This month we welcome Green Living in Casey Champion Amy Mead.
When Amy was growing up, green living was always in the background. She remembers her mother encouraging her to care about the planet that she lives on. However, now that Amy is older, she has more control about what she can do and change in her life.
Amy recognises that social media can be both a blessing and a curse. Negatives aside, social media is a great tool for information sharing and learning about methods, products and ways to reduce waste — Amy’s aim is not zero-waste, but a more realistic reduced waste.
The biggest change Amy has made is to grow more food at home, which can be challenging when you’re renting. She started with the expensive-to-buy or used-everyday items, like spinach. She now has a pomegranate tree in a pot which makes it more mobile, and has joined a community garden which has expanded her growing space and opportunities.
A proud aunty, Amy spends a lot of time with her nieces and nephews and is excited to educate them about how to live greener. Amy works in Early Childhood Education and brings her ‘green’ enthusiasm to the children there.
Spending extra time outside looking after her plants and gardens has made Amy feel more active and positive about doing something good for the environment.
Amy’s top three Green Living tips for those starting out are:
- Start now. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t done anything before — you have to start somewhere.
- Recruit people to your cause — friends, family, co-workers, or find others that think alike. It’s an easier journey when you have support.
- It’s okay to make mistakes. If you go too hard too soon, you’ll burn out or give up. Take the slower, more sustainable path, and you’ll have time to weigh up the pros and cons and more likely get it right.