in earth we trust.

Well friends, the time has come... "To talk of many things: Of news and tips and healing plants... Of great composting kings! And if the earth is getting hot.. And why organic is the thing!"

Yes that's right it's earth day! A good time to reflect on what each of us are doing to reduce this "carbon paw print" we keep hearing so much about- (and also apparently to mutilate Lewis Carrol quotes for the sake of the planet) and at the same time increase our awareness of our health/wellness.

So, we're taking this opportunity to share with you some habits / products/ policies we've adopted around our pad(s) to make a difference for the well being of our bodies, our business, and mother earth.

Keep in mind, I (like many of you) have a daily routine that is always fast paced and jam packed- I find it hard to invite much change or disruption on account of "going green" - Admittedly though, I would love to walk/bike to work every day, buy all organic groceries (which I would carry out of the store in my organic, recycled, printed-with-soy-ink, hemp shopping totes) - return to my solar powered home to prepare delicious organic meals for me and my pooch - and then take our tiny bit of food waste immediately to our compost bin to promote the fertilizing and flourishing of my own garden out back.

Well, I am not quite there yet- to say the least. But, instead of just giving up and doing nothing...(please watch the video below to ponder the impending consequences of apathy) I've forced myself to BE AWARE of my choices, my waste, my purchasing power and my routines - which leads to small changes that can add up to a whole lot of good!

Primarily, I think of it as a shift of thinking: from emphasizing convenience and low cost, to making conservation and awareness paramount in all the decisions that I make. So, here you go, 10 simple things we are doing to make a difference...



1. Green Proofing

This is the change I am most excited about! Here at dane + dane we are launching a new proofing system - Our old system was sure a nice presentation, but cumbersome, time consuming and potentially very wasteful. Add up half a dozen pieces of letterhead, a 9x13 envelope, a shipping label, 4-5 pages of proof sheets, 1 CD and added marketing materials and you have a whole heavy packet of needless paper and a two-week turnaround to account for printing and mailing delays. Well, no longer!

Our clients will now enjoy their own private online gallery and PDF's of proof sheets (which they may print if they like) + price lists + order forms - it will all be sent in an email which accounts to zero paper waste and happy clients (because we can get this done a week faster)! Additionally, it will be that much easier for happy dog and cat models to email their friends and family the link to their very own gallery, so everyone can enjoy their many many beautiful portraits!


2. Country Save:
No animal testing, no animal bi-products - completely biodegradable, no added dyes, fragrance, phosphates, enzymes, optical brighteners or harsh chemicals... and as if that weren't enough, Country Save is affordable, easily accessible (available at nearly all QFC's, Thriftways and Larry's Markets) and the company is local - based in Arlington! I wash my car, wash my dishes, clean Olivia's toys, do my laundry, wash my hands, clean the carpet (there are puppies in the house) and bleach my bathroom with Country Save products and I never worry about adding damaging chemicals into our water supply. Country Save... more like City Save -- WORLD save even- give it a try!

3. Yerba NOT-ay Latte
So I noticed, as my trips to the recycling dumpster became more and more frequent, that there sure are a lot of Tulley's cups filling up that bin! I love that Tulley's makes a 100% recycled and recyclable cup - but I sure had a lot of them! I guess if you add up one per day, not only is the cup count high, but at $3.74 a pop for my beloved Yerba Mate Latte - the dollar count is high too!

So, the best solution I could think of to resolve the excess on both counts, was to bring my hot morning beverage routine into the studio. I purchased some delicious Yerba Mate Mint tea bags from Tulley's (which equates to less than .$50 per delicious cup) and got a "hot pot" to boil water instantly. I found that not only did this save money (nearly $120 a month) and cup space, but also some empty calories, time (at least 15 minutes every morning) and the awkward walk from car to door, fumbling with giant moose-dog, laptop, purse, keys, and boiling hot liquid - all around a great decision, which leads to my next change...

4. towels/dishes:
We take lunch at our desks, we eat an unholy amount of fast food, we have a collection of plastic silverware and napkins from various places that deliver... our bathroom towels are paper-- Time for a change! To coincide with the new "drinking tea at the studio" plan - I purchased a simple collection of plates, glasses, bowls, and mugs to encourage more healthy eats and again, less waste. I also got some snazzy red, black and white hand towels to match our red bathroom - which equates to a waste-free way to dry our dishes and our hands (and with the help of our Country Save dish soap and laundry detergent - we have a waste free way to keep them all clean!)

5. put dee lime in da coconut (but not in da corona)

There are few things more enjoyable on a hot hot day then a cold cold beer. I happen to be a sucker for Corona (one of those guilty pleasures that makes me SO un-Seattle because of its status as a cheap, light Mexican brew and not some hoppy micro-trendy beer from a local brew-pub) Anyhow, I love Seattle but I also love Corona - and I love it with a slice of lime. HOWEVER, I recently learned that when there is an old, shriveled up lime skeleton in the bottom of the bottle, it eliminates the recycle-ability of said bottle. But have no fear, I discovered that by simply squeezing the limey- goodness into the brew (or to be so bold as to drink it in a chilled glass with fully submerged lime-action) the beer is still cold and the lime is still delicious, and the bottle doesn't end up at the dump. A simple change for the better with no sacrifice!

