Hi and welcome! I'm Caitlin, I'm 36 and I'm the sole force behind Eco Cajun. I was born and raised in south Louisiana, and still call it home, living with my wonderful husband, our daughters, Ariana and Sophia, and our cat, Dax.
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How I became a treehugging blogger
I always thank my parents for instilling the roots of environmentalism in me. As a child, I remember us using cloth bags from a bygone grocery store (holla at the Delchamps!) and the PAPER, PLASTIC and GLASS stacking curbside recycling bins. This helped me grow up believing it was normal and easy to be green. It wasn't nearly as common or 'trendy' back then as it is today, and it's shown me how far environmentalism has come in the past 25 years.
In middle school, one of my teachers taught us lessons from 50 Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth. It was then that I learned about cutting six-pack rings so turtles, birds and other animals wouldn’t find themselves stuck and in danger.
After I graduated college in 2007, I felt drawn to focus more on environmentalism, and I started Eco Cajun in 2009 as a way to write about and share my passion. It’s simple to me. Why NOT be greener? What really is the benefit to continuing to be wasteful? It's selfish to view the world as your personal trash can.
The way I see it, our actions are harming our environment, but even more, they’re harming our descendants’ environment. Our children and grandchildren are going to live in a different world from ours. We already live in such a different world from our ancestors’. Nature is always going to be changing; but we should let it change naturally, instead of forcing it to happen more quickly as a result of our "disposable" lifestyle.
One of the biggest reasons I care so much is because such simple actions can make big differences. Being greener doesn’t have to require spending more money or changing everything about the way you live.
Changing one habit at a time still makes a difference. Start easy and make it routine. See where you can go from there. In many cases, you can save money – and that sweetens the deal. I get the satisfaction of knowing my carbon footprint is smaller than others’, but I also have the satisfaction of lower utility bills and spending less at the gas station.
My goal is to show you how you can make simple changes in your own life to be greener – without needing to spend a lot of money.
In the Community
In addition to regularly writing blog posts on how you can green your everyday life, I like to practice what I preach. I pick up litter on my own, ride my bicycle, conserve resources and energy, and educate friends and family on recycling.I serve on the board of Keep Lafayette Beautiful, our local chapter of Keep Louisiana Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful. I volunteer as much as I can with Project Front Yard, and I help promote the missions of Bayou Vermilion District and TECHE Project. I also serve on the board of the705, Lafayette's young leader organization.
In the Media
I was honored in 2014 in the first annual Project Front Yard awards.In 2015, I was recognized by Acadiana LifeStyle as one of Acadiana's Most Interesting People.
To celebrate Earth Month in 2015, I had a blast chatting with morning show host Matt on 106.3 Radio Lafayette.
Since December 2016, I have been a contributing writer for Times of Acadiana, sharing how residents of my home region, Acadiana, can laissez les bons temps rouler greener.
In 2017, I represented Schwinn Bicycles as an official brand ambassador. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and their blog, SchwinnRed!
What else?
I'm a proud UL Lafayette alum — Geaux Cajuns! My degree is in mass communications/advertising, and by day, I hold it down full-time as a marketing and public relations writer and social media manager.I am known for my devout love of Hanson: 24 years strong, one Hanson tattoo, and I can't pick my favorite of the three.
I'm also pretty proud of my grade school spelling bee championship record.
In my spare time (LOL), I love:
- Yoga, especially hot power yoga, and exercising in general
- Relaxing outside in nice weather
- Drinking cheap wine
- Traveling
- Cooking
- Riding bicycles with my husband
- Binging on Netflix (currently Schitt's Creek)
Do you have questions about green living? Email me at caitlin@ecocajun.com and I'll be happy to give you answers, or find them if I don't know them!
Stay eco, my friends.
