When I started this blog I had absolutely no clue about blogging or having a website, didn’t understand Pinterest and had never even used Instagram or Twitter.
I also never wrote what is called a launch post, which is what nearly all bloggers do as their first action when creating a website. I had no idea or inclination to do this, but as the blog grows I really want to explain a little more about me, the point of it all and where it is all headed.
Growing up, I really enjoyed the British sitcom called The Good Life which inspired the blog name The Good Life with Amy French and if you haven't seen this show it's set in the 70's and the main characters are a couple that quit their jobs to live self-sufficiently in the suburbs. Its funny, inspiring and not exactly how I want to live but I love the underlying concept.
Why did I even start this?
I woke up one morning feeling more passionate than usual about living greener and thinking about all the frustrations and obstacles that come with it and how the consumer driven world we live in is geared towards being anything but ecofriendly.
I felt really inspired to create something in the public space where I could write about things that do work, share accurate information, learn stuff AND connect with others to make the world a tiny bit better. I created a Facebook page and got started, but soon realised I had lots more to say that really needed a bigger platform than an occasional social media post.
I figured starting a blog can’t be that hard, and it was a welcome escape from studying, kid wrangling and housework. I soon found out that I had a LOT to learn and a lot to say!
I also discovered pretty quickly that I really hate looking at pictures of myself and will avoid selfie videos at all costs, so you will rarely see a pic of me. Having said that, I did make an effort to find a photo so at least you can put a face to the name if you're curious.
I’d been frustrated for years at the amount of plastic we are faced with every single day, annoyed with recipes and methods that simply don’t work and bewildered by the lack of information (and the widespread mis-information) out there.
Documentaries I watched made me sad to see the amount of trash around the world and what it is doing to communities and the environment. Yes, convenience is lovely, but at what expense?
Somehow I had a vision that I needed to be an activist, a hippie, or a millennial zero waster with a trash jar for my opinion to count in the public space - How wrong I was!
I'm a pretty average suburbanite, approaching middle age (not mentally though), with a mortgage, family and pets. I don’t live off the grid or have an earth ship being built (that would be kind of cool though) and if you see me in the street you wouldn’t think I’m fighting a war on waste and developing a plastic phobia.
If you know me offline, then you might also know I have been guilty of many environmental ‘sins’ in my life, like using disposable nappies for the baby, acquiring way too many hair products and being unaware of oh so many things.... but thinking I was pretty awesome at recycling!
Life has certainly changed in our household and we’ve made so many swaps and happily given up many items we once thought were essential and necessary.
We love finding ways to adapt all aspects of our modern lifestyle to being more sustainable…. we still aren’t perfect, never will be, and are definitely not zero waste.
My partner is generally on board with most of the changes, but is regularly confused on what trash I'm collecting for reusing and repurposing versus which should be recycled. The kids love quite a few of the changes but refuse to even try others, so we try to reach a compromise with it all.
Why should being eco-friendly be so hard for the average person to achieve?
Well, so many reasons including the way our society operates, our beliefs and what is considered ‘normal’ and more importantly all the companies trying to sell us bigger and better products so we part happily with our hard earned money and remain blissfully ignorant of the real and hidden impacts of our lifestyle choices. How on earth is the average person supposed to know about their impact and how to lessen it when the facts and information can be hard to get.
I don’t want to make anybody to feel guilty that they use gladwrap because it really is so convenient, or purchased a cheap product that broke in the first 5 minutes and can’t be recycled. People have overflowing trash and recycling bins every week, and yes... it bothers me, BUT I’m not judging the people. I’d much rather be part of finding solutions anyone can put in place to start a change in the world and figure out how to avoid the trash imposed on us everyday.
My real hope is that those stumbling across this site feel more inspired and empowered to take practical actions that make a difference, no matter how small they are AND feel good about it.
Going green, zero waste or ecofriendly doesn’t have to be expensive or unachievable and there are many quick ways to make a change that can fit into our busy lives and make us feel happier about our choices. I'm a huge advocate of being Grugal!
I’ll continue to share what I know and learn, along with questions, mistakes and failures.
You can expect a couple of new posts a week covering a range of topics that are helpful, informative or maybe even show you what not to do.
As time permits, I will be building up the resources page and adding some handy lists, cheat sheets, free mini courses and eBooks.
Lately, I’ve been getting in touch with some amazing people and groups in the community and will be sharing with you what they are doing and how you can join in or maybe create something similar in your local area. If you have a story to tell, a topic you’re passionate about or some great hints or experiences that could help others trying to live more ecofriendly, there’s no reason why you can’t appear on the blog too, no matter who you are.
If you want access to the member's area and to keep up to date with the latest posts, hit the subscribe button further down the page. You’ll get a link and a password so you can access free printables and other useful things.
I love hearing from real people, so if you, want to share your problems, solutions, questions, or let me know I’ve got something wrong, then get in touch or join in the conversations in the comments or on social media.