In conversation with Steph

Today's conversation is with a lovely lady named Steph. I am often in awe of her creative talents and I love the example she sets for her daughter.

1. Please tell us about yourself
 
So I’m Steph, I’m 31, a single mum from Essex and I have Lupus Nephritis and SLE. I have a 7 year old daughter and work as an Office Manager for a Credit Union. In my spare (hah) time I enjoy making all sorts of items to sell to help top up the bills!


2. What inspires you to live more sustainably?

 I try to live as sustainably and mindfully as possible - if I have to buy new I try to ensure it’s ethically sourced, recyclable or organic where applicable. I grow a lot of my own produce, shop for clothes in charity shops and make a lot of reusable/washable items instead of using disposables.

(I have to add here, that Steph is the wonderful lady who made my first reuseable cloth pads, and her beautiful work totally got me hooked, and I've since bought more from her and made lots for myself too!)

 3. What's made the biggest difference? 

 Having my garden has changed my life massively. I spend a lot of time out there now and I get a real sense of achievement eating what we grow. I thought I would’ve got bored with it by now, but each year we add new varieties to what we grow and each year I’m surprised by what we can produce in our little garden!
 
 4. What would you advise people to start with? - like if someone is starting to change things from scratch, where to start? 

 I would encourage any and everyone to start small and make little changes where and when you can. Live within your means and don’t feel guilty about the changes you can’t afford to make just yet! Organic is expensive, so grow what you can. Clothes are expensive, so grab a bargain at a charity shop! Reusable is surprisingly not that gross and can make a huge change to your life and pocket (once the initial investment is made).
 
 5. How do you balance saving the world and being a busy mum?



I sometimes worry about how this affects my daughter but luckily she’s in a phase where she seems to love it.
She loves shopping for a bargain and getting mucky in the garden. She helps me batch cook, works flipping hard in the garden and helps me literally bake our bread.
So I guess whilst doing what I do essentially creates more work and takes more time, it actually gives me way more quality time with my girl whilst doing our bit for the planet too