Dawn GiffordMy name is Dawn, and I am a writer, business owner, and a mother to a spirited 8-year-old girl I affectionately call "The Pixie." In my former, work-a-day life, I was a Master Gardener and Master Composter, horticulture teacher and extension agent, a well as a certified arborist and Permaculture designer. I founded one of the first greenroof companies and social enterprises in the nation, and have spent 15 years developing award-winning workforce training programs for "green-collar" environmental jobs in tree care, low-impact development, sustainable landscaping, and urban agriculture. After becoming a mom and wrestling with a subsequent debilitating chronic illness, I turned my interests to home and hearth, and created Small Footprint Family to share my experience in sustainable living and natural health with a wider audience. Although a Washington D.C. native, I now live in sunny Southern California with my daughter. I also see the proverbial "writing on the wall" about where we are headed environmentally, and I worry about my daughter's future. I have wanted to throw up my hands at what seems like an unsurmountable, hopeless problem. That's why I wrote this book. The good news is that change starts with each of us, right where we each live. Sustainability starts at home. By making a series of small, doable--even fun--changes, together we will contribute greatly to a healthier, happier, more sustainable life for everyone. I sincerely hope you are inspired and ignited by what you read. Read More Read Less