“You either have to be part of the solution, or you’re going to be part of the problem.”
I’m Stephanie. I’m a White, GenX, well-educated, securely-employed Michigan suburbanite. By day I’m an environmental health educator for the state, and by mornings, evenings, and weekends, I’m the sole proprietor of Blooming ‘burbs. I’ve got a MSc in Agroecology and a PhD in Community Food Systems. I’m a mom to two kids and two dogs.
I’m good at gardening and being a suburbanite, and I’m dedicated to doing both sustainably and conscientiously. Blooming ‘burbs is one way I contribute to a reinvention of how we live in the suburbs.
The Why of Blooming ‘burbs
Blooming ‘burbs is 15% micro-business and 85% one example of how to transition to a kind of suburbia that heals more than it harms.
My reason for creating a more sustainable home and landscape is simple. I have to do something to address this existential, planetary crisis that we find ourselves in. The places where I have the most influence and control are my home and garden.
It’s not surprising that when people think about climate change, air and plastic pollution, and the extinction crisis, they feel overwhelmed and powerless to do anything. But we find ourselves here because of collective choices made over the last century. Likewise, I believe it’s going to take collective will to fix what’s broken.
In part, I do what I do so I have somewhere to put my anxious energy, but I mainly do it because I know it makes a difference. It doesn’t matter to me if it is a big or small a difference I’m making; it’s just important that I do it!
I hope you will join me and the many others who are deciding to live as if our actions matter to the health of the planet and to future generations.
