Kelly A. Garner is Joy Tree Yoga’s founder. When she began teaching in 2006 it was her goal to not only share the goodness of Yoga, but to share her passion for protecting the environment as well.

Over the past 7  years Kelly has given away over 100 pine trees to her students on various occasions including her yearly Free Yoga on Earth Day Event.

Kelly is also a fan of shopping locally at the Downtown Big Rapids Farmer’s Market. For the past two years she has worked with the Big Rapids Downtown Business Association and Big Rapids Downtown Farmer’s Market to create a cloth reusable shopping bag that advertises the farmer’s market and lists the names of downtown businesses. The artwork on the bag is created by children at local schools. The bags are sold for $5 a piece at the market, library and local businesses. The Downtown Farmer’s Market is open Tuesdays from 2-6:30pm and Fridays from 8-2pm.

Kelly also writes for the local Big Rapids paper The Pioneer offering stories on practical ways to be eco-friendly. Look for her stories in the women’s special edition called Fusion.

It is Kelly’s hope that community members and business people will be inspired to not only be eco-friendly but to act as educators and activists regarding their own passions as well.