Here at Pens and Positivity I truly believe that we all have a vital role to play in being responsible for making our footprint on this world as small as possible.
Creating art, (like most other daily activities), can never be completely without impact on some level or another but I keep my decisions regarding supplies and production with the environment in mind.
Here are some of the steps I take:
- The watercolour paper I use (Bockingford) is produced at St Cuthbert's Mill in the Somerset countryside... They say “No hazardous chemicals are released into our river, and we are proud to have large quantities of wildlife living in tandem with the mill.
All materials are screened in the mill to ensure minimal environmental effects. Pulps are sourced from sustainable sources (no rainforests are harmed in making our papers), and our cotton linters are an annual crop, which are a by-product from the textile industry”
- I sourced a recycling company for my ink cartridges so they do not end up in landfill.
- I use biodegradable/compostable packaging for all my products (original paintings, postcards, stickers, art prints etc) and my postal envelopes are made from recycled materials.
- The paints I use have been carefully selected to be as low impact as possible and consciously manufactured by responsible companies.
- Winsor and Newton (whose Professional watercolour I use) say “Rather than simply using water and releasing it into drains, we process it and reuse it. At our brush-making plant in Lowestoft in the UK, we have introduced a rainwater collection system that provides a free, alternative source of water for the production process and enables us to cut freshwater consumption.
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- Permajet (whose paper I use for my prints) says: We pride ourselves on sustainable sourcing and request copies of FSC certification from our supplier base where all pulp products are concerned. In tandem with the product sourcing, our packaging is created using environmentally friendly materials and is free of solvent-based cements and chemicals. It is therefore considered archivally stable and can be used to store products for prolonged periods without decay or any harmful effects on the environment or wildlife
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- In our colour factories, we have lowered environmental impact by installing technology that treats water effluent in closed-loop systems and reuses it throughout the plant, including to clean machinery”
- I do not use ANY cadmium colours in my pallets to avoid the metals being washed into our waterways.
- Any paper waste is recycled.
- Your parcels are all delivered to the Post Office via bicycle (or by foot in the snow/ice)….no car here!
- I only use plant-powered cleaners in my clean-up process.
- I even compost my coffee grounds ;-)
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