At Floor Coverings International® of , we love to bring you creative insight and perspectives from some of web’s most influential bloggers. Our latest interview features eco-friendly blogger Tracey Krause of The Earth Friendly Family. You can follow Tracey on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram.
Please tell us a little about yourself.
I moved with my family to Ecuador in 2014, and part of that is to live a more sustainable, eco friendly lifestyle. Our lifestyle in Canada was not sustainable, in that we were using more than our fair share of the world’s resources. I see that as the rich stealing from the poor and from the future. Here in Ecuador, we have a much smaller footprint. We buy our groceries from the local farmer’s market. We don’t have a car, but use public transit. We live in a 3 bedroom apartment made with locally sourced materials. We don’t use a heating or cooling system. Even our furniture is locally made.
What’s one type of flooring that would be eco friendly?
When I designed my house in Canada, I chose cork floors. Although I was conscious that cork is primarily grown in Europe, so the shipping to Canada was not particularly earth-friendly, I thought that was counter balanced by the fact that cork production, particularly for floors, is helping to maintain the cork forests. Here is Ecuador, our floor tiles are locally produced within Ecuador.
Why did you decide to start a blog? What do you enjoy about blogging?
I started The Earth Friendly Family blog while I was living in Canada in 2013. I have always been concerned about the environment, but having children really put things in perspective for me. Its so important that we leave our children with a healthy world. Here in Ecuador I work with local artisans and we design and create jewelry from locally sourced tagua and acai from the Amazon Rainforest. Using these sustainable materials from the rainforest helps to prevent its destruction for other purposes such as farming. So I blog to raise awareness of earth friendly choices and to introduce people to ArtisansintheAndes.com.
Where do you find most of your inspiration?
My inspiration comes from the glorious beauty of the world around. I am fortunate to have travelled widely to great cities and wild forests. My dream is that we treat the world and the people in it and in the future as we would be treated.
Can you explain a recent project you’ve been working on?
Lately I have been working on gathering videos from around the internet of great eco friendly fashion. I think women, in particular, need to see great eco friendly options that they can include in their wardrobe and feel great about. Green fashion has changed so much in the past 10 years. It’s become much more colorful and less serious. Also more accessible to the average women.