4 Questions for Lynn Miller

15 May 2009

by Lynn Miller

in Nature, Health Issues, Parenting

Meet Lynn Miller, the founder of the Green Moms Carnival, whose passion for green issues, combined with her prowess in social media has made her an online force for environmental issues.

As she puts it on her blog, she wants to "cut through the hype" and to "find out how to save money while going green." She's found an eager audience!

Even though she's online a lot, she values time spent unplugged and outside in nature. She knows how critical it is for the health and happiness of her two sons, who are pictured above, just after they got off the school bus. (She took the picture with her iPhone, of course!)

What is the Green Moms Carnival?

It's a blog carnival and online group run by a group of the top green women's bloggers. A blog carnival is a collection of blog posts on a common topic, typically hosted by a different blogger at some regularly scheduled interval.

At the Green Moms Carnival, we blog on topics of common concern to the green community, such as over-consumption of plastics and climate change, but we also blog on topics that resonate with us as women, such as Mother's Day and Back-to-School.

Although I organized the carnival to highlight the great work being done by Green Mom bloggers, we eventually expanded the carnival to be more inclusive. We've run posts by men (who are after all, sons of mothers!) and we have members who are not mothers.

Why do you think spending time outside is good for a healthy, green childhood?

Kids need fresh air and sunshine. They need unstructured time to run and play and just "be." Nature is never boring. Nature never breaks down or runs out of batteries. There are endless lessons to learn from Mother Nature, and she can be a friend and refuge for life.

What is one of your favorite outdoor memories -- either from your own childhood, or from time spent with your own kids?

I used to spend time each summer at a wonderful, rustic summer camp in the countryside of Pennsylvania. I hiked, canoed, slept under the stars, rappelled, and more… I slept in a platform tent. It was a wonderful, wonderful experience, and I think it really cemented my love of nature. The camp was run by the Girl Scouts, and I'll never forget it – Hidden Valley Girl Scout Camp in Equinunk, Pennsylvania.

Which activity would you prefer and why: building a sand castle, jumping in a pile of leaves, or rolling down a hill?

I think building a sand castle is easier now that I'm older! My days of jumping in leaf piles and rolling down hills are pretty few and far between, although every once in a while I do act like a kid and go for it!