The Green Hub

The Green Hub Sustainable living and rewilding my suburban backyard The Green Hub is an entry point for learning how to live more sustainably.
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Hi, I’m Kira, the founder of The Green Hub, my blog I created back in 2015, sharing the ways I was trying to reduce my waste and live a little more sustainably. We focus on small everyday actions collectively adding up to have a big impact. Because our actions, no matter how seemingly small, do count. They build momentum and ripple outward, creating a current of change. Influencing the behaviours

of the people around us – our friends, families, and communities. And on a larger scale, these shifts in behaviour and attitude are instrumental in driving the systemic change we desperately need to tackle the climate crisis. Our individual actions may not save the planet, but the culture shift we’re creating will.

Also, plants make excellent gifts in my book!
18/12/2024

Also, plants make excellent gifts in my book!

18/12/2024
We invite nature into our backyards – we plant Plectranthus for bees, Lomandra grasses for lizards, add a birdbath for a...
18/12/2024

We invite nature into our backyards – we plant Plectranthus for bees, Lomandra grasses for lizards, add a birdbath for all the species of birds that visit our yard. But it does mean compromise.

Some unexpected visitors popped by this week AND the rock garden reveal!

11/12/2024

There is a reason why walking amongst nature is most people’s best advice when depression strikes.
Because walking in nature is a return to ‘home’.
You are not a lover of nature, or a fan of nature, you ‘are’ nature.
You are as much nature as the trees in your garden and the bees on your picnic.
You were designed to live your days out in the wild with your fellow creatures and plants but progress, humanity, had different plans for us all.
And so we exist day-to-day, in our homes, but never ‘home’.
The quickest route back to self, to inner peace, is bare feet on grass, arms around trees, head in the clouds and heart in a forest.
Put your bones in water, whenever you can, smell each flower you see and crumble dirt between your tired-of-typing fingers.
You are nature, go home once in a while.
It will bring you much you didn’t even know you were missing.

~ 'You Are Nature' by Donna Ashworth from 'Wild Hope' ~ Donna Ashworth

~ Art by Jane Newland

10/12/2024
08/12/2024

Without flowers, there would be no us.

Small in size but big on character
08/12/2024

Small in size but big on character

Sustainable off-grid cabins to luxe bushland escapes, we're spoilt for choice in Australia when it comes to tiny house stays.

07/12/2024

Nangur spiny skinks are unique little creatures that burrow into soil, creating cool, moist environments to stay hydrated. 🦎⁣
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This digging helps keep them refreshed and plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of the environment around them.⁣
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You can help create a skink-friendly habitat in your garden by:⁣
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🌻 Using rocks, logs and large branch for them to sun themselves on⁣
🌻 Placing the rocks and logs near dense bushes so the skinks can quickly hide if a predator comes along⁣
🌻 Using leaf litter and coarse wood mulches around plants to encourage nests⁣
🌻 Planting local native grasses and ground covers⁣
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Small changes in your garden can make a big difference for these little guys. ⁣Do you have a skink-friendly garden?
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How gorgeous is this!
04/12/2024

How gorgeous is this!

December is here… and it’s time to embrace the festivities (if you haven’t already)!🎄

Get creative by crafting a Christmas wreath using beautiful native flowers and foliage. Whether you join a workshop or create one at home, using native plants like eucalyptus, banksia, and kangaroo paw is a wonderful way to connect with nature and add an authentic Australian touch to your holiday decor. Plus, it's an eco-friendly alternative to store-bought plastic decorations!

The wreath pictured here is a beautiful example, handmade using 100 per cent natural, locally sourced materials. It was crafted during a workshop hosted by Euka Floral Design in collaboration with Open Hands Creative, both based in Perth.


Wildlife spotted in the garden this week. More native plants to attract and support them means more wildlife 😊
04/12/2024

Wildlife spotted in the garden this week. More native plants to attract and support them means more wildlife 😊

What's been happening in the garden this week, and some alfresco updates.
04/12/2024

What's been happening in the garden this week, and some alfresco updates.

We hauled 1500kg of dirt up a hill, it was not fun. But on the bright side, the garden is exploding with wildlife!

Great work folks!! 💚🌱
04/12/2024

Great work folks!! 💚🌱

When you’re on holiday and spot a cute garden!
28/11/2024

When you’re on holiday and spot a cute garden!

