In this modern age of environmentalism and a growing sense of importance in adhering to certain environmental principles, glass work has entered the mix of products that are turning to the green movement. The topic itself can cover an enormous amount of groundwork, from the products being used to the techniques to the final creations themselves. Let's touch briefly on each of them here.
It starts with a product
Depending on the type of glass artwork that one plans to create, there will be a variety of options of supplies and products to choose from. Lead-free glass is not only a positive influence to any artwork, it is also a much healthier and safer product to work with. Lead has been associated with many health problems throughout the years and has been removed from a number of products that are used regularly throughout the home and schooling settings.
When working with toxic glass products, like etching creams, you are potentially exposing yourself to harmful chemicals, but not only that, when you create excess products that are disposed of, whether they are rinsed down the sink or disposed of in trash receptacles, these harmful chemicals are released into the environment and can affect wildlife, drinking water, and other aspects of a healthy environment.
Choosing products that have reduced toxins or that are free of toxins is a first step. Some glass art stores will either not carry the products that you would need or may not have the pertinent information to help you make the right decision about them, so shop around and get advice from a number of sources including shops, the internet and glass art classes.
Another way to choose an environmentally-friendly product to work with is recycled glass. Depending on the application, recycled glass can also inspire new creative ideas and spark ingenuity like nothing else can however by using recycled glass you are also keeping these products from taking up space in landfills, and reducing the overall environmental footprint of your art glass work. When any product is manufactured it has what is known as an "embodied" footprint. This essentially means all of the environmental impacts that go into making a product like a sheet of glass e.g. greenhouse gas outputs from machinery and energy use, manufacturer of packaging, the carbon expended to ship the product from manufacturer to supplier to your home and so on.
The method
Once you have the glass at home, and depending on the type of glass art projects you prefer to create, you may have to use a kiln or other firing apparatus. If this is the case, you may be well aware that these devices require either a great amount of fuel or electricity or both to operate.
There are a number of options to help your glass art become more environmentally friendly. One is to choose a kiln or firing oven that uses natural gas or low-emission gasses. A second option is (depending on the art glass type) to preserve unfired art glass in a safe location and then do them all at once, rather than firing a few daily. This saves not only money, but helps the environment by not exhausting natural resources inefficiently.
Of course, there are times, and artists for whom this idea simply isn't practical. The idea of being environmentally friendly with your glass art is to constantly seek out the best methods of creating it and being innovative in your own approach.
Further information:
- Artist shows off his glass appeal - Philadephia Weekly
- Join the Recycled Glass group on Glass Community
