Bitesize Blog

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Meera Jain. I am an elementary school teacher, a mum of two young girls, and an eco-blogger! I am super passionate about making green living accessible to everyone in some way. Remember, nobody can do everything but everyone can do something.

Where can people follow your blog?

Come follow me @thegreenmum on Instagram! Feel free to DM with any questions you might have about eco-friendly living, with or without kids.

Green mum

Interview

What made you start your blog?

I have always considered myself to be an environmentally friendly person in that I was very anxious about the fate of the planet. But I had no knowledge to back that up really. I had some friends come and stay with me (@sustainablejungle) and they taught me about their plastic-free ways. I also watched the documentary A Plastic Ocean which helped me get a jump start into this lifestyle. I wanted to start writing about my journey because I knew that others would learn from my mistakes and hopefully be inspired to start making changes themselves.

What are your thoughts on Climate Change?

It scares me a lot. I take the advice of the UN’s Climate Change experts very seriously. They are saying that we have less than ten years to seriously amend our way of living so that we decrease the amount of carbon we emit into the atmosphere. It is frustrating that governmental bodies don’t seem to be taking this warning to heart. I do what I can at home, teach others impacts they can make, and write emails and sign petitions in the hopes of affecting change at a higher level

Have you changed much about your lifestyle?

Well, I suppose in some ways, I have changed everything. More than a change in lifestyle, I would call it a change in mindset. I look at everything from a different lens and try and learn how my actions or purchases will affect the environment. It is liberating in a way because my eco-anxiety is a lot lower knowing that I am considering the earth in almost every decision I make.

What sort of reactions do you get from people who come across this?

People, for the most part, are very respectful and admire the efforts our family makes. I get a lot of “I could never do what you do”. But my goal, through my blog, is to show that yes, you can do what I do! Because what I do is not that hard once you get used it. Some folks are rather indifferent to my way of living. That is fine by me. I’m not here to push an agenda on anyone that isn’t opening to listening. And then a very few set of people are a little bit defensive. They might try and criticize my lifestyle and set of values. They just aren’t “there” yet, and that is perfectly okay.

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What changes have you found the hardest to make and what have you done to overcome them?

It’s always a challenge when it comes to my children. I want them to grow up with a strong understanding of the things their parents value. But I also want them to have a childhood full of different experiences. We address eco-challenges by teaching them what we think or what we would do, and then allowing them to make their own decisions. The last thing I want is for them to start resenting or rejecting how we live.

What is your biggest fear about the future?

At the risk of sounding dramatic, my biggest fear is that my children will have no future. Everything I do, I do it because I want my kids to live a healthy, safe, and fulfilling life. As I mentioned before, that is going to take some major change on our society’s part. My work is to help spread that message so that future generations can enjoy the same quality of living I have been lucky enough to experience.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

There isn’t one person or group that particularly inspires me. It’s the collective of people, businesses, and governmental officials making changes to keep our planet healthy. Whether an individual starts composting, a business adopts a reusable container policy, or a politician fights to lower greenhouse gas emissions, they’re the people and actions that inspire me and instil hope.

What is the one thing you would like people to take away from this?

It’s never too late to start and there is no change too little to make. We are counting on both individuals and corporations to start thinking and caring about a viable future for us all. And remember, we aren’t doing this for ourselves, we are doing it for future generations to come and I can think of anything less selfish than that.

Do you have any advice for Appletree and Avalon?

I love the work that you are doing! I would advise you to persevere, continue to consider the planet in every decision you make, and show big business that the small, local, eco-minded businesses are here to stay!

Bitesize Blog

It’s so great to get another Mum’s perspective on Eco-living. It definitely resonated with some of the challenges we all face with our children. What do you think ?

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