The Etsy Twitter Team's Go Green Event, which runs from July 21st through July 27th has made me think about how to describe my eco-friendly creations and the importance of everyone taking "small" steps towards "greening" the planet.
I use bits and pieces from broken, unwearable or undesirable vintage jewelry to create my earrings and necklaces. In the online world of social networking and promoting, I am often asked to describe my work in a couple of sentences making sure I include all the key words that may lead people to my shop on etsy, threepeats Jewelry. I am a fan of not being wasteful and proud that I take old, unwanted things and turn them into newer, desired objects. Have I recycled? To me, recycling means taking something that has already been used and using it again in the same way, so yes, I recycle and that was always the way I described, tagged and key-worded my designs.
But every time I turn around (or so it seems!) there is a new term that I think might describe what I do better, such as "upcycle." No, that implies a value judgement that what I am creating is somehow better than what came before. How about reclaiming...or refashioning or repurposing? There's reprocessing (like uranium), salvaging, saving (too noble), recovering (like lost computer files) or just plain reusing.
I may not be saving the planet but every little bit helps. I am keeping lots of plastic beads and metal findings and chain out of the landfills (unwasting? dewasting?). For the Go Green event, I have specifically investigated how to package and ship my items using "green" materials which I will do from now on. And you know what? It's not important what we call it, as long as we do it!
Going Green is a lifestyle...a philosophy...a set of priorities...and if I can take five minute showers (which I do)...anyone can take that first step.
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