My Eco Guilt as a Mum, Artist and Small Business Owner.

A selection of cards and prints available to purchase from my Etsy shop.

“Be More Eco-Conscious” “Do Your Bit for the Planet” “Biodegradable” these words and sayings are flying around so much these days, like something going out of fashion, which is ironic because it can be misconstrued to be fashionable at the moment, to care for the planet. The sad thing is that its something we should have all been doing from the start, like it was back in the time of rationing, war and make do and mend. This planet is the only one we have and the only thing we have to live on (at present) without it we wouldn’t exist. We all know this don’t we and I know a lot people will think “you only live once, im going to make the most of it while im alive!” But where’s the balance? The balance between truly enjoying yourself and protecting what we have left of the planet for future generations? I for one, am not entirely sure.. Let’s ponder it shall we..?

So I feel, like a lot of others, im doing what I can in the way of helping the planet. Reusable cups, reusable straws, buying what we can from our local zero waste shop, being vegetarian/ partly vegan, trying to running an eco conscious art, design and illustration business, but the truth of the matter is, that no matter how many times I go through costa drive thru with my reusable cup, the big guys are still going ahead with many new fossil fuel and gas projects, dumping gallons of oil into our seas and over fishing our oceans, that no wonder most people look at the situation and think “can I really make any difference whatsoever?”

Now I understand that economically this world works on a supply and demand basis, as with most things, the more we need the more we make and vice versa but when it comes to our planet and environment, I don’t think we can effectively change consumer ways. We all need petrol, until we can all afford to buy an electric car, we all need gas to to cook and heat our homes, until we can all afford solar panels and a high majority of people still eat meat and fish. It’s just not viable to ask everybody to stop doing these things that we have survived with forever and a day, so the change has to come from above and the guilt stopped being passed down to the consumer for not doing our bit when truthfully, the small amount that we can do barely affects anything anyway. Being based in the Midlands, there aren’t that many options in the way of zero waste and bulk buying shops, or any other convenience that will help us, the consumer, to be more eco conscious. So what do we do? Travel for it, use more petrol, pollute and so the cycle continues.

We do now have, in Newcastle-under-Lyme a zero waste shop called Greengrams. If you’ve been following me for a while you will have definitely heard me talk about this place, as not only can I class it as my second home, but the place itself and Sally the owner are such a gorgeous ray of sunshine. Sally is very open and vulnerable which is such a lovely trait to come across. I for one strive to be this way and though its hard, deep down I think we all just want everyone to be themselves so we can be ourselves.

Text that is written on every cello bag I use to ship cards and prints for water protection.

I’m aware that wiring this blog post may make me sound like I really know what im talking about. I don’t. These are just the ramblings of a passionate individual who feels at a loss. I feel a lot of guilt around what I do for the environment and as a household I think we do pretty well. As a small business owner, I also think I do ok. As an artist making mainly greetings cards and prints, I print onto recycled or partly recycled paper stock, although not from a local printer. I am based in Staffordshire and the printer I use is Print.Work based in Leeds. I would love to be able to use someone local, but I obviously want to try and make my business as successful as possible and my local printers are just too expensive. For shipping from my Etsy shop, commissions and also for wholesale orders, I order the majority of my packaging from Eco Craft, an eco conscious packaging supplier (clues in the name!) any extra bits I send with orders, like tissue paper, washi tape are paper based and can be recycled and my thank you cards double up as a mini print. I have thought about everything possible on the production side of my business, one area that I would like to change is the creation of my artwork. I haven’t looked into non toxic paints and inks, I have no idea if the paints im using are actually toxic but Im not in the habit of throwing perfectly good paints away, that just defeats the object. So when I eventually run out, this is something I will look into or maybe even look into making my own, im fascinated by artists that do this! Again, im doing my small bit but what difference is it actually making? Is David Attenborough going to pop up on our screens again and say that the plastic in the seas is getting worse, or that landfills are overflowing? Who knows. Oh and I haven’t even touched on babies and the environment, they’re are just an ozone hole waiting to happen aren’t they!? Maybe this is one for another blog.

So I wanted to write this for anyone else out there feeling in the same position, that we want to do more, don’t know where to start, will it make any difference. Don’t compare yourself to others on social media that seem to be doing so much more, being the activists, using the reusable nappies, living off the land. What they’re doing is great and I feel great in the knowledge that this is possible for some people but for most it isn’t, so just do what you can with what time and space you have. Small changes can make big waves and don’t beat yourself up if forget your reusable cup, most of the time they forget you told them you’ve got your own, make it in a disposable one and tip it into yours anyway! Oh and If you are doing what you can environment I would love to hear what you’re doing and if I can pick up anymore tips? Especially if you’re an artist or illustrator and make your own prints, drop into the comments and we can have more of a conversation about it.

For now, I’ll say goodbye, muchos love and if you are interested in purchasing any of my planet friendly greetings cards or art for your home, you can head over to my Etsy shop to browse. Subscribers to my newsletter also get a sneaky discount for signing up too. Speak soon ✌️

Danni

RHH xx