tracy bartley

blog

I am a Canadian prairie girl living in suburban Los Angeles with my husband, and our 2 girls(ages 8 and 5).

I am working to embrace the wonder that is SoCal (Southern California) - living seasonally in a place that appears to only have two seasons (warm and hot); growing a thriving edibles garden in February; escaping from the heat in July. We try to spend as much time as we can out of doors - whether hiking the Santa Monica Mountains, camping at one of the state beaches, or simply working in the garden in our yard, or at the community garden we are developing at our neighbourhood elementary school. We are backyard chicken-keepers and Farmer's Market junkies. We love our Mundo SUB.

I worry (a lot) about the constant bombardment of commercialism in our girls’ lives and try to protect them from that as much as possible. I want them to walk (in a city where everyone drives); to know from where, and from whom, what we consume comes from; to be barefoot as much as possible; to know that being rich has nothing to do with how much "stuff" you have or how big your house is; to cherish the hand in hand-made; and to love our planet. In turn, I try and see the wonderment that is life through their eyes. It gives me hope.

When I am not digging in the dirt looking for bugs with my bugs, I manage an artist's estate. I am a great believer in public eduction and the power of community. And I am trying to build a stronger bond with my sewing machine.

fawn pea

blog
ravelry

I used to start out this sort of thing by saying what I did for a job. Now the first thing I say is that I'm a mom. My daughter was born in 2009, and suddenly I am so much more invested in our future on this planet (and I thought I was an enviro before!).

For a job, I run a small environmental health organization.

I live in North Carolina (usa) with my partner and our cat and the aforementioned daughter. We are both very active in a few community organizations (he does water, I do food), and we have a vegetable and flower garden where we try to grow tasty and/or beautiful things. I love to ride my bike around town, hike in the southern appalachians, and as much as I'd like to keep up with all the cool environmental and political books that everyone else is reading, I am a passionate fiction reader with no time left over to read about reality.

My main crafty thing is knitting. I just love to knit, and I try to focus on using recycled and/or sustainably-produced yarns & materials. I design clothes for kids & babies, accessories for grown-ups, and felted creatures for all ages. Please help yourself to my free knitting patterns.

I've been a Sew Green contributor since 2007, and I mainly write about toxic chemicals, food, environmental health, babies and of course, green craftiness.

lisa solomon

:: blog ::
:: website ::

I am a mixed media artist who is deeply interested in the notion of hybridization. I think that is why I end up making all sorts of things, out of all kinds of materials, for all sorts of reasons. Since getting my MFA in 2003 I have been busy trying to make and show my work. Sometimes I am also a professor and a graphic designer. I love how teaching inspires and motivates me. I consistently attempt to give my students the tools to think creatively and solve their aesthetic problems in meaningful ways. I'm also in the midst of starting up a business that uses recycled garments and fabric as well as found vintage items.

I am fascinated by the mundane {finding beauty in the ordinary}, searching for a way to live more simply, and hoping that I can take small steps to live more sustainably. Since joining "sew green" I have tried to become more conscious of how I navigate the world - what I eat, what I wear, what small things I can do to make a difference. I'm certainly no expert on living green, but I am committed to finding greener solutions for me and my family. Mostly I've been inspired by my fellow bloggers here - the depth of their creativity and commitment to doing what they can.

I live in Oakland, California with my husband, two dogs and a cat. We had our first child [a girl] in January 2009. Having her has certainly changed my perspective and has made me more determined to do what I can to help our planet. We love to garden, sit in our sunny yard, and cook yummy food.

gwen bugheart

entomologist/ecologist
currently in neuchâtel, switzerland
blog
website
photos



every little thing counts.

little insects.
one day
i looked
a little closer at
the tiny insect world
around me
and was hooked.
a
beautiful,
yet powerful
world,
only occasionally
noticed by the humans.
an elegant world
of
amazing diversity
and
so much
to still understand.

little changes.
i study
tiny changes
in the genetic code.
those changes
cause variation
within organisms.
variation that
is the difference
between survival
and extinction.
it is
the foundation
for evolution.

little losses.
i seek to conserve.
habitat loss is
the greatest
threat to diversity.
we are losing
biodiversity
at an alarming rate.
i plan
to contribute to
a great body
of research
that proves
that
little losses
in diversity now
cascade
across species
and lead to
massive losses
in the future.

little steps.
i believe in
the little steps
that
we can take
towards
being
environmentally
conscious.
turn off the lights.
take the stairs.
bring canvas bags.
buy local produce.
buy used.
stay informed.
when living greener
seems overwhelming,
i remember that
all great change
is the sum of
small changes.
these everyday changes
can lead
to living greener.

every little thing counts.

Kerstin (shash) Svendsen

Website
Blog
Graphic Designer/Crafter

Since we started Sew Green in 2007, I've been swept up, along with so many of you, into the sustainable agriculture/food movement that seems to have really taken off since Omnivore's Dilemma came out. This movement is closely linked with the environmental movement, and I think it is easily accessible—we can all change what we eat and our relationship with our food, and we can notice the impact of those changes in our own lives and in our communities/land.

Right now, I'm working on compiling and designing an anthology of writing and artwork related to sustainable agriculture. (More on that when it's finished!)

My posts here are usually about the books I read related to agriculture, food, nature. (Send me recommendations!) Lately my main sources of inspiration and information for food and environmental matters are Wendell Berry and Civil Eats.

I'd like to learn more about greening graphic design, community gardening, homesteading activities, farming, ecology and global environmental issues (climate change, water rights, seed saving, alternative energy, e-waste, exploitation of people and natural resources in "developing" countries by multinational corporations and governments).