Feature Friday Member: Nikki Gilbert

[The Little Seed]

Introducing the inspirational Nikki Gilbert. You may recognize her because she won our Mother's Day Erbaviva give-away, but she has so much more to offer than simple luck! We are very proud to feature her and also to sell her book, Gilbert Green in our store. Please get to know Nikki by requesting her friendship through her profile HERE and by checking out her book!

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Hello from Nor Cal! I am a green loving mama to a very active 22 month-old son, George, who will soon be a big brother. With twin boys on the way and due this Fall, trying to find a good balance between work and family, including taking care of our beloved Shih Tzu, Jackie O can make for a busy routine, but I’m never too busy to think, live and love green. I became “green” long before it was “cool and trendy” and love that green has become the new black, however, it’s fair to say, others may not have always embraced my enthusiasm! I did write letters to my local gym, requesting a recycling bin for the mounds of empty plastic water bottles thrown in the trash and they finally agreed to a recycle bin in the lobby! My own recycling may have seemed a bit much at parties and BBQ’s, but eventually our crew gave in and followed my lead. When I became pregnant with my first child, my girlfriends embraced my mother earth loving spirit and threw me an organic, super crunchy, non-toxic, sustainably grown baby shower.
I can’t take all of the credit for my cause, as I was inspired early on as a little girl by my grandfather, George. He use to let me crush cans with him in his garage and we would take them to a recycling center nearby. I was intrigued by the idea of turning in our crushed cans for money and I always wanted to help. To be fair, he inspired many little green traditions in the family, one of my favorites being wrapping our Christmas gifts in newspaper, which my husband, Brett & I still enjoy doing. My motives in this endeavor are simple in that, I wish for my children and their children’s children to have clean oceans to swim in and beaches to play on. Therefore, we try to do our part as a family with our recycle overflowing and garden growing.
It became even more important to me to create an earth-friendly environment after we learned our first child was on the way. In searching for organic baby items that weren’t readily available to me, I came across the Little Seed online – thanks Google! Having lived in Santa Monica before relocating to Los Gatos in Northern California and since my mom and step dad (Gigi & Papa) live in So Cal, I do visit often, but to be honest, the convenience of online shopping has been ideal especially after the baby came. I have the Little Seed’s phone number programmed into my mobile and the girls are always very helpful with suggestions and opinions, especially when new colors arrive in our favorite organic Little Seed gear – can’t get enough of it!
I have always needed and craved a creative outlet, so after graduating from college and receiving my teaching credential, an unexpected opportunity lead me in a different direction. I discovered in taking acting classes that expressing myself through characters really fed me and even helped to remedy some insecurities at that point in my life. I continued this journey of chasing dreams all the while writing and journaling and seeking and searching until years later, in the wee hours of the morning while nursing my infant son, a new character was born and my book was envisioned. My racing thoughts, hopes and desires for a greener planet took form in quirky little rhymes in my nursing journal and after a year of playing around with my words and editing over and over again, my green picture book for all ages came to fruition! I found a self-publisher who paired me with a wonderful illustrator. On November 4, 2009, my book, Gilbert Green was published and printed on recycled paper. The title is available at your local bookstore or preferred online retailer and signed copies can be purchased on my blog site anytime through Google Checkout.
My little green book that could continues to bring me hope and encouragement for a greener earth as well as some special opportunities to share my story. Being a member of BookPALS, a program of the SAG foundation has brought me some wonderful local support that I am very grateful for and more recently, on Earth Day's 40th Anniversary, Gilbert Green visited the Big Apple. I had the pleasure of sitting in the BIG RED CHAIR and reading Gilbert Green to a very special audience… The Madison Square Boys & Girls Club's Big Red Chair Goes Green campaign was even highlighted on the local evening news. I feel very fortunate to have been able to be a part of their Earth Day New York 2010! The Kids got a kick out of Gilbert Green and asked a lot of questions and confirmed that they do indeed want to be truly GREEN! Their spirits are inspiring and their knowledge encouraging, they want to help clean up our earth and they have already started the process by recycling in their community just like Gilbert Green! The Brooklyn Boys & Girls are up for the challenge and hope YOU are too!
For more information on my book, please visit www.gilbertgreen.blogspot.com
A special thank you to the Little Seed for inviting me to join the Friday blog and share my story; I’m very happy to have found the Little Seed and although my husband is always reminding me that we need to save a little green, I love knowing that I can buy green at the Little Seed!

[Nancy Silva]

Your journey is so inspiring! Congratulations on expecting twins and your published Green book! Blessings from San Antonio, TX.
Nancy Silva

[Nancy Silva]

Your journey is so inspiring! Congratulations on expecting twins and your published Green book! Blessing from San Antonio, TX!
Nancy Silva

[Kathleen Duffy]

Nikki, congratulations on expecting twins and your new book! Stay green! Kathleen