Me and my wonderful family

My name is Annette and I grew up in Littleton, Colorado. When I was in kindergarten, my family and I had the great opportunity to move to the Ken Caryl Valley, a great community right behind the hogback, nestled right up against the foothills. As a kid I couldn’t get enough of the outdoors. I climbed the red rocks, explored the creeks, hiked all over the foothills, and followed any kind of trail I could find. Growing up in the Rocky Mountains helped me blossom into an outdoor, environmental loving little girl.

Another big influence in my life was my grandmother, who we called Mama. Mama was an amazing Panamanian woman who was born in 1915 and appreciated life to the fullest and she didn’t waste ANYTHING! Every morning she would eat  yogurt and when she would finish she would wash out the container and save it to use later. She used old glass juice containers to store and chill water, would save every plastic bag or unused tissue or piece of toilet paper to use later. She was also an amazing seamstress and mended all of our socks, pants, and shirts to make them look like new, especially those ones we thought were bound for the trash. Mama utilized everything and I didn’t fully understand why until I grew up. Today, whenever I eat yogurt I think about Mama and how I could reuse the little container for something else later and am grateful I had such a strong example in my life to get me on the right path to living green.

In my adult life I left Colorado and went to San Diego where I studied Biology at San Diego State University.  After learning about the flora and fauna of San Diego, I returned home to study Environmental Policy and Management at the University of Denver. Throughout my studies I have gained an even greater appreciation for the environment and all the amazing things it can do and can offer. I have also taken a strong interest in water issues, which seems appropriate living in the arid southwest where water is very precious and scarce.

Now that I am done with school and starting a new chapter of my life I plan to live as green as possible. I am planning to help spread the word too as an Eco-consultant with Green Irene, a great company that is helping green the world one home at a time.  Check out my website at www.greenirene.com/HaughLittleton.  I am looking forward to learning as much as I can to help protect the environment and all the things I love so dearly.  Let me know if you have any ideas or thoughts about how to be a better, brighter green person!