3 ways to be crafty while helping out Mother Nature
Dear Mother Nature: Can being crafty help you?
Spring means weeks of great weather and so many things to celebrate: Easter, school graduations, weddings, outdoor barbecues and more. Not to be a party pooper, but there are several opportunities to generate waste in the midst of all this fun. This month, let’s to explore how crafting can be a fun, relaxing way to help Mother Nature while we enjoy the season!
Nature-friendly celebration instead of glitter
Consider using leaves instead of confetti or glitter. Glitter and confetti are commonly used at parties or in cards, but aside from being extremely difficult to clean up, confetti and glitter can also be harmful for the environment. Because most glitter is made from nonnatural sources and is smaller than five millimeters, it is considered a microplastic. Microplastics are extremely challenging to clean up and easily spread everywhere, even in Arctic ice cores and our own digestive systems. Last year, Australian researchers found that there are literally tons of microplastics on the seafloor.
While the most sustainable items are the ones we don’t use or purchase in the first place, sometimes it’s nice to have that pop of pizzazz, right? If you’re really craving glitter or confetti, there are biodegradable options. You could also make your own with some leaves and a hole punch! I’d advise using leaves you already find on the ground so as not to unnecessarily harm nearby plants.
Upcycle clothes before donating or discarding them
I recently saw a quote from author Georgina Wilson-Powell that said, “to work off the clothes’ carbon emissions created during production, you need to wear it 30 times.” Sometimes, though, our clothes get damaged sooner than we’d prefer. If you have the time, resources and dexterity, consider fixing your clothes before getting rid of them. There are several ways to do this. You can use tie dye to cover up stains and patches to cover up holes. Alternatively, you can turn your old clothes into something different like a bag, dog toy or wash cloth!
Alternative party, gift bags
Consider alternatives to party bags and/or tissue paper. I love to save and reuse tissue paper from gift bags, but recently I’ve been thinking about other ways to give gifts to my loves ones. Last Christmas, my grandmother used flowers instead of tissue paper when she gave me a gift, which I thought was so creative, and I would love to give it a try myself. You could also use recycled newspaper or place your gift in an old box to avoid needing stuffing material in the first place!
This season, the most important feeling we can have is gratitude: gratitude for our loved ones; gratitude for a new spring; and gratitude for our Mother Nature. See you next month!
“Dear Mother Nature” is written by Gabby Barber, a sustainable research and conservation specialist. If you have a question about sustainability and environmental stewardship you would like answered in “Dear Mother Nature,” please send it to gabhriel.barber@okstate.edu. For more tips and knowledge about sustainability, visit sustainability.okstate.edu or follow the Oklahoma State University Sustainability Office on all social media platforms @OSUGreen.