Environmental Policy
I aim to make all of my work as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible.
Below you can see the breakdown of material prints, and how I offset any carbon usage in my work:
1.0 Materials Breakdown
1.1Paper and Canvas Prints
1.2 Wood Prints
1.3 Metal Prints
2.0 Carbon Offsetting
2.1 Tradewater
2.2 Spekboom Restoration
1.0 Materials Breakdown
1.1 Paper and Canvas Prints
For both paper and canvas prints I source both paper and canvas prints from companies that use non-hazardous chemicals or solvents, and natural biodegradable glues.
For canvasses I source suppliers who use 100% cotton, natural and biodegradable, and of course any paper prints will be recyclable should you ever wish to get rid of your print.
1.2 Wood Prints
For wooden prints I have established a relationship with www.woodpic.co.uk, the company source their wood from FSC Certified woodlands. Their prints are created using water-based, environmentally sustainable inks.
1.3 Metal Prints
Did you know that 75% of aluminium in production is recycled. Metal prints use dye transfer which not only looks fantastic, but also uses non toxic inks, no chemicals in processing and no heavy metals used. I'd like to hope that the print would be kept forever, but should you want to get rid of your print, you can be sure that the aluminium prints are 100% recyclable.
Carbon offsetting
One of the benefits of my work is that it involves lots of travel to wild and remote places, and with this comes plane and road transport. Despite my best efforts to do good and raise awareness during my trips, travel is an essential part of it, and all of it has a carbon footprint. I now calculate and incorporate my carbon footprint and pay money in to offsetting schemes designed to reduce carbon emissions in the world, making each trip net 0 Emissions. When it comes to the prints themselves, I incorporate a small carbon charge to offset the cost of deliveries.
2.1 Tradewater
I heard about Tradewater on a "Costing the Earth" podcast on BBc Radio 4. They work by tracking down and destroying containers of banned refrigerants, CFCs (some of which are 26000x more potent than Co2), Co2 equivalents and more throughout the world. Many of these substances were banned years ago but schemes were never put in place to recollect and rid the world of these gases. They are all ticking time bombs waiting to be released in to the world's atmosphere, or gradually leaking out of old containers. https://tradewater.us/about/
2.2 Spekboom Restoration
One of the most exciting potential schemes that I hope to be part of the establishment of in my beloved Eastern Cape of South Africa. Spekboom thicket is native to the arid Eastern Cape and has seen a drastic decline in it's prevelence over the years as it has been cleared for agriculture and development. Spekboom uses two types of photosynthesis, the normal pathway that most plants use during favourable conditions, and crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), which allows spekboom to continue to thrive and photosynthesise during difficult periods, including extended periods of drought. The stoma on the leaves close during the heat of the day, and this incredible species can store solar energy and photosynthesise at night. Spekboom averages between 4 and 10 tonnes of Co2 per hectare annually, with the maximum rate of sequestration found to be 15.4 tons of Co2/ha/yr a vastly greater rate of sequestration than normal plants. On top of this, spekboom fast growing, can be planted easily from a single cutting, and the thicket it forms is a crucial biodiversity hotspot, providing habitat to many creatures, including black rhino and elephants. It is hoped that over 1 million hectares of spekboom can be re-established throughout the Eastern Cape through community linked offsetting schemes.