From the Editors

by Allegra Wermuth and Brandy Fortune

Over the last few months I have been immersed in the idea of using natural "ingredients" in my crafting, as well as different ways to re-use and re-purpose. Reading and reviewing so many fantastic crafty books with the central idea of putting as little waste into the world as possible has caused me to think about those very concepts far more deeply then I have since grade school when a recycling bin was always present. For my many years in corporate America, everyone had a recyling bin under their desk, but the cleaning people would never empty them. So 99% of those bins filled up once, and then stayed that way. As they were full, people instead put their paper into the normal trash bin that was emptied. How very sad it is to reflect back on that and to think of how many offices across America and the world in which the very same scenario is taking place.

A few months ago I had a little revelation concerning the use of paper towels in our kitchen, and that I needed to make a point of using the cloth kitchen towels to dry my hands or clean up a mess from the floor. Then on a visit to my sister's house I noticed that she didn't even have any kitchen towels at all, only paper ones! My sister is a fantastic saver, buys her groceries on a budget, feeds her children as much organic food as possible, and keeps a very tidy house. I was surprised to find her using paper towels exclusively. To be honest with you, the thought had never even occurred to me until I started reviewing all of the "green" books for our Spring issue. It is as though I have had a paradigm shift in the very way that I think.

I remember in grade school all the talk about recycling, but why did it not follow me into my adult life? As a young child my best friend and neighbor had many "green" types of activities present in her home. I do not know if my childhood friend carried those lessons into her adult life, but I like to think she did. I never knew anyone else in the neighborhood with cloth diapers, compost heaps and gardens. Now I think back on how fortunate I was to have a neighbor who did those things. I think exposure as a child makes those concepts less alien somehow and I, myself, now cloth diaper my youngest daughter, a concept that I know most of my friends would consider too gross to try for themselves. It seems our entire culture is very focused on the concept of green, eco friendly, up-cycled, re-cycled and any other buzz word that can be attached, but I sometimes feel that is not enough, and it takes a very strong change in the basic way that a person functions in every day life for it to really have an impact. That paradigm shift that I had, I believe is the beginning.

I now lament with sadness over how many ripped or out grown velour pants I have trashed or sent to good will, when I could have so easily sewn them up into some adorable play pants for my daughters, or how many old sheets and pillows I could have turned into dresses or quilts. For so long I was blind to all the treasures around me, but now my eyes are wide open.

- Brandy

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