Robin Shreeves: A Little Greener Every Day

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Robin Shreeves is one of my fellow writers over at Green Options that I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know. She interviewed me not too long ago on her personal blog, A Little Greener Every Day, and I thought it would be fun to return the favor! Robin is a writer, a mom, and a self-described “locavore wannabe.” She’s also an all around great lady, so I thought you guys might like getting to know her, too!

Get on with the interview, you say? Yes, let’s!

How did you get started with A Little Greener Every Day?

Three years ago my then 1st grader guilted my husband and me into trading in our Jeep Grand Cherokee for a Prius. We had bought him a kid’s encyclopedia and he read about global warming and gave us a lecture. I started thinking about how I had been environmentally conscious in my early twenties, but my career and then mommyhood had made me reach for convenience so often that I had all but pushed the knowledge that I needed to take care of the earth out of my head. I started making little changes – carrying reusable bags, using rags instead of paper towels – and I started to read. I wanted to share what I was learning with other people. So I started A Little Greener Every Day to share my successes and failures and help educate others.

What are you up to when you’re not writing about green living?

Well, the mom gig takes up a lot of my time. So does the wife gig. My husband and I try to get alone time often because after 15 years we still really enjoy each other’s company. Actually, I have a really great family and we make the time to be together. I read a lot (right now I’m enjoying Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine), take tons of pictures, and hang out with my friends. I’m also very involved in my church.

I’m digging your new site, South Jersey Locavore! How did you get into local eats?

I call myself a locavore wannabe. Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle opened my eyes to how our food choices effect the environment and people all around the world. I live in a region where being 100% locavore would be very difficult, but I made the choice about a year ago to be aggressive in supporting local agriculture even if I never become a total locavore. The problem around here is that when the farmers markets close for the season, it’s not easy to find local foods even if they are out there. I started SJ Locavore to gather together all the information I can find on my region.

Tell me about your kiddos! How are they taking to your A Little Greener Every Day adventure?

The kids run hot and cold with it. My nine-year-old understands the problems with the environment, but he’s not always ready to give up what he wants. My six-year-old loves to help me in the vegetable garden and the kitchen. I try to remind myself that I raised them for the first half of their lives to be one way (even if it was subconsciously) and then I tell them we’re going to be a different way now. I can’t expect them to change just because I’ve changed. But they are listening and learning. I’ve see my six-year-old tell a cashier, “I don’t need a bag for just one thing” or my nine-year-old decline cheap plastic prizes and I know that things are starting to sink in.

It’s also been over a year since I’ve taken them to a fast food restaurant, and they have learned to accept it. Even when their school did a fund raiser at the local McDonalds, they were cool about not going even though most of their friends would be there.

One last food question! You were experimenting with eating a more plant-based diet not too long ago. How did it go? Were there any recipes you ran across that knocked your socks off?

I’m still experimenting. I spent a week eating Mark Bittman’s “vegan until six” way (basically eating vegan until dinnertime), and enjoyed it. Then Easter weekend hit and there were so many yummy leftovers that I got away from it. Although I don’t think I’ll ever go completely vegetarian let alone vegan (how do you live without a real cheeseburger?), I can go days now without meat and be perfectly fine. I don’t think I could do it without the existence of peanut butter, though.

I haven’t come across any recipes that have totally wowed me yet, but I did chose a sandwich at a restaurant that blew me away. It had grilled eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and Portobello, goat cheese and a balsamic vinigar reduction sauce on it. I would have never chosen a sandwich like that in the past, but I was so glad I did. It was delicious.

In addition to finding Robin on her personal blogs, you can find her writing about eco-friendly food options on the environmental news website, Mother Nature Network. You can also follow her on twitter – she’s @rshreeves or @SJLocavore.

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