Hi, I'm Carissa!

Carissa Burk also known as Carissa Bonham - an award winning millennial author and blogger with purple hair

I want to show you that making healthier, planet-friendly choices can be both BEAUTIFUL & DELICIOUS!

I specialize in green and sustainable choices for your home and garden with extra expertise in gardening, chicken keeping, gluten free cooking and non-toxic crafts.

I’ve written three traditionally published books under the author name Carissa Bonham:
  • Beautiful Smoothie Bowls (Skyhorse, 2016)
  • Proven Techniques for Keeping Healthy Chickens (Skyhorse, 2018)
  • Little Green Book of Mothers’ Wisdom (Skyhorse, 2020)
And won several awards for writing helpful, informative content here on Creative Green Living.

I’m from the Pacific Northwest and after some time away for graduate school have been living back in the historic home of the Suquamish 

How Creative Green Living Started

I started blogging about crafts and DIY in 2006 but when my first son was born in 2010, I saw that lots of other moms were interested in learned about the kinds of green and sustainable choices I was making for my family. 

So the craft blog I was writing at the time turned into a green living blog with a heavy focus on creativity and Creative Green Living was born!

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, so really I was kind of green by default.

Like many of you, though, the birth of my first child caused me to really start digging into issues like plastics, GMOs, hormone-disrupting chemicals and all the other toxins we find ourselves swimming in daily.

When that happened, I decided this information was too important not to share! So in 2013, I started using my blogging skills to share my journey and educate others.

On Creative Green Living, you can find easy and delicious recipes, crafts, DIY projects, gardening tips and hacks as well as green product guides - all with a focus on healthier, more sustainable options!

Blogger Carissa B with kids in front of pink door

In addition to owning and operating Creative Green Living, I am a book author, public speaker, TV personality and advocate for children's health. 

My advocacy work focuses mostly on lead, glyphosate (you might know it as RoundUp) and other toxins that hurt our bodies and our planet.

You can catch me on a regular basis on KATU Afternoon Live (check out some of my past segments here) - the local ABC affiliate station in Portland, Oregon.

Keep up with what I am doing on TV, traveling or speaking by following Carissa B on Facebook.

My Family

I have the most amazing kids in the world. They are full of personality, spunk and are both very very different from each other.
Photo Credit: Lindsey Wiatt Photography
I was married to their dad for a long time but as I am sure you know, sometimes these things just don't work out.

Now I'm a healthy, thriving single mom. I live with my kids, dog and chickens just outside of beautiful Portland, Oregon.

Past CGL articles may still reference or contain photos of my former husband (who was my husband at the time I wrote them). I was married for a very long time and have decided not to redact the articles simply to remove him. Thanks for understanding.

My first son, K, is a true miracle baby! You can read his story here.

My youngest's story isn't quite so dramatic but I still love sharing it. You can read Baby A's birth story here.

Meet the Team

While I am the owner and lead writer for the site, the great recipes, projects and expertise don't just come from me! Creative Green Living has a great team of bloggers who contribute on a regular basis:
Natalie is a play-at-home mom whose family loves to craft together.

Natalie loves sci-fi and geeky crafts. She has a special place in her heart for Disney, super heroes and Harry Potter. Her blog, Doodle Craft is full of great tutorials and beautiful hand lettering.

You can see all of Natalie's projects on Creative Green Living here. Follow Natalie on social media on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.


Landen is a stay at home mom with a true culinary bent. She writes her own cooking blog, Measure and Whiskwhich focuses on real food with a dash of minimalist living.

Her recipes focus on how to make high quality, real food shine! She is also one of the main writers for the Cooking 101 series - which teaches you kitchen skills you should have learned from your mother or grandmother but probably didn't.

You can see all of Landen's recipes on Creative Green Living hereFollow Landen on social media on Pinterest and Instagram for great pictures of food as well as her adorable baby.

Join us!

If you are looking for a place to connect with like-minded parents or to just ask questions about greener options for your home and family, then join us in the Creative Green Living Community Group on Facebook!

If you'd like to contact me about speaking engagements, teaching an in-person class, television segments, sponsored posts, product reviews or other advertising opportunities, please email me at carissa@creativegreenliving.com.