Nicole Lutze: Freelance Writer, Brisbane (2026)

13/02/2026

How do we future-proof our homes and our lives?

This is a question I’ve been grappling with a lot over the past few months, triggered mainly by moving house but also because of the state of the world.

Global politics is a sh*t-show. The cost of living keeps rising. The climate crisis is only worsening. The rich are getting richer. And society continues to become increasingly polarised.

So what can we do?

Ultimately, we can only control what’s within our circle of influence. We can advocate for broader change and speak up when we see injustice, but for most of us, our influence remains in our homes and workplaces, and on the people in our lives.

For me, the most significant future-proofing effort I've made recently involved upsizing our home to ensure we have enough space so my children can live here for as many years as they need (hello, housing crisis).

But on a daily basis, it involves having basic skills — knowing how to cook from scratch, make basic DIY repairs around the house, sew, make my own cleaning products, grow fruits and vegetables, compost our food waste and save seeds for the next season.

It also involves knowing our neighbours, fostering community connections and shopping for secondhand items instead of buying new. And of course, it involves trying to lessen our reliance on fossil fuels. With this in mind, I decided to invest in solar panels and a battery in our new home.

Though there are energy and carbon emissions involved in making solar panels, inverters and batteries, not to mention mining of resources, the overall impact of these products is significantly better than using fossil-fuelled electricity over the lifetime of these products.

Then, there’s also cost savings involved. Electricity prices will only continue to rise in coming years, and power outages are more likely too, due to increased severe weather events and demand on the grid.

Our new system will provide us with more power than we use each day. The excess will be stored in our battery for nighttime use, and whatever’s left will be sold back into the grid. And, the government rebates covered about 1/3 of the cost. 👌🏻

04/02/2026

I’m slowly getting my mojo back.

It has now been 12 weeks since my cycling accident and 6 weeks since we moved into our new home. During that time, I’ve wrestled with the varying stages of busyness, exhaustion and rest involved with recovery from surgery, buying and selling, and juggling the school holidays with work.

Now that term one is well and truly underway, and a routine is once again upon us, I feel like I’m finally getting my mojo back in more ways than one.

Moving into a bigger house definitely prompted some self-reflection. I grappled with the knowledge that a larger home has a larger environmental footprint, and questioned whether this meant my values had changed. I also continued to ask why I work predominantly in an industry that is largely unsustainable (aviation).

But a good chat with a friend (Rhonda Hetzel) helped me to realise that my values have not changed at all. The way I prioritise those values has changed over the past three years, though, particularly as a single parent providing for three. As has the way I achieve them (including how I earn money, because goodness, the communications industry has changed MASSIVELY since I graduated uni. Farewell print media and hello AI-written articles 😩).

Regardless of the changes, I continue to prioritise causing minimal harm to the planet and all living creatures. I remain committed to reducing waste in our home and through our lifestyle. And above all else, I am committed to living a good life with my kids — experiencing new things together (over buying *stuff*), spending as much time with them as possible (achievable through self-employment and a work-from-home lifestyle) and providing them with a home for as many years as they need one to return to (hence buying larger, because goodness knows how expensive housing will be in another decade).

That’s a long way of saying, “Hello, happy new year! I’m still here, I’ve just been resting and contemplating this new year and life chapter.”

Here are some photos from January:
1. Second-hand barstools looking lovely in our new kitchen.
2. C and I repainted my Grandma’s old dresser.
3. A thrifted container to kickstart composting in our new garden.

08/12/2025

There has been a lot going on in the past couple of months…

I've been quiet in this space for a while. Mainly because I don't feel any overwhelming urge to share my life at the moment, and also because I'm questioning whether sharing it (through the lens of sustainability) makes any actual difference.

It could just be fatigue, but it could also be a shift. I'm not quite sure.

There have been some pretty major life events occurring, which would definitely be playing into all this.

In early November, I was knocked off my bicycle by a car. The driver failed to give way on a roundabout, leaving me with a dislocated wrist and several breaks in one bone. Surgery ensued and I'm still recovering.

