All About Tiny Eco Home Life

ben in forest llandiloes wales

Hi, my name is Ben and I’m the creator of Tiny Eco Home Life.

I have a passion for simple, sustainable living, as well as doing what I can to protect the environment and act in a climate positive way. I actually spoke on this very topic for BBC Radio 1’s Minute of Me Environment Special.

I’m also passionate about education and sharing information. Alongside Tiny Eco, I work as a sustainability writer.

In the beginning, this website started as an eco blog. My aim was to cover my journey and publish information to help you (and me) to live a more environmentally friendly, ethical life.

That hasn’t changed, but the website has grown and expanded into broader areas. My goal is to be there when people decide to make the switch and embrace more sustainable living ways. I always say, nothing and no one is perfect. But we can make improvements and small sustainable steps.

Ultimately, if we take small, positive actions in different areas of our lives over time, this will compound up. That’s my belief at least.

Where My Eco Journey Started

My story starts where most usually do – during my childhood years.

It was in the industrial, built up heartlands of Greater Manchester, England, where my love for the environment developed. Concrete and tarmac are not the usual precursors to a love of nature and greenery, but there were plenty of football pitches, back gardens and public green areas. Maybe it was these small glimpses that attracted me to greater, wider, expansive natural environments.

These are some of the reasons why I want to support the environment and local ecosystems. Green space is invaluable for the health of both you and me, as well as the world – I want there to be more of it!

As a child I always loved animals and the outdoors – as all children naturally do I think. Besides pigeons, dogs, cats, squirrels and my pet hamsters, you don’t find too many animals in a city environment.

It was for this reason that I treasured my family’s annual trip to Chester Zoo. It was the highlight of the year for me! I’ve since learned that zoos have their pros and cons from an ethical and sustainable perspective. Yes they can, and do, do good, but at the expense of individual animals that are locked up.

That being said, if it wasn’t for zoos, I don’t think I would have developed a true love for animals as a youngster. It led me to work experience at the Animals in Distress sanctuary in Manchester and to volunteering for Lancashire Wildlife Trust. If this wouldn’t have happened, it’s unlikely that I would go on to study Animal and Plant Biology at the University of Sheffield. And then eventually start this website.

The Long and Winding Snake Pass road

Travelling back and forth between Sheffield and Manchester meant many a journey through the Peak District National Park. In many ways, this up and down winding journey alongside Snake Pass road is a metaphor for a more sustainable life.

My degree in Sheffield naturally involved fields trips into the Peak District too. It’s fair to say I fell in love with the area – the heather moorland, valleys, gorges, peaks, rivers, woodland, plus the great village pubs!

In more recent times, I still love heading out into the Peaks and other green areas with my fiancee, Murphy the Cocker Spaniel and our baby boy.

ben and murphy peak district walk
Me and a young Murphy in the Peak District

The Tiny Eco Ethos

My goal on this site is to share my growing knowledge on a variety of topics.

From everyday eco-friendly and sustainable living at home to information on bigger environmental topics and ethical companies trying to make the world a better place (plus ones to avoid).

I also have a Post Graduate degree in Education and Qualified Teacher Status, so sharing knowledge, educating and inspiring others is close to my heart!

If I can inspire and help as many people as possible to live more with the environment in mind and make more eco-friendly choices, that’ll do for me.

I have a full time job and work on this site in my spare time. It’s fair to say I love working on it though and love seeing it grow. Eventually, I want to use this growing platform as a place to shine a light on local, national and international causes that I value.

I’m passionate about this project and want to make a difference going forward.

Nothing left now but action.

Creating a Climate Positive Business

I’m excited to say that Tiny Eco Home Life is doing its bit to be as climate positive as possible.

I’ve partnered up with Ecologi, an environmental organisation whose mission is to reverse climate change.

Ecologi fund carbon offset projects and tree planting across the world. Through this they aim to remove 50% of global CO2 emissions by 2040 and responsibly plant billions of trees every year.


We offset our carbon footprint via Ecologi

The great thing about Ecologi is that they are fully transparent. You can see everything from tree planting ledgers and locations, planting receipts and carbon project receipts to their membership revenue, financial and operations report.

It shows how many trees have been planted in my digital forest and my carbon reduction impact. I am currently subscribed to offset three employees worth of carbon (me, Murphy and my son).

But the fantastic thing is as this website grows, so will my positive climate contributions. You can also read here on how Ecologi could revolutionise climate action.

If you like my work and want to make a positive climate impact too, instead of buying me a coffee you can gift trees to be planted in the Tiny Eco Home Life digital forest.

How good is that?

ben and murphy in peak district
Where I feel most at home

Eco Life Newsletter

It’d be great if you could sign up my Eco Life Newsletter.

This is my simple, sustainable newsletter that I send out roughly once a month. It will never contain spam, just information and education on living in a better way for the environment.

To get in touch with me about anything on this website, please email ben@tinyecohomelife.com or head to my get in touch page for a little more info.

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