Hi, my name is Emily Ehlers. You can call me Em. I’ve been drinking out of mason jars since way before it was trendy but my friends say I sound like a total wanker when I say that, so I won’t mention it.

I’m an environmental writer, illustrator and spreader of ideas. I’m on a mission to inspire people to take daily action for the love of our planet.

This is a place where I blend sustainability with stories, sketches + silliness. My weapons of choice are poems, puns + pop culture references, lots of them. I also adore a little alliteration.

When I’m not behind a screen I’m a mum of 2, wife of 1 and a mature age student completing a double major of Sustainability/Humanities (BSc).

I live in Perth, Western Australia, in a coastal bungalow almost entirely furnished with stuff I’ve found on the side of the road. It fills me with smug satisfaction to sit my butt on something that was otherwise destined for landfill.

So what’s this blog all about, then?

Well, when I try to be catchy… I tell people it’s a zero wasting, simple living, wellness loving, waste hating, rebel raising, world saving kinda’ blog. Full of my ideas and illustrations and idiot sense of humour.

If I met you and was feeling bashful… I’d probably mumble that “it’s an eco lifestyle blog for people that want to save the world or go zero waste or live plastic-free and need help getting started”. Then i’d give you a jaunty wink and say “I’ve been told it’s quite funny” and quietly hope you were intrigued.

I might mention that… you’ve probably seen my activism art on someone else’s account. Those little characters up there in my header seem to be popping up all over the interwebs now, and this makes me happy. Let’s put the fun back in environmental fundamentalism, hey? Wow, I just made myself feel like a dorky science teacher that I would have teased back at school.

If you asked me what I did for work… I’d speak in a deep and very pommy voice – it’s my nervous tick – and probably direct you to my work with me page which is right here. Or i’d say I’m an environmental writer, illustrator and idea spreader. I do speaking gigs, run workshops, make eProducts and make prints. All designed to raise awareness and inspire people to look after the planet.

When I’m feeling sensitive I explain that… this is something I made because I couldn’t find the blog I wanted to read: a judgement free space for activist-y, sensitive, silly little sods, like me. The kind of people that often get told they care too much or that they shouldn’t add more to their already overflowing plate. The ones that sometimes get the speed-wobbles with life (which is my way of saying that sometimes anxiety kicks my ass).

I’d also try weave into the conversation that… I understand that it’s damn hard to figure out how to balance saving the world with “real life”. Busyness and wellness. Motherhood and activism. Work and play. Tiredness and tirelessness. It’s something I don’t always win at, and I share all those messy bits because they are vital, unavoidable parts of the process. Feck perfuction, and all that.

And if I was feeling particularly comfortable… I’d let you know that this is an online journal that doesn’t just document my life but keeps me accountable, clarifies my own thoughts around issues, allows me to have conversations about things that matter, facilitates an incredible community of like-minded legends (on and offline) and gives me hope that humans are ultimately good. Because we are.

What else could you possibly want or need to know about me? Hmm. I’m an ENFP, an Enneagram 7 and an Aries Fire Tiger. My heroes are Chimamanda Adichie, Robin Williams, Jane Goodall, Sylvia Earle, Maya Angelou and Mr Rogers. I love the ocean, Disney movies, illustrating and in a move that sums all of the above up nicely – I am strongly considering getting a Moana tattoo. Heart of Tefiti. BOOM.

Thanks for being here.