Cath Manuel is a local lady with an ‘organic green thumb’ who’s passionate about helping people develop a more sustainable life! Not only does she help people transform their gardens and lives (helping them save money long term), she adds her feminine touch at the grass roots level.

Cath is a mother of two, as well as a sustainable property consultant, horticulturist and permaculture designer. “I get this great feeling of satisfaction when I can grow, harvest, cook and serve the one’s I love some delicious new concoction or one of our old favourite dishes and I really feel this from my heart. Maybe it’s a girl thing or being a mum, but I do get the warm fuzzies when I serve up a great meal or some jars of preserves that I know I’ve put all the hard work into producing. This is what I want everyone to feel,” she says.

By growing your own food, you not only transform your backyard, you are doing your bit for the community. This can be achieved by making a few changes like composting, reducing waste and limiting or removing the use of chemicals on yourselves and around your home. Taking these small steps will have a positive impact and before you know it, you’ll be incorporating these and other principles into everyday life with ease and grace.

 “I feel the need to share my knowledge with anyone who wants to make the change to a greener life but needs help doing so. I‘d like people to feel that by making these changes they are not only improving their life and health (and their family’s), they are also helping our planet too,” says Cath.

Thinking of making a tree change? Cath offers small acreage or semi-rural sustainable property evaluations for anyone looking at purchasing a property with the view to establishing a permaculture or self- sufficient system on their property. “I can assist clients by helping them understand what their needs are, what systems they would like to establish and then offering my evaluation of a property’s potential. Once clients have found their perfect place to be, then I can also assist them in establishing their sustainable systems and provide ongoing support.”

Not only does Cath work with businesses and schools, she also runs cutting edge ‘Sustainable Organic Workshops’ in a fun and interactive setting. These informative workshops are held regularly at Cath’s property on the Sunshine Coast and she also travels to people’s homes to conduct them.  “I wanted to share my knowledge for growing organic food with everyone and host them at my home.  Recently I held a workshop at home on ‘Growing Bananas in your Backyard’. It was a wonderful morning and I think everyone gained more knowledge on growing bananas and realised how easy they are to grow. We shared a beautiful morning tea after the workshop and one participant said “It was a relaxed and personal approach to learning”. This is how it should be; a nice group of people learning skills to benefit their life.”

So now with spring upon us it’s a perfect time to think about your wish list and starting a kitchen garden, a compost bin or making some plans to live a little lighter on this earth. It’s such an easy transition to make, yet so rewarding. “I’m already thinking about what we’ll eat this summer, like salads, food on the barbie and my home made sweet chilli sauce, so I’ll need to get everything planted now!!” she laughs.

For more info visit: www.cathmanuel.com