Green Crafter Profile: Recycled Jewelry by Garbage of Eden

Garbage of Eden Designs artist Stephanie Huffaker takes plastic that would be headed for the landfill and turns it into lovely necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

On top of diverting plastic from the waste stream, the Brooklyn, NY artist aims to raise awareness about plastic’s effect on our water supply through her designs.

Stephanie says she finds inspiration in fiber arts, textile design, and weaving. She’s a big fan of artists like design innovator Buckminster Fuller and textile designer Lena Corwin. She is drawn to recycled materials because:

[They] are the most exciting to work with! The story of how you got your materials, and the people who used the object before you for a different purpose, it all becomes a part of the piece itself. I collect my materials from people in the Brooklyn area and I love that it gives my work a connection to the community. It’s also very important to me to use socially and environmentally aware practices in art and design. When you create art and design you’re able to communicate on so many levels. I hope to inspire people to look at the everyday objects around them differently and bring awareness to the way we consume and dispose of the things we use.

Stephanie’s commitment to activism and to her community comes through in her business practices beyond the materials she uses in her work. She donates 10% of each sale to one of several nonprofits. At the moment, customers can choose between: Just Food, Added Value, Time’s Up, and Riverkeeper. She also maintains the Garbage of Eden blog where she documents environmental and political issues as well as tutorials.

[All images courtesy Garbage of Eden Designs]

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