With the world coming alive again and Earth Day coming up on the 22nd, I’ve been thinking a lot about the environment and my role in it. I wanted to look more closely at my and my jewelry company’s environmental impact and realized that I could be doing a lot more than I currently am (and also, what have I been waiting for?)
I’d already been casting jewelry with recycled brass and silver as well as fairmined gold (fairmined is more about how we treat the people that mine the gold vs. its environmental impact, which still feels important). I’d also been using recycled paper whenever possible, including recyclable mailers and crinkle package filler made of mostly recycled papers.
…But that’s it. Embarrassing, right?
So I did some digging and asking around, picked up Christine Dhein’s “Eco Jewelry Handbook,” and started making some changes:
Jewelry-making requires lots of chemicals and potions — I’ve begun replacing them with more earth-friendly alternatives that are easier to neutralize and dispose of. This is especially important to me considering I live in the Catskill Watershed, an area whose water feeds the reservoirs that then feed NYC and the surrounding areas; we have to be extra careful about what goes down our drains, into the soil, and into the water.
Using EcoEnclose for as much of my packaging as possible, which includes fully recyclable postage stickers and mailers. Soon that will include packing tape and printed materials, too.
And in the next few months I’ll start:
Planting a tree for every order placed with One Tree Planted starting this month. This organization has already planted over 40 million trees, working with partners all over the world including the U.S. Forest Service here in the US.
Switching to bio-degradable zip bags — every piece of jewelry gets stored in its own bag, so many jewelers (like me) are drowning in them. Not knowing any better, I bought the regular ones in bulk a while ago but once I’m through my current stash I’m making the switch.
Reducing the paper stuff that’s included in each order, like skipping envelopes and printed invoices (but keeping gift receipts).
Have you seen other companies doing awesome things for the environment that you think I should consider, too? I’ll readily admit that I’ve got a lot of room for growth, so if you’ve seen something please do share!