Over the past couple of hours I have been mulling over ebay and etsy checking out "hemp jewelry" and "handmade jewelry" competition, so to speak. There is loasds of jewelry being marketed as "eco-friendly" or "handmade" but I wonder how much of it truly is eco-friendly.
For those of us using hemp, it's impossible to buy as Made in U.S.A. since our daft government has outlawed it's production/farming within the states, even though it could replace that nasty tobacco plant and terrible-to-the-environment-to-farm cotton, thus creating an new branch of [our] economy focused on a resource that is entirely renewable and can be used for almost anything! From clothes to food to shelter! Alas...they're afraid we'd smoke it instead..which btw, people are already doing Mr. Government! But they're not smoking hemp!!!
I digress...
Remember to ask questions about what you're buying. Just because it's handmade doesn't mean it's eco-friendly. Anything Made in China is not eco-friendly. China has horrible pollution and an extreme disregard for its surrounding environment. Check out National Geographic's article about China's air pollution being deadly.
And as crafters and artists, we should also be aware of where our supplies are made. Every time money is spent on "inexpensive" supplies that are Made in China, we are fueling a deadly economy.
Did you know, China is also one of the main reasons gas prices are so high? It's true. Supply and demand is in effect and China has the highest demand for oil. As Americans, we have grown used to cheap/inexpensive gadgets, electronics, toys, cars, trinkets, etc. and it has back-fired! It's time to start spending money in our own economy! Pay the extra $1 and buy a Made in the U.S.A. product! For every extra $ you spend to make sure your products are local or Made in the U.S.A, you are creating a need for an American job too!
So, in conclusion, China = eco-unfriendly ("eco" representing ecology as well as economy) and now is the best time to stop [our] addiction to cheap/inexpensive crap that is so wholesale-d it has no real value. Buy local + buy U.S.A. = create jobs and hinder eco-unfriendly practices.
I found this website helpful in explaining exactly how China's disregard for its own surrounding enviroment will affect ours: http://www.unmadeinchina.org
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