Whenever I go to Spo*****t and give this giant corporate machine- that underpays its staff ( they took penalty rates away when John Howard let them a couple of year ago) that imports nearly everything from China (where its probably made by 5 year olds in a sweatshop) and buy some essentials I feel so guilty. I try to use recycled fabric when I can and mostly I do but sometimes I need something specific... I have to weigh up the cost of buying it online which generally ends up costing more , plus if its bought from overseas- then the actual cost to the environment of getting it here...then that means my prices go up...which I don't want them to because I want chunkychooky to be affordable to everybody...
This is all started when I saw these paper clips- I KNOW how good are they??
I was thinking I could add one to the little handmade note I put into my orders, with the invoice...but is this really necessary???... and then there was the sticky tape with lovely little elephants on it etc etc etc ... where does it end???
At what point does handmade cease to be kinder to the earth?? At what point in my quest to make something unique, affordable and kind to the earth do I say: ENOUGH! For me its right here. Right now ( thankyou Fatboy Slim for these words) Stop buying unnecessary stuff. Just.Stop.Now. yes, you can keep looking and oohing and ahhhing but just stop now.
I am not talking about supporting artists as that is necessary, I feel, as we need to have beauty in the world and creativity and originality- but that is my whole point... at what point does it cross over - the line between supporting artists and creativity and buying fluff???
So I am back where I started... I didn't buy the paperclips...and will just be packaging my orders with good old fashioned brown paper and string and a hand written note on some nice paper...
Tell me where your line in the sand is...
