Honor the Earth Touch the Earth
Geary’s Beach Vinalhaven
I grew up in a home my parents built, on a pond with my sister & brother, dogs & cats, vegetable gardens & flower gardens, chickens & ducks, blueberries & strawberries, canoeing & ice skating and an ever present awareness of the natural world surrounding me.
Mill Pond filled with childhood adventures
My parents instilled in me a deep love and respect for the earth and that informs how I walk through life and how I operate my business. I strive to keep my footprint as small as possible ~ conscious of how and what I order, how I make my work, and creating as little waste as possible.
My moms art studio and one of our many gardens
On April 22, 1970 my mom, Sally Thibault and her good friend, Carol Anderson started Earth Day. I was 7 and we all went to 16 Acres Community Library to celebrate the Earth - I remember lots of people talking on a raised platform with microphones and I remember the flag my mom and Carol made… but mostly I remember being with my friends and all of us being outfitted with gloves and bags to pick up trash. And … it wasn’t until college - when my horizons broadened -that I realized Earth Day didn’t start in 16 Acres.
Read this Old Farmers Almanac article for a history of Earth Day and some ideas about how to celebrate
Some of the steps I’ve taken in my business:
All paper products (tissue, printer, bags, envelopes, cards) are made from recycled paper - I learned years ago that while recycling is important it is equally important to support that effort by purchasing products made of the recycled material - close the loop!
I chose my Star Bag packaging specifically because they are easily and happily reusable. I didn’t want to use something that would just get tossed.
I buy my glass in large quantities, so that I only have to have it shipped 2 or 3 times a year.
I reuse the packing materials from my sheets of glass to ship my finished work.
I switched all my lights over to LED (unanticipated bonus - huge savings on my electric bill)
I fire my kilns full - no wasted energy (added bonus - all the electricity on Vinalhaven is generated by wind turbines)
I walk to work (well this isn’t really hard as I live close to my shop and the walk is beautiful)
Here’s a good article from The Guardian “Four steps this Earth Day to avert environmental catastrophe” ~ Simon Lewis
Touch the earth, love the earth, honour the earth, her plains, her valleys, her hills, and her seas; rest your spirit in her solitary places. ~ Ernest Dimnet
