By Christine Claringbold, Stephanie Weber and Eleanor Williams
Sustainability is two sided—it’s both maintaining the success of your business and keeping the local and global environments healthy and vibrant. By going green, you’ll be able to save on cost of goods and overhead and market your business as sustainable. Plus, you’ll feel good about your impact in the world.
Cultural Attitudes
One attitude prevails in our culture towards the history and waste of materials: people don’t want to think about where their trash goes or the origins of the things they buy. This same attitude sees an endless supply of materials, of things, in the world. Consuming more and more is good for the economy and the country, right? It’s so easy to buy new things from faraway places that we have forgotten the creativity of our great grandmothers, who made quilts from worn out dresses.
So, let’s change our attitudes—and business practices. First, let’s wholeheartedly embrace reclaiming and reusing materials. And secondly, let’s educate ourselves about the materials we use—a green ethic entails learning about the environmental history and future of the raw and manufactured materials that go into our craft.
The Green Craft Movement: A Powerful Instrument of Change
Thousands of small craft businesses across the nation are altering the economic system by reclaiming access to production. The economy is down and there is a grassroots movement of crafters with bright ideas on a low budget. Vintage designs and reclaimed art infuse the sites of users on Etsy. Taking things into our own hands, we are shifting attitudes towards sustainability. As small craft business owners, we can sway business practices and influence broad cultural change.
