About My Green Studio
All the work talked about here takes place in a small studio in the Colorado foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
This is the view from my place. What I do is Colorado local, US hand made, green energy produced. I started out making bags.
I discovered that in Taiwan, China and Vietnam, a Timbuk2 messenger bag takes 10 minutes to make. Thirteen machines and 7 employees work on each bag. They are shipped thousands of miles to a retailer near you and me. That was in Dwell, September 2006
My large "Maggie Bag" is takes 3 - 4 hours
to make. Every one is designed with a
unique selection of fabric and embellishment. It is cut by hand, sewn on two simple
machines, and finished with hand stitching.
The bags are sold at local craft fairs and online at ETSY
Here are the other things I do to run a green studio:
Energy: We use
photovoltaic cells to make our own electricity to run the house and the studio sewing machines. The studio is daylit by a skylight ( you can see it glowing in the top picture) backed up with energy
efficient T8 flicker free florescent lighting (and an occasional halogen). The studio is 80% heated with passive
solar; that means the sun coming in the windows. A wood stove provide back heat.
I run on 80% organic food, loads of local CSA veggies, clean well water, and the occasional glass of sherry. Advice from the native Coloradans helps, like this fellow on the porch.
Water: Our most precious resource is used with care. Most material is washed before being sewn. We use an Energy Star low water front loading machine. Water is heated by the sun. The landscape is not irrigated. Three raised beds are lightly watered to grow herbs, rhubarb,sunflowers and a rose.
Conservation/Recycling: About 40% of the fabric used is pre-comsumer remnant material. About 20% is post-consumer and about 10% is new. The display booth for craft fairs was build with recycled lumber
by my beloved life partner Larry
Reality: I am still using more precious resources
than is sustainable. My hope is to live more lightly on the land and there is plenty of room for
improvement.
A good place to explore your eco-footprint is and how to live more lightly is at the Ecological Footprint Site. Slide your cursor over the map to choose place and language.
