On a trip to the Great Barrier Reef Abigail Nunes witnessed a plastic spoon falling to the depths of the ocean. For most people, it would have been nothing more than a fleeting moment in time that was quickly forgotten, but luckily for us, Abigail isn’t most people. Feeling helpless and saddened by the state of the world’s waterways, Abigail vowed to do what she could to make a difference. Fast forward a few years and she and her husband Gus have opened Ocean 4218 in Mermaid Beach, a plastic-free cafe that is dedicated to saving the turtles one coffee at a time. Here, everything from the takeaway coffee cups to the beeswax wraps and repurposed produce bags that are available for purchase are designed to help you walk a little lighter on the earth. The health-focussed menu has elements that are influenced by Abigail’s Estonian heritage but is generally a reflection of the food the eco-couple like to eat, think breakfast bowls loaded with coconut and tumeric porridge topped with Coyo and seasonal fruit alongside staples such as avocado on ciabatta and acai bowls made with acai sorbet rather than the sugar-rich alternative. For lunch, stick a fork into the Puerto Escondido bowl, which is filled with Mexican-flavoured chicken, rice, cheese, black beans, spinach, tomato and red onion salsa with avocado and Japanese mayo. Housed in the former Ball Boy and Corganics on the Gold Coast Highway in Mermaid Beach, Ocean 4218 boasts a real community vibe where regulars are friends and vice versa.