Mom. Go for a walk.

And the last section is your Daily Affirmation. This is where you tell the world out loud, what you are!

“I am confident, comfortable in my own skin, and I live with passion and purpose”.

At night, you share 3 Amazing things that happened to you. And two ways you could have made today even better.

There’s also inspiring quotes to guide your day, and weekly chanllenged sprinkled in each week (Like call someone who you’ve been out of touch with).

Simple as that! In about 5 Minutes per day you can establish a positive pattern of thinking and acting when it really mattes. Using these time frames allows for minimal effort and a wild reward otherwise known as think hard, work smart.

Above that, this short, easy to write journal will also provide you with a fantastic bite-size overview of your days, weeks, months and years. We totally recommend this incredible book! Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions? What do you think about practicing gratitude?

You can learn more about the Five Minute Journal here. 

Header img via