6. more outdoors shoots to save paper

We use long rolls of seamless paper as backdrops in the studio - all those pretty colors you see in our "studio gallery" were cut off the roll and recycled after the shoot.

Although we are able to recycle (and for product shots, sometimes even re-use the paper) there is still that vital element of reducing. So, during the summer (when the weather is more likely to cooperate) we encourage our clients to choose an alternative location for their photographic fun. We love having our pet portrait studio as an option, but every little step we can take to cut down on waste seems like a step in the right direction!




7. filtered water
So I am sure none of us will escape this very eco-friendly week without hearing how bad plastic water bottles can be for our health. There are links to breast cancer from those disposable bottles, and now they are saying those Nalgene-style hard plastic bottles (and my FAVORITE Starbucks water bottle with the fab metal top and bottom) are no good either. The key is the #7 plastic (a label that you can find on the bottom of the bottle) - apparently there are even baby bottles made from this toxic stuff, and the threat is so high, that manufacturers are pulling these containers from commerce.

So... On top of the health risk, much like the Tulley's cups, those disposable water bottles pile up in the recycling bin and cost a lot more than tap water (which we pay for anyway). I don't know about you, but I'd rather lap up a near-by puddle then drink city-water directly from our tap (it doesn't even SMELL like real water) - so - to solve multiple problems, we purchased a small and simple, not super expensive on-faucet Brita filtration system. Cheaper and less gossip-risky than a water cooler, healthier and less wasteful than water bottles, this system allows us to just take a short walk to the faucet and fill up one of our new glasses with delicious and nutritious agua. P.S. Here's a link to the type of water bottles the experts suggest you replace your #7 Nalgene with.

8. going organic.

I had the distinct pleasure of scoring a coveted job as an "Official Photographer" for the Farm Aid concert when it came to Seattle. If you're not familiar with Farm Aid, it's a non-profit started by Willie Nelson and now figure-headed by Willie, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews. The purpose of the organization is to promote and support family farming - which goes hand in hand with organic farming. At this event, not only did I have the photographic pleasure of shooting the concert (and meeting/greeting all the incredible celebrity power involved) but I also got a guerrilla education on the benefit of organic foods, and how incredibly important it is to support family farming. Ever since then I have purchased organic fruits/veggies and milk (which seemed to be the most important parts of an organic diet due primarily to the pesticides/ hormones in factory farmed goods) I would buy all organic if I could - we HAVE to save the little farms that are being put under by massive corporate farming - for the sake of our health, our children's health, the animals involved and of course, the economy.

Look it up and pay a few cents more at the grocery, or head to your local market to stock up on your produce!

9. pound the pavement

Park that "wag more, bark less" bumper in honor of some even better advice: walk more, drive less! We've combined several of our errands and started walking to many others- luckily our grocery, post office, and bank are all within walking distance of the studio, so rain or shine we don't jump in the car to save time, - we walk it. When Olivia's at the studio she's extra grateful for the added escape to smell the ivy, and it's good for humans too- getting outside clears the mind. I am always more productive after a good 15-20 minute stroll. I know we've had this idea drilled into our heads for a decade now, but especially if you're a dog owner, there's no reason you can't do at least SOME of your commuting on foot!! And hey, with the cost of gas these days, you'll be saving some dollars while you save the ozone!

10. Support others:

You have many choices as a consumer- you choose products based on quality, price, health and hopefully based on the company producing those products. There are some pretty major corporate campaigns right now to "go-green" and funnel funds towards this effort. Huge companies are taking drastic steps to invest in processes and products that not only do less damage to the environment as a whole, but also actively support healing the destruction we've already caused, hot topics of course being global warming, water, rain forest, and energy. Keep these topics in mind when you choose one brand over another - Who is giving back? Who is just trying to make a buck on the "green wave" and who is really trying to help? Support those companies who are supporting our future. And, if you you end up financially supporting non-profits, take note that some corporations have "fund matching" policies, so any dollar you donate to a certain cause, may be matched by your employer. Here's a list of a few companies we've recently noticed are stepping up (beyond what is required by law) to make a difference:

Starbucks
Honda
Continental Airlines
S.C. Johnson
Sony-Ericsson
GE
and yes, even Wal-Mart...

If THEY can do it, WE can do it!

I encourage you to take a moment to think of ten things YOU can start to do, or not do, right away to be a positive force in our shared ecosystem. And just in case you're not convinced, here is a very persuasive argument why doing nothing, just isn't an option: