Words by Hannah Powell. Images taken by Fran Scrimgeour.

Yo Vocal had a chat with The Conscious Club. Out there to make a difference, The Conscious Club is infamous around Christchurch for its fun, sustainable events and inclusive community. We sat down with the group at the CC HQ to talk about their ethos, their events, and beginning your sustainable journey.

Meet Selina, Lucy, Pip, Helen, and Kophie. A few years ago, five wāhine met on Instagram. With sustainability and ethics in common, all had an Instagram business each but were wanting to find one place to sell products together. Their first venture was a mini-market. "We all had so much fun doing it; we were like 'how can we make this grow?'" Lucy said.

"We wanted to expand beyond just markets, and we were looking for a way to learn as well as educate, and to bring a community together".

In June 2019, The Conscious Club was born.

Everyone in the Club has a role. Selina looks after operations and logistics. Lucy helps out with events and social media. Pip is the shop manager and looks after CCHQ. Kophie does their graphic design, and Helen is the Club's digital producer – she handles photography and videography and sets up the online podcast. The five have their creative hustles too. Selina weaves, Lucy upcycles thrifted clothes, Pip knits and crochets, Kophie paints, illustrates, and makes her own clothes, and Helen takes her photos. One thing is for sure; they're a talented bunch.

"We all bring very different things to the table," they say.

Passionate about sustainability, ethics, inclusiveness, and diversity, the Club holds events in Christchurch to promote just that. With an annual Christmas market, chat series, regular beach clean-ups, koha yoga classes, and a multitude of other wonderful events, the Conscious Club is strong in engaging and fostering a like-minded community. They prioritise their events to be accessible, affordable, or free too. At the end of the day, their aim is for people to be aware of their actions and consumerism on a daily basis.

The Conscious Club understand nobody's perfect and that hopping on the eco bandwagon can be, at times, tough. With a stereotype of unaffordability, for some, it seems too inaccessible to start. It's easy to compare your own actions to others, too. "Sustainability is a journey," Lucy says.

"If you're beginning, it's quite overwhelming looking at someone who's in the middle of [theirs]. It's just taking it step by step and making small changes where you can".

They say it's about looking around and seeing what small step you can make, rather than getting caught up in the big picture. "Every little bit helps".

The Club has a list of good tips on some small changes you can make. Lucy likes to take a container with her when she eats out, and Pip takes her bike everywhere. Selina found the holy grail to keeping her carrots fresh (chuck 'em in a glass of water and keep them in the fridge), and Helen makes her own dry shampoo and scrubs. Mending clothes and safety razors are high up there too. "You're never at the end, there's always something better you could do, but it's not about pressuring yourself," they say. "It's trying to do it naturally and where it fits".

Last month, the Club held a Women of the World event at Boxed Quarter. Beginning with a morning yoga sesh followed by a brunch, the day flowed into some important conversations with some kickass women. A chat series with four guest speakers, the topics covered on the day ranged from women in business, lifestyle, and our connection to the earth, sustainable periods and intersectional feminism. The event also held a female-led art exhibition, where 10 per cent of the profits went to Women's Refuge NZ. Asking how the day went, the Club said, "We left this event empowered and inspired. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the amazing women of Otautahi."

As for what's next, the popular Under $20 Clothing Market is making another highly-anticipated appearance. A collaboration with the neighbouring Greenlane Market will hopefully be happening soon, and there's talk about a Slow Fashion event too. As for their amazing Stand the F*CK Up campaign, some merch is in the works.

Last year, a member of their community was racially attacked. Hearing about what had happened, the Conscious Club wanted to make a difference. Creating an event for him to feel safe, the aim too was to spread awareness about racism in the community. The Club wanted to show that Christchurch doesn't stand for it, and it's not okay. The message got out, and this year, they'll be selling sustainable tee shirts for the cause. Tiki Tane has put his order in – as has Big Sima – and has expressed his concerns for racism in Ōtautahi as he grew up here with Big Sima.

"This kind of shit happened to me and my crew nearly every week when I was growing up in Chch. Back then, the police didn't give a fuck either, so I'm sorry to say, this ain't no surprise. This is why a lot of us brown kids gravitated towards gangs for protection and muscle, so we could fight fire with fire. My thoughts and sympathy are for Adam and Eve… Big ups to the bystander who stepped in too; that takes courage," says Tiki.

Watch this space; it's time to make a difference.