What is your IMPACT?

During the month of April, in honor of Earthday, I list ways my living practices impact Earth and brainstorm ways to lessen my load on our sweet life-giving planet.

I recently read How to Love a Forest by Ethan Tapper  a wonderfully well-written reminder of the human/nature connection/integration..  Sometimes I forget that we are actually all part of one magical balance.

Before I ran The Dolphin Studio, I ran a wholesale textile recycling company called Crispina Design Workshop.  Beginning in 1987, we manufactured Sweaters, Blankets, Rugs and Ragamuffins, mostly from used wool sweaters, but also other used clothing and sold to 350+ retail outlets around the world.  Our mission was (and my passion is) to teach resourceful creativity by example by turning what some people thought was trash (old clothing) into something of value.  I even wrote a teaching book to spread the word.

When my full-time focus shifted to The Dolphin Studio I brought that commitment to walk gently on Earth and encourage creativity by turning what we thought was waste material (misprints and off-cuts) into valuable products.  

The Dolphin Studio’s ‘Zero-Waste’ collection is the result, always evolving as new sources of valuable waste materials come to light.  

At home my annual assessment reminds me that I have everything I need - no need to buy anything new -  and hang laundry on the clothesline, use dog food and horse feed sacks rather than buying garbage bags, and to walk to work, no matter what the weather.   

Another thing that has helped me reduce my plastic consumption this winter....

SOIL BLOCKING, a plastic-free, super healthy seed starting process involving a no-tech tool - right up my alley!  Our basement is aglow, loaded with tiny seedlings peeking up from little soil cubes waiting their turn to be planted in the coming warm sunshine.