Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - The Sustainable Souls Project May 2017

Hello and Welcome to The Sustainable Souls Project May Post.

The Sustainable Souls Project is a monthly artist collaboration inspired by sustainability issues, concerns, ideas, and thoughts.  Each month, we will pick a sustainability topic and create awareness through art, using the monthly theme as inspiration.  Projects may include art-journaling, mixed media, assemblage and more.

The idea is to create awareness around Sustainability through art, one paint stroke at a time! 

We hope to educate, entertain, and share pretty things for both humans and the earth.

  May's theme is a what people generally think of when you hear Sustainability - REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE.  All three ideas are ways that most humans feel they can personally affect and directly feel the impact of Sustainability.  Waste, and how we choose to handle it, affects our world's environment—that's YOUR environment. The environment is everything around you including the air, water, land, plants, and man-made things.

 

The most effective way to reduce waste is to not create it in the first place. Making a new product requires a lot of materials and energy - raw materials must be extracted from the earth, and the product must be fabricated then transported to wherever it will be sold. As a result, reduction and reuse are the most effective ways you can save natural resources, protect the environment and save money. (Source EPA)

 You may hear these three terms all the time, but here is a brief explanation of each.

Reduce, reuse and recycle (R3) are the three essential components of environmentally-responsible consumer behavior.

R3 is sometimes called the waste hierarchy. Here's how that hierarchy might apply to computers:

• The concept behind the first R, reduce, is that you should limit the number of purchases that you make in the first place. So, for example, you might limit your household to a single computer.
• The concept behind the second R, reuse, is that you should reuse items as much as possible before replacing them. For example, it generally makes more environmental sense to update your computer rather than get rid of it and buy a new one. However, if you do replace your computer, you should ensure that it, or its components, are reused. Many charitable organizations welcome donations of second-hand computers.
• The concept behind the third R, recycle, is that you should ensure that items or their components are put to some new purpose as much as possible. If your computer is not fit for reuse as is, you can donate it to one of several organizations, such as StRUT (Students Recycling Used Technology), which will refurbish it or recycle its components

(Source What Is)

"While recycling is great in a lot of ways, the ultimate goal is to get people to prevent waste in the first place."

MCKENZIE JONES, "Recycling made easier with new city app", Arizona Daily Sun, February 11, 2016

We asked the Sustainable Souls to create, using this theme as an inspiration point and as a point to share what reduce, reuse, and recycle means to them.  I think you will be amazed at how each artist interpreted the theme and how they shared their message.

Let's see how 'Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle' was transformed into art.

(Click names for links to the artist blog post) 

Camille McCoy

Christy Strickler

Diana Gabriella

Melissa Johnson

Michele Kosciolek

Laura Roberts aka HastyPearl

Robyn Crowningshield

Susan Davison

Sydney Drake Hole-Huffaker

Tina Walker

Tracy Krueger

In addition this month, we have THREE very special Guest Artists who are Sustainable Souls at heart and fully embraces Reducing, Reuseing, and Recycling.  ♥

First up, please welcome Mary Beth Shaw, owner of StencilGirl Stencils!  We are so happy and thrilled that she is joining us this month!

Let's see how she was inspired by the theme.....

Mary Beth Shaw 

Hmmm, is that baby wipes we see??  She is only giving us a peek at what she created, but we love what we see!  Want to see her entire project, hop on over to her blog and check it out!

Next up is Nathalie Kalbach.  We are so excited that she has joined us again this month.  Her art and journal pages are always 'point on' and really embrace the theme.

Nathalie Kalbach

Want to know more about her page and what inspired her?  Hop on over to her blog and see what she has to say.  

Last, but not least, our third Guest Artist this month is a beautiful women I met in Iceland, during my trip in February.  I visited her store, Gallery Gimli in Stokkseyri, Iceland.

Please welcome Lara Halldorsdottir.  She makes gorgeous items, recycled from old wool sweaters.  Here's a peek at one of her wool coin purses.  I *may* have bought one of these during my trip.  

Aren't they fabulous?

I'd like to say a special THANK YOU to each of our Guest Artists.  We appreciate you taking the time to create with us this month and for embracing the importance of Sustainability.

What an incredible collection of art!  I personally love the unique characteristics of each piece and what Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle means to each person.  

Thank you to each and every artist who took time to create with us this month.  

Want to know what happens to our recycled products once they leave your bin? We leave you with a video about Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling.

Want to support The Sustainable Souls Project?  Grab our badge, located to the right. --- >

Share it, wear it, display it.  ♥