One Million Acts of Green

I recently came across this website One Million Acts of Green, which is a project sponsored by the CBC , The Hour and Cisco designed to mobilize people to do One Million Acts of Green. The general idea behind the project is that one small act can make a big difference.

Like an kind of lifestyle change, it sometimes is more effective to transform in small steps. One Million Acts of Green allow you to go green one step at a time, and communicate with other people who are doing the same. You can do one act – or you can do all one million! It’s up to you. The website has a green calculator which helps you to see your impact on the environment after adopting each new green act.

Please take a look at the website, set up a free account and begin making simple steps toward living a green lifestyle. Don't worry that it says it is for Canadians. This is a global project and when you set up an account, you have the option to list countries outside of Canada. Participating in One Million Acts of Green is a great way to support your progress toward living a more environmentally friendly and sustainable lifestyle. Share your ideas, your experiences and reflections on living more responsibly. Together we can make an impact. Together we can make our lives, the communities we live in, and the world a better please for all.

DoAn
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DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 


All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

The Honeybee: Community & Harmony

The Honeybee: Community & Harmony is my latest painting in the Animal Spirit Totem series. I have been reading a lot of fascinating literature about the honeybee. This painting celebrates the all that the honeybee contributes to life on earth.

Until recently, the honeybee has been taken for granted, and feared by some. However, the honeybee is an integral part of our existence on earth. Without it, we would not be able to survive like we do now. Honeybees are responsible for fertilizing the flowers and plants we depend on for food. One third of all our food is produced by pollinators, which include the honeybee. Not only does the honeybee play an important role in our ability to provide food, but they can also serve as examples and guides of how to live better lives.

The honeybee teaches about community and harmony. They live in hives comprised of the Queen and many Workers and Drones. The Queen begins building the hive by choosing a home and laying the eggs. While the eggs develop into Workers the Queen continues to construct the hive. Once the Workers are old enough, they take over building the hive, collecting food and caring for the developing bees. The Drones aid in propagation and in controlling the temperature of the hive. The health of the hive depends on the cooperation and health of every one of its members. Every bee has a role and contributes to the over all harmony of the hive.

One lesson we can take from this is that the well-being of any community is dependent on the health and contribution of each of its members. One member cannot take on all the responsibilities, nor can one sit back and reap all the benefits without harming the community in a negative way. Another lesson is that sometimes one can work too hard, ignoring the others in the community who can contribute, risking their health from stress and depleted health. Think of the classic workaholic. Being part of a community means knowing you cannot do it all, and asking for help when it is needed. It also means to step up and help out those who need it.

Honeybees work very hard to prepare for a long winter, collecting pollen and nectar to feed their young and to sustain them during the winter months when food is scarce. We can also learn from the honeybee about conserving and preparing for the future. By balancing working roles, the hive (the community) can run efficiently and create a harmonious living environment.

Honeybees have had a long relationship with humans throughout history and in many cultures. Most of the ancient myths are centered on Europe and the surrounding area, because honeybees are not native to North America (They were brought here by the European colonists).

To the Ancient Egyptians, honeybees were believed to be the tears of the sun god Ra and honey was believed to be a symbol of resurrection and protected against evil spirits.

In Ancient Greece the honeybee was thought to be messengers for the gods. The Priestesses of the Oracle in Delphi were sought to answer questions about the future and past. The Priestesses sat on three-legged stools near a spot where sweet-smelling fumes rose up through an omphalos stone, which was hollow and shaped similar to a bee hive. The exterior of the omphalos stone was carved with the images of honeybees.

The Honeybee was sacred to the Celtic goddess Brigid, who kept an orchard in the Otherworld, which was visited by bees.


DoAn
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DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 


All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2011 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

Social Obstacles to Change

As I make plans and prepare for a major change in lifestyle, I have been looking into ways other people are trying to live a sustainable, and quality-focused life.
Colin Beavan, "No Impact Man", posted on his blog about how a policeman informed him and his daughter that it was illegal for them to fly a kite in the park. You can read about his experience here: Social Obstacles to Change

On other blogs I have heard about towns where police give tickets to pedestrians for crossing the street before the signal changes or if they walk ON or just outside the white crosswalk lines. Motorists who stopped on the side of the road to pick people up or drop them off were also given tickets for obscuring traffic.

