Are environmentally friendly supplies available?

Being an elementary art teacher is a difficult job to have for a person who does not like to see anything being wasted. While I am slowly teaching my student population to work in an environmentally conscious manner, I still cringe each time I see a paper thrown away just because it has a small crease, mark, or easily erasable mistake. While I have described ways to create a 'greener' classroom in my classroom practices section, I still see a need to be on the lookout for art supplies that are environmentally friendly. I have noticed an increase in these types of supplies over the past several years. Below is a list of products that I have been able to find that go above and beyond in terms of recycled content, sustainability, or how they are produced. Click on the green company name to visit their web sites and find out more about the products listed.

Papers

Strathmore makes a wide range of products that they refer to as "Greener Options in Fine Art Papers." These products include drawing and sketch papers, bristol boards, and watercolor paper. They define their greener options as papers made with renewable energy (such as their windpower line), post-consumer fiber content, or the use of tree-friendly fibers such as cotton or hemp. Many of their green products actually include more than one way of being green. The 400 Series Charcoal - Hemp paper is actually made from 25% hemp and 75% post-consumer fiber content. Strathmore products are widely available.

Fabriano produces a wide range of eco-friendly products as well. Their "ecological" line of papers includes sketch, drawing, and printmaking papers. These papers are made using environmentally friendly techniques such as using recycled content, being chlorine free, and using hydroelectric energy to produce their paper. Fabriano papers are also easily found both in stores and online. Visit the Fabriano web site and search for "ecological" to find their eco-friendly papers.

Legion paper company makes an absolutely huge variety of environmentally friendly papers. They produce all kinds of papers ranging from drawing and watercolor to mounting boards and handmade paper. Legion uses a variety of renewable power sources, a multitude of green production techniques, and even uses processes to dry some papers using only the power of the sun. Their web site is very informative and includes information about how each type of paper is produced and which green production techniques were used in the process.

Hahnemühle makes a somewhat limited line of environmentally friendly papers, but includes fine art inkjet paper. Some of their papers are made from tree-free fibers including bamboo and sugar cane. Their papers are also produced using a high percentage of recycled content.
____________________________________________________________

Mark-making Tools

Faber-Castell is a German company that produces many kinds of drawing instruments including pencils, pens, colored pencils, and watercolor pencils. According to their web site, all wood used in the production of their pencils comes from their own reforestation and soil conservation project in Brazil.

Tree Smart makes pencils using recycled newspaper instead of wood. Their pencils are formed from tightly wrapped newspaper around a traditional graphite core. No toxic chemicals are used and thousands of trees are saved in the process.

Prang makes crayons using soybean oil rather than traditional petroleum-based paraffin wax. These crayons are claimed to glide smoother and are made from renewable resources.

Liquimark produces many kinds of pencils, pens, and markers. One product that I found particularly appealing that is made by them is their E-color-gy markers. These markers are completely non-toxic and washable. If they begin to dry out, they can be dipped in water to renew the color. To reach a higher degree of environmentalism, the plastic used to make the outside of the markers is made from 25% recycled plastic and the packaging is made from 100% recycled material. Their web site has not been updated with this new product, but it can be found in several eco-friendly art supply sites.
____________________________________________________________

Paint & Ink

Golden Artist Colors
Golden is widely popular for their high quality acrylic paints and mediums. Golden has proven to be a company that is interested in being as 'green' as they can. As of June 2009, Golden Artist Colors has 100% of its electricity supply generated by wind power and low impact hydro energy.

Gamblin Artist's Oil Colors
While the production of oil paints may not sound like the most environmentally friendly process, it is necessary for companies such as Gamblin to do so in order for artists and students to have high quality paints to work with. Each spring, the Gamblin company cleans out their Torrit air filtration system. Instead of disposing of the excess pigment collected by the filter, they use it to make what they call torrit grey. Gamblin gives away tubes of torrit grey and focuses on the importance of recycling, studio and environmental safety.

Rostow & Jung make water-based inks and ink products. Some inks, including their intaglio inks are soy-based and non-toxic. These inks do not require any specialized ventilation or toxic solvents.