Elephant Journal readers have become accustomed the wisdom of Lynn Hasselberger. And no wonder. Lynn is a contemporary – armed with technology, compassion and enthusiasm – she approaches environmental responsibility with a business-precise efficiency.  She’s the founder of myEARTH360.com, an eco-commerce company bound with a reminder that our buying patterns are meaningful on a planetary scale.  Lynn says, “Every day you make choices, why not make healthier, smarter and more eco-savvy ones? Now is the time for you and your family to transition to an Earth-friendlier lifestyle and make a difference as you shop.”

As a mom and advocate of environmental awareness and education, she helps her readers stay current on environmental issues-and solutions. Lynn’s focus is specifically environmental issues that may impact our health and, more importantly, the long-term health of our children-at home and at school.  Lynn is sparkling clear on this: we all can make a difference. She herself is a powerhouse, recently nominated for a Shorty Award in #green.

Lynn’s busy, but she lives a family-focused life in the Chicago ‘burbs with her son, husband and two cats. She loves sunrises, running, yoga, eating chocolate, reading and writing (not necessarily in that order), and comedy. Lynn also writes for her blogs I Count for myEARTH; and Putting It Out There. A social media addict, you’ll most likely find her tweeting (@LynnHasselbrgr; + @myEARTH360) or posting on facebook. She hopes to make the planet a better place, have more fun, re-develop her math skills and overcome her fear of public speaking.

Good thing Lynn wasn’t afraid to take some time to answer my questions.  The public wants to know.

JILL: I know you’re involved in many important Green initiatives.  What are you working on right now and what’s most important to you for our readers to know about?

LYNN: In the Fall, I  helped raise awareness about the 3rd annual Vert Couture, a sustainable fashion charity event in Chicago and am now digging back into a tree planting campaign; (no pun intended, but there it is!) in conjunction with the new social media network mygreenface.com. mygreenface works very much like facebook–in fact, you can link the two networks together–but specifically connects those interested in the environment and how to take action.

My company is sponsoring the Good Food Festival + Conference that is being held in Chicago March 15-17. I’ll be writing about it for my blog and elephantjournal soon to help spread the word.

What’s most important to me? Raising awareness about issues that impact clean and safe water, air and food. These are basic human needs and it’s our right to have access to them. I also want to inspire people to make their voice count toward change… to realize their voice can help make a difference in the world.

Your spending habits are another way to make a difference. Buy less stuff. When you do purchase something, do everything possible to make it eco-friendly. Each dollar you spend is a vote. And ultimately, what you buy can directly or indirectly impact the air, water and food that sustain us. Everything is connected.

JILL: Not only does myEarth360 provide a platform for the purchase of consumer products that “raise environmental awareness and help families transition to an earth-friendlier lifestyle” (I love that phrase) but you also give back.  Why did you choose to partner with the National Environmental Education Foundation? What about their work stands out?

LYNN: I chose NEEF because they offer environmental curriculum for all grade levels. That’s important to me as a mom and an environmental advocate. Kids will prove to be sustainability champions—they’ll understand it’s not a choice but a necessity if we’re going to have clean air, clean water, safe food… and enough resources to go around.

JILL: Where do you go for inspiration?  Like, what’s on your reading list, movie queue and your iPod? Any book recommendations?

LYNN: I subscribe to Environmental Health News  , which provides up-to-date news on environmental news and issues from multiple sources from around the  world. I also receive email alerts from organizations like NRDC and Food + Water which usually have a link to action. When something grabs me, I write about it. In addition, I just started curating environmental news from ScoopIt.

Sometimes a tweet pops out at me and I’m drawn in to read about an environmental topic. I’m also into human rights issues and the occupy movement. Sometimes, I feel like my brain is going to explode so I turn to Colbert or The Daily Show from some humor. Bill Maher, Ricky Gervais and Louis CK are also favorites. I am a comedy addict!

I recently read Thomas Friedman’s book, “That Used to be Us” which analyzes our challenges in the US (including the political standoff about energy and climate change) and what we need to do as a country to rise above it and remain competitive in the world. Highly recommend it!

Since I read so much newsy stuff during the day, I tend to read fiction or memoirs at night so I can escape a bit. Humor is a must in that area as well–Nora Ephron is on my night stand right now.

JILL:  I poked around on myEARTH360 and was drawn to Lynn’s pick: Mission Wear: Faucet Necklace.  This is not boring, typical stuff.  It’s got a wake-you-up look and the artist’s embodies an ideal.  Can you tell us about certain sellers that excite you?

LYNN: Definitely love the mission wear. Thanks for checking that out. The sale of those supports water initiatives. I really love one eighty design —very unique and quite beautiful home decor made from reclaimed nuts and bolts… metals artist Tammy Roy finds by rummaging through industrial dumpsters and scrapyards.

English Retreads handbags are made from reclaimed truck tire innertubes.  Each one has logged 60,000 miles! And Rain Tees are t-shirts illustrated by children living in endangered rain forests. For every tee sold, a tree is donated to Kids Saving the Rainforest.

JILL: What’s next for you, in the new year?

LYNN: I’m hoping to sell myEARTH360.com. People look at me funny when I tell them that. It is, afterall, my baby. But, at heart, I am not a retailer or a sales person.  I want to spend my “free time” writing about sustainability, inspiring others to take action for people and planet and helping organizations that work to make the world a better place.

Other than that, I’m working on a novel. I figure by putting it out there (which is, by the way, the name of my other blog), I’ll have to follow through on it. My goal is to have it finished by this spring.

JILL: What’s the best way for folks to keep up with you? How can we know what’s new before everyone else?

LYNN: I’m constantly posting to facebook and twitter   (although I’m trying to cut back). You can subscribe to my scoopit feed which I update daily. Otherwise, I post something new–typically a call to action–to my I Count for myEARTH blog weekly.

Of course, there’s also my elephantjournal column, which includes random real life stories.

Thanks so very much, Lynn, for your time and insight.  It’s great to be around inspiring, smart and forward-thinking people like yourself. 

To vote for Lynn in the Shorty Awards, please visit and make your statement (you can nominate daily)!