Part of a series featuring green moms, the new Chief Eco Officers.

Anna Hackman, writer of the Green Talk blog, believes if you build it green, they will come. Anna first focused on green building products and now has expanded to green living tips, recycling and gardening.

How do you eco?

When we started building a new house five years ago, we wanted to incorporate green building products into the construction process. Our goal was to make the house as nontoxic and energy efficient as possible. The learning curve was huge. I worked as the assistant general contractor in charge of green building products. My legal background came in handy as I researched every product we used. We are still working on this house! It is never ending.

I started the blog to focus on green building products. It has now expanded into green products, green living tips, recycling and gardening. I try to approach most situations with humor since otherwise my own compulsive, overanalyzing behavior would make me crazy. I am amazed at some of the responses that I receive and have learned much from my readers. I started a green building consultancy business that uses my own personal experiences to help others.

Why did you go eco?

I have four children who all have learning issues and allergies. I am convinced that the products used in our past homes contributed to their issues. This is one of the reasons we built our new house with as many nontoxic products as possible.

Another reason is to preserve Mother Earth. Spending time in my garden watching the bees buzz and the butterflies flutter, it easy to see why Mother Earth is so important. It never ceases to amaze me how humans can impact the Earth.

We need to teach our children by example since they will inherit the earth. I remind them to always turn off the lights, recycle and don’t waste anything. I hope it will stick as they become adults.

What’s your favorite eco tip?

Take your shoes off when you come into your house. You’ll avoid tracking in pesticides and other
toxic materials into your home.

EcoLinks

• Green Talk
• Chief Eco Officers
• HomeEco
• PlayEco