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South Brisbane, QLD

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A pair of kookaburras have become regular visitors. The more natives we plant, attract more insects, then lizards and frogs. Now we’re seeing the bigger predatory birds. Create a garden for wildlife - water, food, and shelter - and they will come 🌱

Fun times in the garden this week dealing with a few pests. #nativegarden #australiangardens #pollinatorgarden #rewilding

Blue banded bees are gentle, solitary Australian native bees. They don’t have hives like honeybees, instead they burrow in soft mud bricks and crevices to nest and roost together in small groups, hanging onto the twigs with their mandibles 🥺These sweet little fuzz pots love the flowers on chili, tomato, and eggplants - their unique buzz pollination is going to give you the best fruit. Basil and rosemary are also a favourite, so let them go to flower in spring. They’re important pollinators and a wonderful addition to any backyard, so create a little space for them to thrive in your garden 🐝 The Australian Native Bee book by Tim Heard is a great place to start if you want to learn how to attract more to your garden 💚#bluebee #australiangarden #nativegarden #pollinatorgarden

Sounds of the garden. Do you hear the Lorikeets chattering away in the background? #pollinatorgarden #australiangardens

And if you’re new to composting and don’t know where to start, we have an excellent beginners guide over on The Green Hub with compost tips and solutions for every type of space 🌱 #sustainableliving #lowwasteliving #foodwaste

Teddy Bear bees are an Australian native bee. Closely retailed to Blue Banded bees, they’re also solitary bees and wonderful pollinators for your garden 💚 #nativebees #pollinatorgarden #australiangarden

Time to plant the retaining garden 🎉 Excuse the croaky voiceover the winter flu has finally caught up to me. Planting natives that naturally grow where you live means they are perfectly suited to that environment. They’ve adapted to the local soil and climate conditions, and the animals in that area have evolved alongside them, so they’ll attract more birds, insects, and other animals to your garden. Once grown in, it also means less watering, fewer pests, and more time to enjoy the garden rather than work in it. Plant species below. Taller trees and shrubs along the back: Prostanthera siebri aka Minty, Grevillea simplex - Banana custard, Phebalium notii - Kay bryant, Phebalium squamulosum, Grevilleas - Lollypops and Ivory Whip, Leptospeemum - mesmer eyes, Leptospermum woonooroonan, and Plectranthus argentatus - blue spires. Medium shrubs and grasses in the middle: Lomandra confertifolia, Lomandra longifolia, Westringia fruticosa “Zena” aka Coastal rosemary, Casuarina green wave, also adding Pen*setum nafray. Grown covers at the front: Myoporum parvifolium - fine leaf, Carpobrotus glaucescens – Angular sea-fig, also adding lot’s of Chrysocephalum apiculatum - yellow buttons and some Brachysomes - cut leaf daisy. Then hanging along the front of the wall Casuarina glauca and Dichondra Silver Falls. #rewildmybackyard #nativegarden #australiangarden #pollinatorgarden #rewild

Here’s your Plastic Free July challenge - make one small plastic swap this month. Some ideas below:🌱 Swap your dishwashing liquid for a soap bar like this @ecostoreau Grapefruit Dish Soap Bar – this one will have your kitchen smelling delicious and leave your hands soft and hydrated.🌱Ditch the cling wrap: A staple in most kitchens, it may save your sandwich, but it’s also an environmental nightmare. Being thin and flimsy, cling wrap is really difficult to recycle; it often contaminates recycling and can clog up machines. Use bees wax wraps, containers, silicone pouches, old jars, or simply place a plate on top of the bowl in the fridge.🌱Tea bags for loose leaf tea – did you know that many brands of teabags are made form plastic? Steeping these teabags in hot water releases microplastics into your tea – not something I’m keen on drinking.🌱An oldie but a goodie – BYO coffee cup or drink in. We’re still using far too may disposable coffee cups, and for the most part these are not recyclable or compostable.🌱Plastic dish brushes will take up to 400 years to break down in landfill. I love the small brushes made with bamboo or biodegradable beech with sisal and palm bristles. And when you’re done, you can chuck them in the compost at their end of life.🌱Coffee pods - I get it. I was once a devoted Nespresso lover. That quick caffeine with a simple press of a button was convenient and delicious. But also terrible for the planet. And even though the pods are recycled (when people actually recycle them), it’s still a resource that we can do without using. I made the switch to a French press years ago, and now both the environment and my wallet are thanking me.🌱Makeup wipes for reusable cloths and cotton rounds. That single-use wipe will hang around long after you’ve thrown it away. Add a bottle of micellar water, and you have yourself an eco-friendly makeup remover.#ecostore #plasticfreejuly #plasticfree #reduceplasticwaste

The pesticides and insecticides commonly used in our gardens do not discriminate, harming beneficial insects like bees, butterflies, and ladybugs just as much as the pests and weeds they target. If you want to learn more about the different types of pesticides and insecticides, how they impact the insects in your garden, and how to manage without them, @sustainablegardeningaustralia is a great resource 💚#pollinatorgarden #australiangarden #rewilding #bluebandedbee

Use a shallow dish, I popped a small planter base on top of a pot. Fill with rocks and/or sticks which gives the bees a safe place to land without fear of drowning. Top it up every day and give it a clean once a week 🐝💚#beebath #forthebees #pollinatorgarden #beegarden #flowerpatch

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The Green Hub is an Australian sustainable fashion and lifestyle blog, directory, and digital magazine. Founder and editor Kira Simpson and our small team of writers share brands, research, guides, and practical tips to help empower you to make lifestyle choices which are kinder to people and the planet.