When I lived in New York City, there was a group of bicyclists from Critical Mass that gathered, usually on a certain Friday of the month (I could never figure out which Friday)and rode throughout Manhattan. They try to raise awareness of our over-dependence on cars in the city and other local environmental issues. I always was thrilled to see the huge number of bicyclists, it was like a parade on two wheels!

Unfortunately, there was an incident on their last ride, where a policeman allegedly was struck by a bicyclist. However, one of the bystanders happened to catch the incident on video, and it looks pretty clear to me that the policeman intentionally struck the bicyclist. There has long been antagonism between Critical Mass and the police. What I noticed in the video below is that the spectators are smiling. I remember finding the event interesting and somewhat exhilarating. Why is a peaceful demonstration (they bicyclists don't shout, disrupt the neighborhood and they follow traffic signals)like this such a threat?

Colin Beavan writes on his blog,

"Whether you're choosing to fly a kite instead of eating McDonalds in front of the TV or protesting bad air in the city by riding your bike, there are huge institutional obstacles to environmental change. They are of a type that is more invidious than, say, the fact that companies use too much packaging.

I mention this just because I think it's important to acknowledge. Because it's part of the challenge. And because it makes me incredibly sad."

It is not an easy path. But, I have never been very content with the easy way. I think overcoming challenges helps to shape us into strong, resilient and self-aware people. Of course, having some support along the way is welcome too. Think about those activities that we have allowed the "Institution" (whether it is government, big business, or social convention) to decide for us what is best? Let's start addressing them, so we can all share a future that is healthy and balanced for all living beings. If you are not sure how to address them or how to choose, then help support someone or a group that is already doing the work. Everyone can do a little something. It is when someone does nothing that we run into problems.

DoAn



DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 

Environmentally Safe Canvases and Paper

Here are a few sources that I found that sell organic cotton and hemp canvases. With the exception of Signature Canvas, these mainly come in rolls, which would need to be hand stretched and gessoed by the artists themselves. However, many artists prefer to stretch their own canvases, so these alternatives may not be that disagreeable.

Earth Friendly Goods: Hemp, organic, sustainable materials.

Signature Canvas doesn't sell organic canvas, but they incorporate Green ideals in the creation of their canvases. You can learn more by going to their website.

Silk Road Fabrics: US Grown organic cotton canvas.

NearSea Naturals: Organic cotton and hemp canvas

Here are some companies that use Environmentally friendly papers or incorporate some kind of Socially Conscious practices:

The Natural Zone: Hemp paper

Indian Village Handmade Watercolor Paper: Handmade by and directly supports rural Indian villagers. This is part of a movement began by Mahatma Gandhi, in which he encouraged small villages to create employment and improve economic conditions. Papermaking was one of the major activities in this program.

Daler Rowney supposedly creates environmentally friendly papers and boards. I found this information on another site, though I could not find anything on the Daler-Rowney site nor have a received a response from the company itself. I am not sure if this is completely accurate, but I thought I would post it just in case.

"Wood pulp used in the production of Daler-Rowney paper and board products, comes from managed forest estates in Europe and North America. These estates harvest and replant trees specifically for paper and board production and annually plant more trees than are felled. No trees from South America Rainforests or endangered hardwood species are used. All our paper and board purchases are produced from either Oxygen or Chlorine Dioxide bleached pulps and as such can be classified as Chlorine free."

Strathmore Artist Papers produce a line of papers made using windpower. That's kind of cool!

I hope this helps to get other artists thinking about how they can begin to incorporate some "green" practices into their own art making. Just one little change can be a good start!

