Brought to you by Earth Day: Highlights from Art Jewelry's Green issue (May 2009), including in-depth info and tips on making your jewelry and studio more eco-friendly

Kristin Sutter — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:20:00 GMT

Happy Earth Day, Everyone! As I write this, the birds are singing, the sun is laying a warm blanket of color over the budding trees, the nubbins of grass (and yes, the parking lot), and the sky is the perfect blue — what a fitting reminder of why we love our planet!

For some great ideas on how to practice your planet-love today and throughout the year, check out the May 2009 issue of Art Jewelry. It's our first-ever Green issue! Here's a peek at what you'll find in it:

Read an in-depth article on accessible, often inexpensive ways you can make your studio and jewelry-making practices more environmentally sound. Author Christine Dhein of the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts gives you info on turning trash into treasure, sourcing recycled and responsible precious materials, collecting and reusing metal scrap, and switching to less toxic studio chemicals. (Online Extra! Click here for a quick-reference chart showing 12 greener chemicals you can use in your studio.)
Learn how to save money and conserve materials by transforming metal scraps into your own alloys. (Online Extras! To use our alloy calculators, click here. To use our gold karat calculator, click here. Plus, a project in the issue will teach you how to use your alloyed metal to do water casting! For a free earring project you can make with your water-cast components, click here. To watch a video demonstration of water casting, click here.)
Get inspired by polymer clay artist Melanie West — read about her solar-powered home and studio and how she lives off the grid. (Online Extra! Click here to learn how West got on the path to green living.)
Learn how you can use inexpensive steel wire to capture found objects.
Check out product reviews that include the last set of tweezers you'll ever need to buy. (Online Extra! Subscribers, click here to read the review.)
Get 21 tips on how your business can leave a smaller carbon footprint.
For even more inspiration, check out Gallery; we showcased work by artists who use renewable materials, up-cycled objects, and found objects to make their jewelry. (Online Extra! Because we love our readers and want them to be inspired, you can actually click here to see images from the Gallery; but trust us, seeing these images in the print magazine has impact.)

Speaking of Gallery, while I was hunting for the perfect quote to put on the first page of our Green-issue Gallery, I came across a quote that I just had to write down and tack to my bulletin board. It wasn't perfect for Gallery, but I think it's perfect for Earth Day:

"Methinks my own soul must be a bright invisible green." — Henry David Thoreau

Enjoy all of your celebrating and greenifying endeavors!

—Kristin

Art Jewelry magazine Editors' Blog : carbon footprint

Brought to you by Earth Day: Highlights from Art Jewelry's Green issue (May 2009), including in-depth info and tips on making your jewelry and studio more eco-friendly