Amongst all that, I also sold my lovely little unit which gives me mixed emotions.

This home has been a literal sanctuary while rebuilding our lives post-divorce and I'm struggling to imagine life without it. I will definitely miss my small courtyard and my neighbours. But I wanted to give my girls more space as they age (and in case they want to live with me as young adults), and I also wanted a room to work in outside my bedroom (I currently earn a living on a 1m desk beside my bed).

And so we are moving house next week.

Moving is a challenge at the best of times, but it’s made more complicated by the fact that I'm still healing and unable to lift anything with one arm. And yet, it will all get done.

In between all that, I'm now back at work (though typing is a challenge), and seasonal traditions are creeping up on us. While the Christmas decorations aren't up yet, we headed into Brisbane over the weekend to watch the Nutcracker ballet for our seventh year (!), and the community carols are on next week.

I hope this time of year finds you all well, and you get to take a break and reset. I'm certainly looking forward to a couple of weeks off soon!

14/10/2025

What sustainability has looked like at my house lately…

Oof, it’s been a while since I shared one of these posts. Mainly because I’ve been busy living.

In the last four weeks I’ve spent time in South Australia and gone on two camping trips.

In-between there is all the normal stuff going on — parenting, work, uni, laundry, composting, walking or bike riding everywhere local, cooking, cleaning and tending (occasionally) to my small garden.

Here’s a little collection of photos that show some of what sustainable living has looked like for me in the last week.

1-2: A camping trip with my youngest daughter (at her request) for some one-on-one time.

3-6: Time in my courtyard garden picking blueberries and broad beans, watching plants wake up after winter snoozes, and figuring out why flowers on one side of my planter box keep dying (🐈 ).

7-8: Celebrating Charlotte’s 11th birthday with breakfast waffles and class cupcakes.

9: Cuddles on the couch with pets when I am at home.

10: Cooking homemade meals. I recently picked up an air fryer for free from my local Buy Nothing group, so I’ve been experimenting with how to use it.

11: Swimming in the river and ocean, and generally enjoying the not-too-hot-yet weather. ☀️

12/10/2025

Girl camping trips are now my favourite camping trips!

Last weekend I headed off with a best friend to spend a couple of nights camping at the Noosa Everglades.

There are only two Everglades in the world (the other is in Florida and has alligators), so it’s a very special spot to visit.

We spent a lot of time relaxing with books or chatting, ate lots of great food, swam in the freshwater river and did a massive (for us) 13km kayak.

It was honestly one of the best camping trips of my life — the perfect balance of relaxing and exploring. And of course, time spent in nature has that magic ability to reset frazzled nervous systems and reprioritise life. ✨

It was also encouraging for both of us to manage the trip (the 4x4ing, the lifting and strapping kayaks to the top of the car, and all the other bits) without the help of a man. 💪 No offence fellas, but sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we can do this stuff on our own.

I'm now so keen to do more trips with girl friends, and this special trip definitely needs to be an annual one. 💚

07/10/2025

I recently popped down to South Australia for a few days to visit my beautiful friend, mentor and colleague .helbig.

It was so lovely to see the incredible progress she’s made on her permaculture-designed garden and home, chat about plants, writing, marketing, clients, life, relationships and this big old crazy world we live in.

It was also a pleasure to meet her kindred spirit and partner .ormond, who kept us all well-fed with his out-of-this-world culinary skills.

I came home nourished physically and spiritually from the break but also from the rare bliss that comes from spending days chatting with like-minded people and your best friend. 🩷

If you're not following these legends on the Gram, I highly recommend you do. Or better yet, if you're an Adelaide local, get along to one of their workshops (think topics on gardening, plants, food and ethical business skills).

Thanks for having me, Koren and Kym! 💚

📷: pics of Koren’s garden, chickens, vineyards in the Barossa, some of Kym’s cooking and more.

11/09/2025

Ipswich friends!

