Sunday, January 8, 2012

Blog voyage.

This is the maiden voyage of my blog. I hope that I can share some beautiful artwork done by me and my fellow artists at etsy as well as pass on some really useful information about conserving our beautiful planet.

In Genesis, God instructs Adam to rule over subdue and care for the earth. It is not ours as much as it is our children's. I have spent years trying to reduce my carbon footprint. Hence Eart Love was born. I handcraft cool products from upcycled materials. The challenge of finding and repurposing materials is so much fun. Really bends my creative.

I have devoted a great deal of time learning about how plastics impact our environment. Here are some very sobering facts.

Only .6% of plastic shopping bags are recycled.

86% of ocean waste collected is plastic?

Worldwide 500 million bags are used yearly.

California uses 19 billion bags a year, that's 552 bags a year per person. It creates enough waste to stretch around the world 250 times.

Paper bags are made of between 40 and 50% recycled materials. Although most people prefer paper bags, 80 % still use plastic instead.

Pretty astounding, right?!

So what can we do that will make a difference and still be a reasonable alternative in our lives? Glad you asked. I have taken a few simple steps to reduce plastic.

Use reusable shopping bags....I know, the ones that you see in the grocery store are awkward and big to carry but I have found these great little tyvex bags that fold up into a little packet and fit right in your purse. I carry 6 or 7 of them.

Sodastream....I recently found these AWESOME product. I drink 4 liters of seltzer water every day. Although getting the soda out of my life has been great I was stressed about toe plastic usage. Enter Sodastream? For about $100 I can now carbonate my own water, reuse bottles endlessly and even make soda and energy drink. A carbonating canister makes about 60 liters and costs about $30. I looove this thing!

When you are shopping for say one item at the drugstore, conveniences store or whereever. Tell them you do not need a bag. So many bags are needlessly used for that one item you buy and then toss the bag.

Here are some great products to reduce plastic usage care of my friends at etsy. Please take a look at the products and see what you can do to reduce the amount you use. Every little bit helps.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/59469402/reusable-produce-bags-giant-white?ref=sr_gallery_7&sref=&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=Reusable+produce+bags&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61802594/zip-it-snack-bag-waterproof-lunch-bag?ref=v1_other_2

And here is a link for Sodastream.

http://www.sodastreamusa.com/

Check me out on etsy.com at http://www.etsy.com/shop/earthluv

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