Friendly Printing❤︎

Everything that is manufactured, packed & shipped will have an effect on the environment... So I want to take the time to make conscious decisions when reproducing my art & minimalise my own impact on the environment. 

I found though that this is no mean feat!

I realised that I can do my very best to be Sustainable but I will only ever be 'on my way to becoming fully sustainable' unless those that I collaborate do the same. It is virtually impossible to do anything without having some kind of negative effect on the environment ☹︎

I also found that it's very easy to get something made & sent in this day & age. A few clicks of a button & something can be produced, packed & shipped from China &, before you know it it's at your front door. Although it's tempting, a lot more happens while we're patiently waiting for our packages to arrive. And it's not always taking environmental or fair trade factors into consideration. 

Taking my time to look around & consider how my work could be responsibly  reproduced & shipped defiantly slowed my process down but, it eventually made it easier to make choices & I now know what i'm looking for & the questions to ask before  spending my money or asking others to spend theirs.

Reproducing my art as prints means paper. Paper although generally recyclable, usually means trees. Trees means woodland, nature, water, carbon... & I go on a guilt trip ☹︎   

So for the prints I was curious to know if there were 'greener' options other than just using the cheapest option. 

I have since found a local, family run business do make my prints (on demand, so nothing goes to waist) which means i'm keeping it local & lowering my carbon off set. Plus I have chosen to have my art printed on FineArt inkjet papers made from unique raw materials such as bamboo, hemp & agave, rather than wood from trees.

These plants which are used to make the papers provide the cellulose require with minimal maintenance, which means they grow quickly & don’t need any pesticides. Their rapid growth also means that more cellulose can be produced on the same cropland with other raw materials, & they also require much less water, helping to save valuable resources & protect the environment. Yay!  

This is a start! As for ink... that will have to be the next chapter of this story. But I hope that for now my choice of paper makes a little difference. And, for every print sold I will plant a tree & help support eco projects with Ecologi.