Simply Sustainable

The "Ick" of Consumerism: 

We all know the three "R's" when it comes to saving Mother Earth: 

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"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" 

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Simply Pine stands behind the idea that our societal efforts ought be geared toward the reduction and reutilization of materials -with recycling (and most certainly landfills) as a last resort. Simply Pine products are created with secondhand materials from brushes and paints to packaging. 

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Consumerism defined: "the fact or practice of an increasing consumption of goods."

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The United States is fortunate to have very immediate access to all kinds of goods which, undoubtedly, helps in boosting the economy. However, this great convenience has made it significantly easier to buy environmentally harmful products out of impulse rather than deep consideration of personal and generational consequences. Big corporations are doing their best to lower the cost of their products as an effort to increase sales- resulting in poorer quality, often toxic items or even worse: unethical labor and corrupt leadership. 

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It's no secret that companies have their sights set on financial gain - as they should! I believe the issue arises when monetary profit becomes more valued than addressing the lasting consequences from point A to point Z. Resource acquisition, transport, manufacturing processes, merchandising, packaging, product use, etc. up to the eventual disposal of products. Sure, recycling is a nice thought. But not all materials have an infinite capacity of being made into something new and only a small percentage of what we are putting into our recycling bins actually goes on to live another life. (A lot of the time because WE are recycling WRONG *check your local guidelines!)  Donating? It sounds like doing something good for people and the planet - but what isn't talked about is the fact that the majority of donations just go to landfills anyway. 

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Many companies are working to address these issues in ingenious ways. Other companies "claim" to be doing the same but are, in fact, only doing more harm with antics such as greenwashing.

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Greenwashing defined: "an instance or practice of promoting or affiliating a brand, campaign, mission, etc., with environmentalism as a ploy to divert attention from policies and activities that are in fact antienvironmentalist"

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Companies may come across as "eco-friendly" with their marketing strategies despite behind-the-scenes unethical practices. From the simplest act of putting an image of a tree on the product to using catchy "green" words that aren't regulated (meaning anyone can say it, it likely isn't "green", AND no one is stopping it!) Their goal is to increase your consumption. While Simply Pine believes it should be up to the corporations to take environmental responsibility from the get-go, it is often up to us (the consumers) to use caution in our purchases and take a stand against crooked operations.

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The Choice to Use Secondhand:

I take pride in my work and aim to be fully transparent. While my ideal would be to use 100% environmentally friendly materials as well as offsetting 100% of my carbon footprint, Simply Pine acknowledges that there are many products already out there - sustainably made... and not so much - that are just sitting in peoples' closets. 

 

Why the choice to use secondhand? Let me answer that with a question...Why seek new materials when I can use up what my neighbor already has (doing us both a favor!)? *Shoutout to Facebook Marketplace*

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How this Affects your Simply Pine Orders: 

-The packaging may not be "pretty" or aesthetically pleasing.

-There may be irrelevant words and logos (such as with backing) amongst your order  associated with companies that I may not even be affiliated with. 

-Your painting may not be considered "sustainable", "biodegradable", "eco-friendly", or any of those other ideals. 

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BUT you can be sure

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It was made with the planet in mind <3