Hello, hello!

September has gone in a snap, and rain, stretched timezones plus workload equal a late monthly update! So to celebrate this past month, or the new one, we offer you two new recipes—some quick, savoury and fragrant beans with onions and a chocolate tart, a splendid dessert to show off at your table. We also share about Andy, the previous community manager of our local Kelmarna Garden, and his work in the agroecology field. And finally, with the temperature rising here in New Zealand, the best lips balm of the moment, according to us!

Lately, we have taken time to reflect on what was accomplished in the last few years, particularly in the food field. We also pondered how, not that long ago, it was challenging to find a plant-based meal, and now you will be eating vegan at Disneyland—not the meal of a lifetime. However, still, the Magic Kingdom provides space for improvisation without compromising too much on ethics. Society is moving on, and it will be difficult to stop.

As such, we want to reiterate that with this newsletter, we aim to help you readjust your priorities and reshape your ambitions. It is not an easy task, but as we constantly experience it, it feels better for the body and mind to focus on what makes us feel more grounded, delivering relevance to our lives. It is not always easy, but it is entertaining to be guided by subjective ideas of what brings meaning to our lives rather than our social feeds and other forms of external validation.

So easy. So satisfying. These beans spiked with kombu seaweed and onions are excellent served alongside big green salads as a rich protein base or tucked into fresh tortillas with slaw, salsa and your favourite hot sauce.

Everyone needs to own at least one good lip balm, preferably with SPF but at the very least, one that effectively hydrates. So this month we present the lip balms that give you nourished, gloriously glistening lips, that are also cruelty-free and natural.

When Andy Boor decided to take up a volunteer role at Kelmarna in 2016, he didn’t realise he’d soon become general manager, deeply involved in the community garden expansion. This project aims to develop local economic resilience and educate those who seek to re-establish a grounded relationship with nature through organic principles.

Chocolate tart! Luscious, rich and utterly delicious, this delectable tart features nourishing fats in the form of raw cacao and coconut oil that will take your dessert—and health to higher heights.

1. The 18th of October is the release day of Toitū Te Whenua, a new documentary on the impact of intensive agriculture in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Put together by activist Geoff Reid, filmmaker Timothy Firken and animator Grant Nicholson. This film explores the result of industrial land use and poor rules and regulations affecting the natural environment but also human health in the Bay of Plenty and Lakes District. Spoiler alert: there is an urgent need for significant change. Get in touch with Geoff to know more about a screening near you.
   
   
2. Since being in France visiting family and friends, climate change is a subject often surging in our conversations. After all, France, and other countries in Europe and Asia, went through a succession of difficult-to-ignore heat waves like it never happened before. And so the main feeling is far from being joyful. How many times have I heard that “we are doomed”, “nothing can be done!”, “I am doing things, but I don’t believe we will go through”. Interestingly, I think the opposite, and so is Thomas, the soul behind the online platform BonPote, which I already shared in a previous newsletter. This piece I’ve read lately, written in 2021, eloquently explains why it is not the end of the world (yet).
   
   
3. For those who like to sweat-for-purpose and support conservation work, I recently discovered the Run4reef race, happening simultaneously across 21 cities in New Zealand and Australia on the 16th of October. This event will support the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, an organisation funding large impact projects aiming to protect and regenerate coral reefs. Let’s run 10km for the planet!

1. Last week I paid for a manicure that lasted two days which prompted me to purchase Compost by J Hannah and self-manicure. Recently, the LA-based brand, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, pulled from the Surrealism and Beyond Borders exhibition three nail lacquers, each subtle yet striking—all non-toxic, cruelty-free and made in the USA.
   
   
2. I have recently had the pleasure of working with Damaris Coulter on THE REALNESS—a platform which celebrates independent, owner-operated and Tangata Whenua—First Nations-owned businesses. Money flows where intention goes, and one of the benefits of economic localisation is that it creates more community and more diversity that strengthens local economies. If this sounds like you, take a look around. Whether you are after a place to dine or want to support local artists, you'll find them here. And if you are in business and think this sounds like you, then join.
   
   
3. ‘The Bathroom’ by Alexander Kira is en route, the revised 1976 edition, though there are 1966 copies floating around eBay. A different kind of coffee table book, ‘The Bathroom’, is comprehensive, documenting the body alongside spaces, recording the seemingly mundane, necessary everyday task of being clean.

Thoughts, questions, you can always direct reply to these emails.
We look forward to hearing from you!

Tracey Creed & Amandine Paniagua