Why do you craft green?

fabric bunting

I got the chance to chat with the ladies over at Celbrate Green about green crafting, and it got me thinking about why choosing eco-friendly craft supplies is important to me. It also made me curious about you guys! What made you decide to ditch conventional craft supplies in favor of one that are better for the planet? What does green crafting mean to you? I’ll tell you mine, and I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

For me, choosing eco craft supplies has always been important, but what’s really changed for me is my awareness about what’s in the supplies I’m using. For example, it wasn’t until I learned about GMOs and Indian farmers that I realized that I wanted to avoid conventional cotton as much as possible. The social impacts of my purchases – including craft supplies – fall under the “green” umbrella for me. How can we protect the planet if we don’t protect each other, right?

Of course, there have been eye-opening moments beyond the fabrics we use. Once you start paying attention to what things are made from, it’s hard to miss the petroleum products – aka plastic – in so many craft supplies. From glues and tapes to paints and even some paper products, plastic seems to be everywhere. In some cases, especially glues and tapes, it feels like it’s often unavoidable.

Crafting Green Without Burning Out

Really, any craft supply you purchase or make is going to have an impact.

There’s packaging to consider, the energy to produce and ship the product, and the impact of the raw materials. I think the key to making green crafting work for you is using the safest, most eco-friendly materials that you can. That might mean sometimes using materials that you’re not as crazy about because you can’t afford or can’t find alternatives. No one is going to be perfect, and it’s very hard to craft with zero impact.

What’s important for me is staying mindful about where my supplies come from, where they go when I’m done using them, and what impact they have on the Earth and on other peoples’ health.

I craft green because I can’t imagine doing it any other way, and I do the best I can. What about you guys? Let’s talk green crafting in the comments!

2 thoughts on “Why do you craft green?”

  1. My way of crafting green is to try to use materials destined for the garbage can or at least already used. Since so much inventory at thrift stores consists of clothes, I try to find uses for old shirts and kids clothes (which are colorful and fun). Instead of creating a market for new stuff, which has to be manufactured, I want to give older stuff a second or third life.

  2. I agree with Claudia above in that I try to repurpose old fabrics and supplies which would otherwise end up in landfill. As I work mostly with textiles I think this is easier than for people who work with glues, board, wood, metal, glass etc.
    I once saw a lesson on papermaking using only locally available and biodegradable materials, and sometime I would really like to try that out too.

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