Thursday, September 18, 2008

Eco-Ceramic Studio With Mary Anne Davis

As promised the following is Mary Anne Davis's environemental manifesto of sorts for potters and ceramic artists. Below are all the things that she does currently, daily in her studio and life as a potter. We all need to be more aware of our impact on the environment and I applaud Mary Anne for her efforts!
“Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life.”
The Earth Charter, 2000

Fine eco-porcelain created by davistudio follows eco standards achievable by any and all small studio owners. As an eco-potter, environmental stewardship is inherent in every piece produced in my studio. Everyone who uses and eats off of my porcelain will benefit by the enhanced health and well-being present in the wares. A more sustainable life standard on the earth is acheived as more people understand the imperative.
Here’s how:
Reducing Energy Use
• davistudio is walking distance from my home, no commuter CO2 contribution.
• Efficient small kilns fire batch quantities of ware that are ordered by specific clients or in small numbers for samples.
• For firings, davistudio uses as much wind and solar energy as is currently available through the New York State Electric and Gas grid (New Wind Energy program). davistudio has a goal to be 100% solar, wind and renewable energy efficient by 2008.
Using Durable, Non-Toxic Material
• Porcelain is made from a mix of organic grolleg, kaolin, and flint.
• All davistudio glazes are certified food safe and lead free, meeting the labeling standards of proposition 65, the highest standards for ceramic glaze labeling.
• Porcelain is a durable material that will last many lifetimes. As such, it is non-disposable making it an heirloom quality fine art object. Purchasing carefully chosen house wares of this nature encourages clients to buy better not more. In the event of breakage, the object can be disposed of, without toxic leaking or breakdown. It is like a rock. Reuse as a mosaic material is preferable, though!
• All porcelain is dishwasher safe and microwavable.
Maintaining a Clean Working and Waste Recycling Environment
• Studio is kept in clean condition, use of HEPA filter on vacuum and regular wet mopping as standard protocol, eliminates danger of air born silica dust.
• All waste materials are recycled – i.e. unused clay and all mistakes are reused as reclaim(standard practice in any ceramic studio).
• Any particles resulting from rinsing of brushes and buckets are caught in a special filter that isolates any materials for reuse or safe disposal.
Efficiency in Packing and Shipping
• Just in time inventory reduces unnecessary production, limits inventory and therefore maintains low waste. No production overruns.
• Packing materials are all biodegradable or reused.
• Shipping is done in small batches, to specific clients in carefully ordered amounts.
Mary Anne Davis
Owner, Davis Studio
So what do you do in your daily routine at home and in the studio to achieve sustainability? Leave a comment with your thoughts!
Peace2all

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I am not a potter,but I seriously applaud Mary for great efforts in respecting our earth with her conscious,sustainable ways of being with her work. Hopefully, more will feel inspired to look at such details and to know that we can all make a difference.
Although I am not a potter I will still share that for my daily green activities include: sending my son to school with all reusable containers, a cloth napkin and placemat, and enviro friendly lunch box. We use non-toxic cleaners in our house, no pesticides, don't wear our shoes in the house (they bring in toxins), recycle, reuse, conserve water.... I think you get the idea.

Mary Anne Davis said...

Thank you again, Chris! I appreciate your sharing my ideas with your community. Best- Mary Anne