DoAn

Environmental Consciousness: Winsor & Newton

Winsor & Newton produces the tube watercolors, brushes, and watercolor mediums that I use. I am happy to report that I will continue to be using their products, as they have very strong environmental policies in place. Here is what I found on their website:

Manufactering:

*We are holders of the manufacturing environmental British Standard 14001. This is an international standard and certification for environmental systems and we are committed to achieving the targets which allows us to keep it.
*We have achieved significant improvement in reducing waste (reduction at source, alternatives to landfill and by recycling.)
*Our factory machinery is monitored for energy usage and has been upgraded to improve efficiency.
*We have reduced the amount of water usage in our factory and have invested in an improved effluent treatment plant. This has enabled us to recover 30% of water resulting in a saving of 1.2 million litres of water per year.
*Our packaging recycling facility enables us to reduce landfill disposal by 180-220 tonnes per year.
*Our office's new individual heating and cooling system has greatly reduced our energy consumption.
*Our cadmium levels in our waste is dropping by about 80-90% year on year which is a clear reduction in our hazardous waste. This is due to improved processing, not a reduction in the use of cadmiums.

Natural Resources:
*Our policy is to use suppliers who can source FSC wood for all our brush handles, easels and canvas stretchers.
*Where this isn't possible, for technical or quality reasons, we ensure that our suppliers prove that the wood they are using is legally sourced and harvested.
*We also ensure that we work with suppliers who have the same level of commitment to environmental issues.
*All our natural hair products are obtained from sustainable sources and are by-products of other industries. Animals are not sourced for the sole use of our brush-making.

Employees:
*Winsor & Newton is an equal opportunities employer and provides a safe and healthy environment for all its employees.
*We are all committed to reducing our impact on the environment through numerous office policies including recycling policies and water and energy reduction policies, which focus on how we use paper, lighting, temperature control and electrical appliances.
*We give our employees the opportunity to reduce their environmental impact by providing a government-backed policy to save tax by cycling to work along with a company car policy that reduces emissions.

In addition, Winsor & Newton provides tips to artists on how they can reduce their own environmental impact. Since I may not be able to use the Dr. PH Martin's Hydras Watercolors due to their lack of response to my inquiries, I may begin using Winsor & Newton tube colors more often. Please visit their website at Winsor-Newton to see all the great products they make and to learn more about their environmental policies.


Coming on Sunday's post, my latest painting: The Raven. I hope you check back. Or better yet, sign up for a free subscription and never miss a single posting! Just see the link at the top right of the blog page.


DoAn

Environmental Consciousness: Derwent

In the continuing examination of the products I use to create my art, I am pleased to announce that Derwent is a company whose products I will continue to use. Derwent produces a large array of artist pencils and related products. Aside from the usual drawing and colored pencils, I also use their watercolor pencils, graphitint (colored graphite) and inktense pencils (ink in pencil form!) to create my art. I went to their website to find out about their environmental policies and here is what I found:

ENVIRONMENT
Our factory is situated in one of the most beautiful parts of
England, in the heart of the Lake District National Park. We are therefore
probably more aware than most how important it is to protect the world around
us. We comply with the internationally recognised environmental management
standard, ISO 14001 and are committed to ensuring that our materials,
processing, products and services have minimal environmental impact. For
example, in 2002 we were awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for developing a unique, solvent free paint application system which has greatly improved the air quality in this production area. We have also been awarded the BOSS (British Office Supplies and Services) Federation Environmental Award for the past 11 years.This comprehensive award scheme covers a wide range of environmental issues, such as reducing energy consumption and improving our employees’ working conditions.

HEALTH & SAFETY
The health and safety of our employees
is, of course, paramount. In 2006, we were awarded the prestigious RoSPA (Royal
Society for the Prevention of Accidents) President’s Award for Occupational
Safety and Health. The President’s award is only open to those companies who
have already achieved 10 consecutive RoSPA Gold Awards. The RoSPA awards scheme covers all aspects of health and safety, including good health and safety
management systems, compliance with legislation, continually improving health
and safety performance, employee training and commitment. Actively involving our employees in these issues through training, health and safety audits, meetings
and regular communication is one of our greatest strengths.

Please check out the Derwent website for more information about the company and their products!


I have not heard anything from Frederix (Tara Materials) who makes the canvases I use, nor have I heard from Dr PH Martin's, or Daler Rowney, both of which make the inks and watercolors I use. I have contacted them twice now. Unless I hear back from them regarding their environmental policies, I will use up what I have of their products, and will not purchase any new materials from them. It is a shame, because I really like their products a lot. Let's hope they come through sometime in the future.


DoAn