Part 1: An Interview with The Green Year author Jodi Helmer

Hey GirlMoguls and GirlMogul Moms! I have some very exciting news. The author of the book The Green Year gave yours truly an exclusive interview! Jodi Helmer wrote this book in order to promote an eco-friendly lifestyle. The Green Year gives a tip for every day of the year that allows you to make a small change with a big difference. Her tips are super easy to do, yet they make a huge impact on the world and on you. I got the opportunity to ask Jodi Helmer a few questions about her life and her writing. We talked about everything from science classes in school to her lifestyle now, and what inspired the book. Read on to find out about this amazing real-life GirlMogul!
(psssst: GM is me, and JH is Jodi Helmer answering my questions.)

1. GM: Hi! Thank you for taking the time out to talk with me today. My first question is about your childhood: How did you first get started in an eco-friendly lifestyle? Were you interested in the environment as a child?
JH: I wasn’t interested in the environment as a kid, but I don’t know that anyone in my generation really was. There wasn’t as much awareness of our actions on the planet then.
I remember hearing how the aerosol can was depleting the ozone layer but didn’t understand it. I became more conscious in late 90’s when I moved to Portland, Oregon. It’s a very eco-friendly city and a conscious city. I became more aware and more interested, and it was just by default a big part of my life there. Going grocery shopping and taking the train were norms and I believed that’s how people all over the country were living. I just thought ‘you always just brought your own bags to the grocery store’ because it was taboo not to, and people looked at you if you didn’t. Portland was a very progressive city and shaped my environmental consciousness.

2. GM: As a kid in school, did you enjoy the sciences? If no, what made the sciences more palatable to you as a child?
JH: I never liked science class. I always felt very confused by it. I didn’t have a very strong aptitude for science. I was much more comfortable writing a book report or taking about philosophy or ethics or literature than I was dissecting a frog. (Me too GirlMoguls!) But, at the same time I think that the fact that a lack of aptitude for science classes but I’m still an environmentalist is testament to the fact that you don’t need a higher understanding of science. You just need to acknowledge what’s going on in the environment.
I think that one of the reasons I shied away from the sciences was because as a child, I didn’t understand how it related to the real word. One of our science projects was to dissect a fetal pig and I didn’t do it from an animal rights point of view. And I talked to my teacher and then, you either had to dissect the pig or take a 0 and I was a straight A student. And I was questioned a lot by my peers about why I didn’t want to do it and take the zero. And I was like, “When I am going to use this? When am I going to sue the quadratic formula?”
It took me into adulthood to realize that so many things in my life are related to science. I don’t understand the high level science between global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer. I understand the basics.
But I think science classes need to be well-rounded because I think the curriculums are designed to be more toward boys than to girls and I think if we want to get more girls involved in science we need to have a curriculum that’s more appealing.
What about what’s in that lip gloss they are using or what’s in that hair product? We need a more hands-on approach and real-world applications.

3. GM: What did you study in college? Did that translate into your profession in any way?
JH: I studied psychology and I think psychology translates into any profession but I don’t necessarily use my degree on a daily basis. I think my time in college taught me how to be a really good researcher, writer, and communicator. And so those are lessons that are really really important no matter what you study. I had taken a year off after high school so I could work and make money for college. And I was getting used to having a regular paycheck. So I picked a major that I was interested in and would keep me engaged for 4 years. I went to school in Peterborough, Ontario called Trent University. I believe a college education is always valuable.

Wow! Jodi Helmer had some really interesting things to day about growing up. I don’t like science in school, either. But, hearing her talk about how practical it is in the real world gave me a new perspective on things. I like the fact that she thinks we should be exploring real-world applications for science, like finding out what’s in our lip gloss! That’s science that I can handle. Okay, girls, more of the interview is coming up in Part 2 so check back!