You may have seen that we've recently started a line of awesome printed organic cotton T's and longsleeves. We didn't just do this to make some extra coin, we've done it because we want organic clothing to be more readily available, affordable and fit in with the "trendy" surf scene (where larger companies are asking punters to pay $70 for a standard cotton tee made in a sweat factory). Oh and by the way, the farming we're talking about relates to both cotton and food crops, because at the end of the day they're all crops that need a healthy environment to grow.

The Dawny Girl Tee in white

1. Pollination!

Did you know that one third of our global food supply is pollinated by bees? We had no idea that all of these foods needed to be cross-pollinated to either grow, or to increase their yields; almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, blueberries, cashews, coffee, cranberries, cucumbers, eggplants, grapes, kiwis, mangoes, peaches, pears, peppers, strawberries, walnuts and watermelons!

Cross-pollination is when a bee transfers pollen from one tree to another, this can happen by the wind in some cases but most of the time crops need the bees to pollinate!

Research undertaken worldwide confirms bee populations have been decreasing over the past decade, which is going to start having it's consequences as the global population rises.

2. What's the problem with "Conventional Farming" practices?

Conventional farming practices are degrading the worlds topsoil which is vital for future generations to grow anything in.

All the goodness from the soil is depleted by using harsh, carcinogenic chemicals to kill weeds and pests, then to help the crops grow, they're adding synthetic fertilizers - primarily made from non-renewable resources including fossil fuels - which is contributing to a big ugly chemical cycle that is not helping to sustain the soil for future crops.

Working with such harsh chemicals is incredibly harmful to the farmers who are responsible for managing the crops, and when we as consumers end up eating and wearing the products of this farming, you have to think there is some risk for us there as well.

3. Advantages of going Organic

Organic farming is a philosophy of working together with nature and creating sustainable products for a sustainable future. Organic farming is a method of crop production that avoids the use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers or genetically modified organisms, antibiotics and growth hormones.

Organic farming not only keeps humans safer (by not exposing workers to harsh chemicals), but it also saves beneficial insects like bee's (which are vital to human existence), and helps the soil to be reused time and time again.

The Original Dawny Tee (with the sleeves chopped off because FASHUN)

We know it's hard to buy organic clothing - either because it isn't readily available, it's too pricey, or the options available may not be as fashionable or 'on trend', but it's important to share this kind of information, as knowledge is power, and next time you go shopping you may look at organic cotton clothing a bit differently. If everyone could just buy one organic cotton T-shirt each instead of one made with a concoction of toxic chemicals, then we'd be able to make such a massive difference!

Dawny Adventure Club's cotton shirts are made from 100% organic cotton, and made fairly by the good folks at Freeset. Freeset exists specifically to provide freedom for women from the sex trade in Kolkata, India. Set up by a couple of Kiwi's in 2001, Freeset are doing great things and we're stoked to be able to support them and all the positive work they are doing helping to alleviate global poverty and promote sustainability.

Tune in – folks everywhere are talking about plastic, and for many of us, it feels like about time! You’ve heard the big facts: a plastic water bottle can take up to 400 years to degrade, and that every bit of plastic ever created still exists on the planet, if not floating in pieces in the ocean gyres, then in tiny bits across the land and water, inconspicuously entering the food chain from the bottom to the top.

Erika is passionate about keeping New Zealand's amazing landscapes clean for future generations to enjoy.

SINGLE-USE

There’s been a lot of talk this year on “single-use plastics,” and cutting down on them. You think initially of grocery bags, right – but think further, and there’s also product packaging, disposable utensils, food wrap, medical supplies, wet wipes, take-away containers, coffee capsules – the list goes on. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. How can I make a difference in this ocean of societal reliance on such a “convenient” material?

DESPAIR NOT!

There is a beautiful concept in our lives called CHOICE. I absolutely love it – you can choose what you do, what you eat, what you say, what you buy, how you react, and this list truly is endless!

Choose less.

Contemplate what is enough.

When you set boundaries on what is acceptable for your consumption, you invite joy to pop in to your life in the form of an unwrapped cucumber. You are not at all helpless in this fight. My conscience is too heavy to allow me to choose bagged tomatoes over loose vine tomatoes. So yes, some of these choices come with a slightly higher price tag, but what price are you willing to pay to ensure a healthier life for you, and a beautiful and healthy world for the rest of the groovy humans and animals we share the planet with?

Erika Rodriguez a.k.a Same Sun Yoga loves yoga out in the fresh air, she takes outdoor yoga classes weekly

Show some love for this little life-sustaining earth of ours, it is the only one we have!

Here’s a refresher on little choices we can make everyday to be kinder to ourselves and the planet:

1. Choose produce with less packaging

2. Keep a few sistemas in your car in case of dine-out leftovers!

3. Choose clothing made from natural fibres like cotton, wool, hemp, flax, linen, etc.

4. Skip the straw – don’t be a sucker!

5. Think beyond the water bottle – what other plastic drinking vessels are you touching and

tossing? Consider bringing a glass from home for your natural organic superfood dairy-free

smoothie.

