This page is intended to be a transparent view of my journey to becoming carbon neutral and reducing my emissions as much as possible. It is intended as a resource and inspiration for others too. It is time for us to take action and work collaboratively on this issue as opposed to in competition so please feel free to follow the practices below and promote them as you see fit.

Carbon Neutrality

I am proud to have partnered with Carbon Neutral Britain and am now a certified carbon neutral small business.

This means that the carbon dioxide produced as a result of my work and business activities is offset by tree planting and investing in renewable energy projects around the world (carbon offsetting) through the Carbon Neutral Britain’s small business subscription.

Just for the point of clarity and to hopefully inspire others to do the same the subscription is £29.99 per month and there is no costly or time-consuming carbon audit to do at the out set.

I believe that their small business subscription is the simplest (and lowest cost) option for small businesses to become carbon neutral.

I know that offsetting alone will not tackle climate change, however it is an immediate method to take responsibility for my carbon footprint.

Reducing the emissions that my small business creates is also a priority for me now starting with looking into making my shipping as green as possible as from my research so far shipping is the aspect of art businesses (artists/galleries) that emits the greatest amount of CO2.

This is something that we can all do today at a time when IPCC studies (and COP 26 discussions last year) have highlighted the importance of businesses making a difference in the next 5 years before changes to the climate are irreversible. By offsetting and working to reduce my carbon footprint, I am doing my part for the planet now - when it is the most important. I hope this inspires you to do the same.

I am intending to make this page into a resource for artists looking to make their work more sustainable, and as a place of accountability for me to continue to reduce the emissions that my work and the business activities around it creates in the first place. If you scroll down you will find a list of green/carbon neutral suppliers that I use and more info and resources about my green practices.

If you are an artist / small business and think that you have green supplier that I might be interested in please get in touch with me.

I have also just become a member of Gallery Climate Coalition whose goal is to facilitate the decarbonisation of the visual art sector and promote zero-waste practices.

It’s free to become a member and they have a host of resources on this topic and useful recommendations for green art world suppliers and shippers. As I use their recommended shippers I will add them to my own list of green suppliers below.

Recycling and Reuse

I reuse packaging such as bubble wrap and cardboard as much as possible especially for packing purposes but also as part of my paintings themselves. Also I make a point of cutting tape on bubble wrapped pieces with a stanley knife as opposed to ripping it as this maintains the integrity of the bubble wrap better and damages it less than tearing at tape.

General ways I try to reduce my impact on the environment in the studio

• -Have 2 bins in the studio one for recycling and one for landfill

• -Always take my food waste home instead of putting it in the landfill bin at work

• -Walking to work instead of driving

• -Leaving the lights off in the summer when it’s bright enough to work without lights

• -Turning the heating off when I leave in the studio in the winter.

• -Using open windows and doors to ventilate where possible instead of fans.

• -Choosing certified carbon neutral suppliers where possible such as carbon neutral printers.

• -Bringing my lunch to work as much as possible instead of buying it to reduce plastic waste.

• -Disconnecting chargers when not in use.

Green Suppliers for Artists - I am intending this to be a growing list that I add to. That will helpfully be a useful resource to other artists looking to make their work more sustainable.

• The Print Space for Carbon Neutral Art Prints - they also have an excellent page on how they achieved carbon neutrality, and what is involved.

• Green Courier

• Uber offer a green option using electric vehicles which is good for ferrying small works around town.