Welcome to my site and thanks so much for being here!
I’m Mel and I’ve created GreenGardenLiving.com to support you on your journey through climate change.
I’ll be on that journey too, right alongside you.
But first, let me tell you a little about how I got here….
I grew up on a working farm in Suffolk, UK. As a kid, I loved taking our dogs for long walks over the fields, listening to the birds singing overhead, the sound of fresh running water, watching the seasons pass and admiring the wild primroses and cowslips in spring.
At school, it seemed that I was born to be an Economist. I studied it to PhD level and made it my profession. I worked for more than 20 years as a researcher and then policy adviser. This took me travelling and living in Europe and further afield. I researched and formulated policy on all sorts of issues, publishing over 50 articles in scientific journals.
But I was also interested in people. Their individual strengths and weaknesses, their stories. I studied psychology in university too and my work in economics overlapped with topics linked to job satisfaction, unemployment, wages and stress at work.
After taking what seemed like a huge decision, I am dedicating my second career to life coaching – helping people prepare for and deal with change. It affects us all, whether it’s a change in location, a change in personal circumstances, a change in career… And now there is also climate change…
This site arises from my passion for protecting the natural world.
I’m homing-in on practical actions that you can take in your daily life to help slow down and ultimately halt climate change.
And I believe in you! And I believe that through taking action, small or large, you can make a difference, for the better.
Like an impressionistic painting, each colour dot, or each action you take, adds up to make global changes, a beautiful picture of a healthier planet.
Governments and institutions will be issuing guidelines and regulations to guide the way. But the road will not be easy. And each of us will need to play our part.
I’ll be providing you with facts and figures, sharing ideas, testing out new technologies, uncovering best practices.
I’ll support you in encouraging your politicians, peers, friends, family and neighbours to do their bit too.
Don’t worry, I’ll have a ton of suggestions to share.
I’m on my own journey of learning and discovery, sharing my progress with you each step of the way.
Learning will be a constant companion on this journey. I can’t pretend to have anywhere near all the answers, but I’ll be doing my very best to help you find yours.
Roll up your sleeves, and together, let’s change any feelings of ‘game over’ to ‘it’s game on!’.
Change is the adventure of a lifetime. Let’s embrace it.