6. Try toothbrushes made from natural materials

7. Support local when available

8. Carry your coffee mug in your bag or car, MAN -yes, it’s something more you have to remember, but do

you really feel like a good human when you drink out of a waxed-lined paper cup for 6 minutes and

dump it? Embarrassing! (And yes, many cups are now biodegradable, but how about we cut down on

waste in general?) My favorite tip to share with people is the standard I’ve set around take-away coffee: if

I don’t have time to drink my coffee in a mug in-house, and I haven’t brought along my reusable mug,

then I don’t deserve a coffee. Make this sacrifice once, and you won’t forget your mug again!

Erika loves to acknowledge that we all have a CHOICE. Choose to do more, and choose to use less.

CHOOSE & USE LESS THIS CHRISTMAS

As the holiday season approaches, remember your power of choice. Skip the new wrapping paper and re-use old magazines or newspapers to wrap your gifts. Re-gift items that have been special to you and can live a new life with someone else. My favorite Secret Santa gift is a reusable water bottle – and I happen to know some badass chickies who stock them. Thanks to ventures like the Dawny Adventure Club, there are more options than ever for shedding our reliance on plastic and simplifying our relationship with ourselves and the planet.

If you’re here, then you’re already a part of this collective of humans who care to be kind to the planet. Get jazzed and share the froth. When you step into your power of choice, you can become a superhero in your commitment to the planet. Choose to pull others aboard this ship. Do it with patience and kindness. Step up, do more, and use less: “The power is yours.” – Captain Planet (& Erika Rodriguez)

Erika Rodriguez is a close friend to the Dawny crew and an awesome teacher slash yogi passionate about making a positive impact on the planet. Originally from Chicago, she now lives in the North West area of Auckland, taking her own yoga classes and teaming up with the Hallertau Brewery to teach a fun and social beer yoga class monthly.

Catch her on Facebook: Same Sun Yoga and Instagram @samesunyoga

Hi everyone! This is our lucky blog post number 3 - it may be a bit of a rant (our bad) but please stick with us. We've become a wee bit passionate about plastic waste over the last 12 months as we've built the Dawny Adventure Club business, and now we want to share what we've learnt to help out our favourite boss lady we know - Mother Nature.

DISCLAIMER

First up we want to confess that we are not living completely plastic free. In this day and age it is pretty darn difficult, especially if you want to shop at your local chain supermarket like we do. But that doesn't matter! We are trying and succeeding at using less plastic than before so that's a definite bonus isn't it? We think so!

WHAT IS PLASTIC FREE JULY

We're sure you've seen it on Instagram, FB or an email from a colleague that's urging you to take part in "Plastic Free July".

This is a perfect opportunity for you to take a look at the plastic you're using in your everday lives BUT it doesn't have to be this big scary thing about not using plastic during the entire month (because that is blarrdy intimidating and even we would've given up by now) but just a little brain prompt to make you realise how much plastic waste we are using and throwing out each day.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS MONTH

The Dawny Adventure Club's list of the simplest things ever that you can do to lessen your waste this month (and hopefully build your routine and continue forever):

Reusable coffee cup (compostable and paper takeaway cups are a great step but are you composting and recycling them? Probably not)Reusable shopping bags/cardboard boxes/backpacks for groceries (How many plastic bags does one household need)Bamboo Toothbrush (cheap, compostable and look pretty cool!)Using soap bars (Cardboard box with 3 bars of soap or plastic bottle of bodywash? Doesn't take a genius to work that one out)Beeswax wraps instead of glad wrap (Cool designs to brighten up your fridge and actually keep your food fresher for longer!)Collect your soft plastics and take them to a recycle bin at your supermarket (so easy to do and cuts down on your landfill rubbish by a lot!)REUSABLE DRINK BOTTLES!! (hehe obviously our fave on the list)

Pretty please take ownership of your waste footprint! Think about your regular routines and try to make a couple of tweaks. And most of all enjoy July!

Ash & Moi

If you are like us, you love a Dawny - rain or shine. It just becomes that tiny bit more challenging during the winter months when temperatures start to drop. The Dawny Adventure Club are all about doing more and using less regardless of the weather - so we've come up with 5 quick tips to keep the froth alive until next summer.

5 helpful hints to get you out of bed and in the water:

Now that you've got all the pro-tips we hope to see you out in the line-up nice and early. Get outside and do more this winter!

Ash & Moi

Kia Ora! We (Ash & Moi) wanted to share with you why we started the Dawny Adventure Club and where we're going with it. So here goes, our first blog post!

As best friends, when we started flatting together on Herald Island, AKL we found we had a lot of spare time on our hands after working our 9 - 5. Most of this time is spent growing veges in our garden, surfing, walking our resident doggo and planning our next adventure - but we wanted to do more.

bit so that we could feel we were making a difference.

Enter a year of research, networking, hard work and saving - and the Dawny Adventure Club was born with our first product - the Dawny Cooler!

Our mission is simple, and wholly achievable should people jump on board - reduce single use plastic bottles in NZ. We are enabling this to happen by entering an insulated bottle into the market which is affordable, sleek and stylish, practical and unique.

We can't wait to see where this adventure takes us - and hope you follow along for the ride. This blog will aim to educate, enlighten and motivate others to do their bit to keep NZ clean and green too.

More Dawny updates to come.

Ash & Moi