Let's Make a Difference

Recently I had the privilege of attending an event in Cornwall called Goodfest, an event that really resonated with me and my brand Habulous. It was all about good for the planet, our communities and ourselves and a space for creative conversations. Mark Shayler, one of the attendees, has just launched a book called ‘You can't make money from a dead planet’, which, to me, sums up the event perfectly.

I knew Goodfest would have people championing good environmental practices and those wanting to make positive change. What I didn’t expect was the overriding sense of unity; the feeling that small businesses and people willing to challenge the status quo really can make a difference.

Habulous, my pottery, is just one of those small businesses wanting to do things the right way. There are so many other businesses out there like us, the power we have is the ability to challenge the bigger companies. They are often sadly governed by profit and pure greed, with little or no regard for the wonderful planet we live on.

Now, pottery does have a big carbon footprint and that is something that we can’t totally change at this moment in time, however we are doing everything we can. We currently use kilns known to be eco-efficient, although I really hope someone out there right now is trying to build an even more eco-efficient kiln. We’ve played around with our glazes so that we can fire at a marginally lower temperature - every degree makes a difference. Where possible, we fire once rather than twice as this helps reduce energy usage. Also, in the colder months, we fire our kilns overnight to heat our studio the next day instead of using central heating. We use green energy.

What else does a small business like us do? 

• We can make sure we do things well, and we make products that last the test of time. A lot of our pieces have multi-purpose uses too, check out our Repurposing blog here.
• We can minimise our waste, recycle wherever possible and not over produce work that will end up in landfill (general waste is responsible for nearly 10% of the world’s carbon footprint). 
• We ensure pieces that don’t fully pass our standards are sold as seconds or broken down for local mixed media/mosaic artists to collect from our studio.
• We price our goods fairly so that wages are covered but our handmade products are still affordable.
• We buy from local suppliers and try to keep the majority of our materials sourced/made in the UK.
• We bank with an ethical bank - we have recently switched to Starling which offers greener practices compared to other banks.
• Spread the word! Sharing our experiences online and in person with others is just as effective as carrying out the practices ourselves because we could be encouraging others to make a difference too.

Every one of us can make a difference. We’d love to hear what you’re doing!