About Us

Hi there! Thanks for checking out Sustainable Baby Steps!

We are Justin and Tara Wagner, founders and creators of Sustainable Baby Steps, where we are dedicated to guiding you to go green, save (or make) money sustainably, and live healthy... without stress, without wasting time or energy, and without overwhelming yourself with information.

I (Tara) am the one who does much of the writing here and I'm almost as crunchy as they come. I'm pretty sure I learned it from my mother; she had a compost pile and used cloth grocery bags before it was hip. She was my role model for simple and frugal living.

My first independent steps into a natural lifestyle began when I became a massage therapist at 19. I worked in the healing arts for many years, soaking up all I could about natural health and wellness.

It confirmed my upbringing and my intuition about nature and health: We can work with it or against it and it's all connected.

Learning about our bodies and natural healing led our family of three to learn about organic foods, the harmful nature of chemicals, alternative medicines, including essential oils, and much more. I was living green by default, although health and wellness were my primary objectives. It wasn't until I learned about the tiny footprint of "urban homesteading" that I really dove head-first into living "beyond green" and dedicated myself to doing all I could for the planet.

Together, we've grown and preserved our own food, downsized our lifestyle, learned to conserve, precycle and make do, and yes, switched to cloth toilet paper! All of our sustainable actions have not only saved us money but provided a passive income for us, and also brought us closer together. Living sustainably is just a way of life for us; almost as unconscious to us as breathing.

I began this website as a way to share what I have learned, and in hopes of inspiring others. We may not all be able to do everything, but we can all do quite a bit when we're inspired and dedicated. And with each of us doing our part, we can make such a difference!

The Hidden Benefits of Sustainable Living

A funny thing happened when we committed ourselves fully to a sustainable lifestyle: The world opened up! We met the most amazing people, learned the most amazing things and reconnected in ways we never imagined; not only to our surroundings, but to our food, our bodies and spirits, our ideas on life and our loved ones.

This lifestyle has a way of changing people, making them question and examine their lives and beliefs and focus on what truly matters. And that's certainly what it did for us.

We lived in Las Vegas, NV all our lives (about as unsustainable a city as they come) but were constantly craving a community that fits our ideals and so we made a radical change. Although we have no idea where we'll end up, as of right now we're traveling the USA in search of that one amazing place to call our sustainable home. We are currently living full-time on the road in a 34 ft solar-powered RV (5th wheel) pulled by a truck converted to run on waste vegetable oil. Can't get a smaller footprint than that!

But this site is not my main gig. I am also a lifestyle coach and talk about applying the principles of not just making green and organic lifestyle and health choices, but Being Organic at our core, in our relationships and in every aspect of our lives, in order to get out of "survival mode" and finally thrive. You can find that goodness at TheOrganicSister.com.

My husband also writes his own blog about our travels at Justin-Wagner.com, and he and my son share their love of juggling at Oddball Juggling. I hope you'll check them all out on your own journey to green, organic and passionate living.

Meet One of Our Writers, Miranda

Source: Alex

Miranda is a passionate advocate for green, sustainable, and informed living. She's also a self-proclaimed research junkie and loves to share what she's learned and her hard-earned experiences with those who may benefit from them.

She writes part time for Sustainable Baby Steps on whatever green thing she's been up to, whether that's crafting, raising chickens, cooking healthy paleo meals, or redesigning her home and garden into a sustainable haven. She resides in New York State (after much research and deliberation on sustainability pointed her there) with her two teen daughters, husband and menagerie of animals.

Feel free to reach out and connect with us with any questions, feedback, articles requests, or just to say hello!