I’m heading tour way in October for Ipswich Sustainability Month.

On Saturday 18 October, I’ll be busting out my Sustainable Home marquee and setting up at Ipswich Sustaimable Living Festival for the day.

Then, on Saturday 25 October, I’ll be running two workshops!! One on making your own low-tox low-waste cleaning products, and another on making your own skincare products.

Tickets for the workshops go on sale on 1 October and the links are in my bio.

See you there?

Big thanks to for inviting me back to chat about sustainability for the FIFTH year! 💚

06/09/2025

Ipswich friends! I'm heading your way in October for Ipswich Sustainability Month.

On Saturday 18 October I'll be busting out my Sustainable House Marquee again and setting up at Ipswich Sustainable Living Festival for the day.

Then, on Saturday 25 October, I’ll be running two workshops!! One on making your own low-tox low-waste cleaning products, and another on making your own skincare products.

The full festival lineup can be found on this post by Ipswich Council.

See you there?

27/08/2025

I threw a party 🎂

Yep, for my 40th birthday, I threw myself a party.

Mainly because I wanted to celebrate the community we have around us who make life so wonderful. But also because I wanted to demonstrate to my kids the importance of occasionally getting everyone together in the name of love, friendship and fun.

Despite living in a small townhouse, we have a concrete common area at the front of our homes that neighbours all agreed I could use for the night. That meant we could keep the vibe comfy and casual at home, which is my fave vibe.

So with festoon lights strung from the gutters and fire pits roaring to ward off the August chill, about 40-odd people gathered under the stars in their most fabulous thrifted fashion (a dress code I requested, of course).

To keep things simple, the catering was potluck and each guest bought a plate to share.

The night went by in a blur and I feel like I hardly spent any time with anyone. But that’s how these things go.

It was still a lot of fun though, and I'm very grateful to everyone who came from near and far, and for those very close friends who helped with set up, catering, clean up, made cakes, strung lights, lent tables and chairs, and bought firewood along.

I am one very lucky woman, and so are my kids. 🩷

21/07/2025

Can you work in an unsustainable industry and still be an advocate for sustainable living?

That’s the question I’ve been grappling with over the last two years as a self-employed communications specialist. And with that internal debate has come plenty of questions, including, “Am I a hypocrite if I do?”

You see, for the last two years, my income has become increasingly dependent on the aviation industry.

While sustainability-related communication has been part of my workload and revenue for at least 12 years, I’ve also spent a chunk of time working in aviation.

I worked as a full-time Qantas employee from 2011-2018. I loved the people I worked with and the company I worked for. But I eventually quit to work exclusively as a sole trader.

From 2018-2023 I worked almost exclusively for companies that aligned with my values. They were Fairtrade, Organic or B-Corp certified brands. They were also independent magazines and not-for-profits. I tried my darndest to specialise in all things sustainability-related. But that’s not my current truth.

When I left an unhealthy marriage in 2022 and ChatGPT entered the world not long after, I simultaneously experienced more financial pressure while watching a lot of my work dry up.

Small businesses could no longer afford me.
Print magazines stopped printing or cut back the regularity of their issues. Heck, even digital publications began reducing their reliance on freelancers.

But around that same time, I was asked to return to Qantas and consult one day a week. After some deliberation, I took on the role and continue to work there now. In truth, it is an industry I find both fascinating and exciting.

Two years on from that return to aviation, I’ve become somewhat specialised and now work for two airlines, one aircraft manufacturer, and am about to venture into communications for another kind of aviation client — one that specialises in drones and aerial robotics.

Yet, I still teach sustainable living skills. Yes, I still practice them at home too, and yes, I remain a passionate sustainability advocate.

Two things can be true at once despite being contradictory… (continued in comments)

Nicole Lutze: Freelance Writer

13/02/2026

04/02/2026

08/12/2025

14/10/2025

12/10/2025

07/10/2025

11/09/2025

06/09/2025

27/08/2025

21/07/2025

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