A Green Studio
This is a crossover post between my creative practice, my work as a consultant for the creative sector and my own relationship to the climate emergency. These are five ideas for greening your studio practice. I realise everyone is starting in a different place and has access to different options, but maybe there is something here you can start with. Number 5 is the most important so jump there if you’re short on time!
Get a green bank account
Are you still with the bank you chose when you were 18? Choosing where you bank for your business and personal accounts is a big way to disinvest in fossil fuels and reinvest in a greener economy. I moved my accounts from HSBC and Barclays to Starling, but there are number of greener banks to choose from.
Get a green pension
This might sound like a luxury and I know plenty of freelancers who omit to save for a pension at all (especially women - don’t do this!). But when you make it happen, your pension could end up as your largest investment choice. Therefore where you hold your pension is one of the biggest financial choices you can make in terms of climate impact. Standard pension funds usually include investment in fossil fuels. But there are also specific ethical pension and investment options. I went to Path Financial.
Buy green(er) enegery
Who you buy your energy from makes a difference to how quickly we move to renewables. Most studios are in larger buildings where you don’t control the energy supply. Can you ask the building management who supplies the energy, and advocate for a switch? Or maybe it is part of your general home energy. If you are in control, there are greener options and we chose Good Energy. If you are starting from scratch and have the option to invest in renewable sources like a heat pump or solar panels, go for it! Also - insulate, insulate, insulate.
Green your systems
This is the one everyone jumps to. Whilst it is important, it could actually represent your lowest impact change. Depending on your creative practice, you will be a part of different supply chains and create different kinds of waste. I run a textile studio so where my fabric comes from is a key decision and the majority of my waste is scrap textiles. I installed a recycling system that matches my local system - this cost me £49 from IKEA so I could fit all six (six!) different bins required into one small area of the studio. Maybe it’s wrong-headed to buy new plastic bins from IKEA in order to recycle, and if you have more space, you wouldn’t need to do that. In terms of textile waste I’m going to do a separate post on where I source and how I reduce the amount of textiles that go to landfill from my studio.
Use your superpower
This the most important one. You are an artist so you have a superpower. You have a superpower that no one else has. Artists tell stories, change hearts and change minds. Not all jobs do that. The most important thing you can do is consider how you can use your creative practice to change the future for our planet. Is there a way either through the materials, site or message of your work to support positive action for the climate? I would encourage any artist not to underestimate the power of their craft to change the world. I have spoken to many artists who feel that they do not know enough about the environment to have a say or to speak out about this issue. But you know enough about living on this planet. You know enough about what unfair looks like. You know enough about what kind of future you would like for your children or the young people in your life. Speak about those things. And if you feel you already have a practice that addresses social issues, then think about how these connect to climate change. Racial inequalities and climate change are deeply linked. Gender inequalities and climate change are deeply linked. Class inequities in the UK are deeply linked to climate issues.
