Your Green Alternatives-All Under One Very Large Roof!

Let me just start off by saying, the Go Green Expo, is one of the most exciting Lifestyle shows I have ever been to, and I have been to quite a few that I have really enjoyed. Held annually in locations across New Zealand, it came to Christchurch on the 7th& 8th of August, this year at the Christchurch Arena.

I got there bright-eyed and early on Saturday, not really knowing what to expect, but having heard great things online I was ready for an interesting morning. Although I had never been to the Christchurch Arena, I did expect a pretty large location, since this is the largest sustainable lifestyle show in all of New Zealand.What I didn’t expect however was for it to be so vast!

A mind-boggling number of companies and brands had set up their stalls all around the arena showcasing numerous; and might I add extremely creative displays. From innovative new products to providing green alternatives for everyday items and even providing advisory servies(I particularly found the Happy Spine 2 Minute Posture Check super interesting)- you name it, and it was probably there.

Everything from gardening and household products, to organic food, beverage , health, and wellness options- you couldn’t name a category that hadn’t been represented.

The list of exhibitions was extensive, and while I saw many familiar brands, I also saw several ones I hadn’t heard about before and it was a treat to go around and have a little chat with people representing various companies and get an idea about lots of lovely brands doing their best to bring more sustainable solutions to the market.

I enjoy the amount of learning events like this make possible. It’s all too common to walk around every day thinking you know enough about the environment and enough about environmentally friendly alternatives there are out there. But I think more often than not, most of us (and I certainly count myself in this category) fail to realize the amount of innovation taking place in the market every day. However many products you think exist out there for which you can find greener options, TRIPLE IT, because that’s is the minimum amount of cool stuff out there that slips under our radar.

When I was at school, everybody talked about going green with the understanding that you had to change your life drastically. Give up a whole lot of your favorite products for instance-Like your chocolate, if it isn’t fair trade and carbon-neutral, or your meat because it isn’t organic, your soap if it isn’t palm-oil free, or even your bean bag because of its plastic bean bag refill. Today, however, there is hardly anything you would have to give up, as alternatives to all of these and so many more are easily available, in fact with so many businesses being online, it literally cannot be quicker or faster to find alternatives.

Since a total change can be scary, I love that shows like this present to interested consumers not only innovations but also alternatives. It can, of course, feel quite overwhelming when being presented with so many options, information, and stats, but that is precisely why it is great to see that alongside big changes, the little ones are just as easy to make and they most certainly count.

Tomorrow, even if you decided that there are some changes you aren’t ready to make; because, let’s face it, it’s a lot to change overnight and it’s better to do a little at a pace you can manage rather than allow the process to overwhelm you and not change anything at all.

But even if you do decide to go slow or not change a particular something just yet, shows like this ensure that it won’t be because of ignorance. In fact by hosting not only brands but also workshops and seminars, the Go Green Expo, introduces one to not only a bunch of new products but also a whole lot of inspiration, so that you can live your best and most sustainable life.

Needless to say, I will be returning next year!

 P.S: The event was held prior to the lockdown in NZ, during which it was not mandatory to wear masks indoors.