Julie White

That's a picture of me on my 45th birthday, completing a bike ride of 45 miles. 45 was somewhat of a turning point for me, and I chronicled my preparation for the bike ride at RocBike, a bike culture blog where I still sometimes post. I also set a goal to complete 45 handmade objects, which I wrote about at My 45th Year.

These days, I post at HandCraftedLife and can be found on Ravelry,

My hope is that through these varous outlets, I can share lessons learned and struggles still in process as I attempt to live as sustainably as possible. It can feel a bit overwhelming at times to live by my principles and integrate them into a life that includes full-time work as a community college educator, parent of two young adults, partner to the love of my life, and graduate work towards a Ph.D. in education. Fortunately I am surrounded by a rich and supportive community of family and friends who share my values! I hope that sew green will help expand that community!

I live in the mid-size city of Rochester, New York, close enough to work and school to bike/walk/bus most places, although I confess it can be a challenge in the winter. I also knit, sew (a little), garden and grow some of my own food, keep chickens,and can/dry/preserve food for the winter.

I am excited to being a part of sew green and can't wait to get to know you all better!

Jennifer Whiteford

Who am I?

I am a thirty-something city dweller living with my boyfriend, three dogs, and two cats in a falling-apart 100 year old house in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. As my day job, I work as a daycare inspector, and in my spare time I write, garden, listen to records, sew, cook and read.

In 2006 my first novel, Grrrl, was published by Gorsky Press. I'm working on a second novel now, as well as doing lots of blog writing and some music reviews for Razorcake Magazine.

My blog is called It Ain't Meat, Babe and it chronicles my adventures in vegan home cooking. I focus mainly on simple foods made from scratch with wholesome ingredients. I try to cook using local ingredients as much as possible, and look to my garden as a source of both food and inspiration.

Gardening in relatively new to me, and it has quickly become a big passion of mine. My next step is to set up a small beehive in the garden, something that I plan to tackle next summer.

During the winter months I spend a lot of time in my sewing room, working on quilts and other crafty projects sewn from recycled fabric. I usually give handmade, practical gifts, because I believe that the things we own should be minimal and meaningful.

Every Tuesday night I volunteer as a meal server at a women's shelter. I'd like to do more volunteering in the future, but the trick is to fit it into my schedule.

That's me!

J.

Oh, P.S.

My favourite writers are Jane Austen, Sarah Vowell, Paul Auster, Aaron Cometbus and Richard Brautigan.

My favourite bands are The Unlovables, The Clash, The Measure [SA], Camera Obscura and Holly Golightly.

My favourite TV shows are The Big Bang Theory, The Wire, The Golden Girls, The Daily Show and Battlestar Galactica.

Maimy

Blog/Shop/Twitter

On May 18th, 2009, I became a self-employed designer-maker, specialising in eco-friendly fashion and interior accessories. In June 2009 I completed my BA (Hons) in Applied Arts for Enterprise.

For as long as I can remember, I have been obsessed with making, collecting and customising things. I mostly work with textiles. I have an almost endless patience for stitch, especially embroidery and crochet, and anything that isn't crocheted or embroidered gets block printed with my lino cuts. I use a lot of hemp and hemp-mix fabrics (I have a particular weakness for hemp-corduroy) and vintage embellishments. My ceramic work is usually single-fired porcelain.

I find it a huge challenge trying to balance a green ethos with saleable product, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Luckily my boyfriend understands, and tolerates my ranting...

I live in Redcar, a rainy English seaside town. I have two cats, a corn snake and two bearded dragons. I’ve been a vegetarian since I was four.

I still want to be an author-illustrator when I grow up.

Catherine

::blog::

::ravelry::

A bit about me:

I'm a prairie girl, able to withstand howling winds in the bitter winter, armed only with a parka and lots of moisturizer. And warm boots, mittens, a toque, long johns, wool socks, a thick scarf and a turtleneck sweater.

Good thing I'm also a knitter.

My day job is working in a medical library, but my passion is getting dirt under my nails. I'm a gardener since age 2, who is finally making it official by taking the Master Gardener course through U of Saskatchewan's Hort Dept.

My partner and I work very hard at "walking the walk". We bought a small house in the core area, where we can walk or bike to work. We buy second-hand goods when possible, and have been slowly making our house more energy efficient. We grow as much of our own food as we can, given our short summers and tiny yard, and enjoy sourcing out the rest from local suppliers. Of course, nothing is ever that straightforward, and we often struggle with how to make the best choices with the options available.

We both believe in being active members of our neighbourhood. I'm an original board member of the Orioles Community Garden, and we volunteer on the Daniel McIntyre-St. Matthew's Community Association Greening Committee. I'm super happy to be a member of Sew Green, and to have the chance to connect with people from all over the world who care about the things that mean so much to me.

Di Jones

Blog

Architect/Crafter/Cook/Gardener/Wannabe shoe maker

I was born in an outback mining town in the North West Australia, grew up in Perth, and now live in Melbourne with my husband, son and a cat.

I grew up in a do-it-yourself household. When we lived in the outback, Mum ordered fabric by mail order and made clothes for all manner of people in the town. Dad built most of our furniture from scratch, and worked modification after modification to the family home to adapt it to our needs. I’m not sure whether this was driven purely their creative tendencies, or a response to necessity, but it was an approach that has carried through their lives. Today Mum knits socks and dishcloths, sews quilts, and tends to a huge vegetable garden and three chickens. My father is still undertaking building works on their home, making furniture, and in recent years has started building timber boats. 

This Bio is supposed to be about me, not my family, but I do feel that how I live now is very much a product of the experiences and influences I grew up with. Making do and mending, being resourceful, recycling and adapting, were just how we did things as a family. Mum taught me to sew and cook, my Grandmother taught me to knit and Dad taught me how to wield a screwdriver and hammer (although thankfully I found a husband who is much better at it than I am). Gardening (and parenting) I’m learning through trial and error. We hope that our son inherits a love of creating (as opposed to consuming), an appreciation for where things come from, and a respect for the resources that the world can provide.

I joined Sew Green in 2010 and look forward to writing about sustainable building design, backyard veggie gardening, reducing waste and sustainable crafting.

Hayley Miller

blog

I am a single mother living the beautiful urban city of Long Beach, California. I run a small museum store and am completing my degree in nonprofit business management. I am a firm believer in charity, supporting your neighbours and think the greenest option is to give, instead of receive. As a retailer I practice supporting local artisans, fair trade, and eco-conscious materials. My goal is to teach my daughter the joy of giving, the pride of conscientious consumption and that moments are better than stuff.

Even as someone who works full-time, with a toddler, on tight budget, I hope to show that living green can be done economically and without a lot of free time. That supporting charities and volunteering is completely possible and that living sustainably is an option. I started with small changes, and as my knowledge grows, continue to add more & more eco changes to my repertoire. Eco-conscious things that will be intuitive to my daughter.

I have been a contributor to Sew Green since 2007 and have enjoyed expanding my green education and learning from our awesome group of thoughtful contributors.

Cheers!

chez grub (john)

john riordan
architect/writer/foodie
currently in neuchâtel, switzerland
blog
website


I am a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited architect and work for an award-winning architecture firm in DC.

I have published three books on architecture and design.
Restaurants by Design, Boutique Restaurants,
and the Good Office - a book about innovative ideas for sustainable office buildings.


I am a foodie. My passions for food and design have led me to see out restaurants worldwide and I often subject my friends and family to my culinary experiments.

I currently live in Neuchâtel, Switzerland with my partner and soon a wee one.