About Sabine Savoie

Growing Up:
I was born in a Wehr, a small agrarian village near Germany’s Black Forest. My maternal grandparents and ancestors were farmers and bakers. Some of my cousins still continue to lead a self-sufficient lifestyle, and preserve the skills that are quickly being lost to modernization. They have managed to blend modern conveniences into their lives, while leaving a low carbon footprint. I hold them up as my ideal. They grow and preserve their own food, and raise their livestock and poultry. They ride bikes to school and work. They use a washing machine, but line-dry their clothes – even though they live as far north as the state of Maine. Even for large parties, they use no disposable paper or plastic products. When decorating for the holidays, they use things found in nature.

My father helped me to develop a love of nature. He loved the great outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping and watching hundreds of hours of nature-based documentaries on TV. Both of my parents were avid gardeners, rejoicing in whatever produce they could grow. They loved to relax in the afternoons with cake and coffee on their backyard patio, just taking in the beauty of their garden. When they retired, they moved from Toronto to beautiful British Columbia.

Favorite Things:
I met my husband, Brian, on a backpacking trip into and out of the Grand Canyon.
We love to hike and camp in the southeast, at places like Panther Creek and Cloudland Canyon. Our favorite vacations have always included a degree of outdoor adventure, ranging from a photo safari in Southern Africa to white water rafting in the Grand Canyon to hiking in El Yunque Rainforest in Puerto Rico. We are truly blessed to have experienced these gems of creation together as a family.

At Home:
I enjoy buying and cooking nutritious, fresh, wholesome food. At our home, we eat a wide variety of foods. I believe that anyone who can follow a recipe can cook a wide range of delicious, healthy meals. I read, therefore I cook! In addition, while our home is in a fairly natural setting, I enjoy tending and partaking of our flower, vegetable and herb gardens. We also enjoy visits from many different birds – Bluebirds, Cardinals, Chickadees, Goldfinches, etc. They come because of the trees, shrubs, birdbath, birdhouses and bird feeders (in winter).

Observations About Nature:
When I was eighteen, I spent a month at the Outward Bound Wilderness School in Keremeos, British Columbia. I learned how to survive in the wilderness. I hiked and climbed in the Northern Cascade Mountains and experienced the thrills of rock climbing. Most importantly, I became very comfortable in the great outdoors, learning to love it more than to fear it.

As a young adult, I was active in the Bruce Trail Club in Ontario, Canada. The Bruce Trail is a 550-mile hiking trail that starts on the Niagara Escarpment and ends at Tobermory, Ontario. Almost every weekend, I hiked part of the trail, skied cross-country on it, or participated in trail maintenance.

Observations About Why Change Is Needed:
I don’t have any degrees or special qualifications in environmental studies. But I do read prolifically and watch educational videos, and I observe with all my senses. When scientist says that we are destroying our planet, I listen, especially when I can see the evidence in my own backyard. That is scary. When was the last time that I saw a firefly or a monarch butterfly?

Calling to Care for Creation:
I find it rather painful whenever I see the spoilage and destruction of nature. I firmly believe that God has given us everything that we need to survive and be happy. I also believe that small changes in our lifestyle and daily choices can collectively make a huge difference in restoring our planet back to the paradise of a home that God gave us. When you make these small changes, you help the planet, improve your health, and save money. Taking care of Creation is for everyone.

Taking Action:
I see many small things that we do every day that we could change in order to make a big difference in the world. I see many large-scale improvements that governments and companies can lead. If we all do something, we can make a huge impact. In many ways, we are ordinary people. We don’t have a cistern buried in our back yard. We don’t drive a Tesla. But over time, we have made about twenty changes in our home and habits. These things have made a difference. None were very difficult or costly. Some even saved us money and made us more comfortable! We still have a long way to go. See the “Changes Our Family Has Made” below.

Professional Qualifications:
My previous experience includes 20 years for Bell Canada and British Telecom, where I specialized in supporting customers. My roles included contract implementation and administration, billing proposals, order processing, invoicing, customer support, and performance reporting. I supported project teams and trained new employees.

For 15 years, I was the office manager for a small management consulting firm. I helped to develop and maintain a database of 13,000 contacts. I reviewed major proposals, contracts, reports and course materials. I supported client projects by preparing spreadsheets and other reports from data supplied by the consultants. I also supported the development training materials for our 3-day public professional training courses.

I currently enjoy working part-time for a nationwide spice retailer. I am always glad to share my love of cooking and help people who have similar interests. When I share my love of cooking, it doesn’t feel like work. I help customers to find what they need and I offer guidance about spices and seasonings when asked. People care about the food that they eat. They want to know where it comes from and how it has been grown. Many customers take great pride in growing their own food, and many shop at the local farmers’ markets. I find that people who care about food also care about the environment.

How I Can Help You:
You can make a difference in many ways – at home, the office, church, school, in the neighborhood, etc. My service experience, knowledge, and organizational skills — coupled with my passion and practicality — will enable to me help you. I would be happy to help you get started on your way to a greener lifestyle.

Changes Our Family Has Made

Over time, our family has made the following small changes.

1. Created a kitchen garden, with herbs and leafy vegetables.
2. Compost all of our organic kitchen waste.
3. Compost all of our yard waste – we have not put a bag of grass, leaves or branches to the curb in 15 years!
4. Installed a rain barrel, so during really a good downpour, we fill that and more.
5. Planted native, drought tolerant plants for birds, pollinators and butterflies.
6. Installed a birdbath, and keep it clean and full.
7. Left a part of our landscape natural. In our backyard wildlife habitat, we regularly have many kinds of birds, plus chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits. Sometimes we even have red-tailed hawks, barred owls and pileated woodpeckers.
8. Made sure that our lawn covers less than 40% of our yard, and only cut the grass every two weeks.
9. Bring our own re-useable shopping bags to the grocery.
10. Recycle: paper, plastic, cans, glass, batteries, electronics, etc.
11. Donate clothes and household items to Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul Society. Our fashionista daughter loves to shop at Goodwill.
12. Completed an energy audit.
13. Upgraded our attic insulation and sealed all leaks around the house.
14. Replaced all incandescent light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Lights (CLF). Will move to LED as the CFLs reach the end of their lives.
15. Added 7-day programmable thermostats.
16. Open windows and leave the HVAC off, whenever possible.
17. Have 1 refrigerator and 1 TV, for four people.
18. Think out our car trips beforehand, to coordinate trips and errands.
19. Stopped using drive-through lanes at restaurants, coffee shops and banks.
20. Ask for a ceramic cup when we order “for here” at our favorite coffee shop.

We are just getting started!