Here are some simple ways to try to keep your environmental impact as light as possible while you create your particular models or miniatures. Reduce - Use as little as possible and avoid waste. Use your skills instead of your wallet whenever possible and start with basic, renewable materials.
- Practice Your Skills - Produce items which will not be thrown out quickly, practise on scraps or used materials before you work on final materials. Making your own items from local materials is much better than ordering items made in factories.
- Conserve - Only buy what you need and use up materials before they dry out or solidify and need to be thrown away. Clear out your stash regularly.
- Choose Wisely - Buy multi-purpose craft materials which can be used with many art mediums to reduce waste. Use quality water color paints to tint white acrylic for small paint amounts, rather than buying individual containers of liquid craft paints.
- Buy Individual Items - Reduce Packaging - Avoid sellers who sell pre-packaged amounts. Buy by the piece or in bulk when possible. Buy beads and craft lumber from stores where you can buy individual pieces. Buy materials with reduced, biodegradable or recyclable packaging.
- Share - Purchase supplies with a group and share to keep your 'stash' to a usable minimum. Circulate printed instructions between club members or friends and check with your local library or mini club to see if they have instruction books you can borrow.
- Support Local Businesses and Artisans - avoid extra shipping.
Re-Use – Miniatures can be made from small pieces of material which might otherwise be considered scrap.
- Re-Purpose - Look for useful items at yard sales, use scraps of wood, (pieces of broken furniture, picture frames,) fabric and other materials too small for larger purposes.
- Check Household Items - Use regular household items for storage or basic craft materials (cereal boxes, jars, vials, old calendars, brown paper.)
Re-cycle
- Build Your Skills, Not Your Stash - Can you develop a skill and use fewer materials? Use metal from tin cans or sheet metal to make your own miniature hinges and hasps rather than purchasing them? Can you make paper mache rather than buying it from a craft store? Can you re-purpose broken or badly finished miniatures from yard sales or thrift shops. Can you use old glass from discarded picture frames instead of new clear acrylic in commercial miniature windows?
- Identify Locate Sources - Find materials which may other wise be thrown out. Do you have access to recycled stir sticks, scraps of illustration or mat board or other materials which can be substituted for new wood? (stir sticks can be run through the dishwasher before use). Can your club approach local companies for products that they would otherwise consider waste? (offcuts of illustration board, bits of fabric). If you must use foam for construction, use bits of insulation foam left over from construction projects rather than buying it new. For diorama backdrops, re use styrofoam packaging. Use bio degradable materials if possible (paying attention to pH levels and conservation).Use paper mache instead of plastic or styrofoam whenever possible.
Staying on the Green side
- Watch Out For:
- Origin and materials - where is it made and from what materials (environmentally sustainable? Repurposed?)
- VOC levels (Volatile Organic Compounds) which can contribute to global warming, or local pollution levels. VOC levels should be supplied with most art materials including glues and paints, and is often listed in the packaging. Look for and read the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) for your materials, including art supplies and glues so you understand what they are made of. These are often found online at the manufacturer's site.
- Petrochemical Products (solvent based paints, plastics, resins). Avoid them whenever possible. Look for 'eco friendly' glues and avoid 'double gluing' - using quick CA (cyanoacrylate glues) to hold items in position instead of careful clamping.
Help Yourself and the Earth
- Use natural materials whenever possible (felted scale animals rather than resin ones), cloth, wood, or paper mache rather than plastic or resin.
- Reduce your use of power and fuel. Use quality hand tools whenever possible and keep them in good condition, keeping a reasonable set of tools sharp rather than constantly replacing them.
- Buy from local artisans if possible, do your bit to support local vendors and reduce the need for transport. Know what materials the items you are buying are made from, and where they originate.
- Eliminate your use of aerosol products (spray cans) The tins require special recycling, plastic lids are common, and most still contain hydrocarbons and compressed gases that are not good for global warming. Many may contain volatile organic compounds which contribute to ground level ozone levels (smog).
- Reduce your use of plastics and other petrochemical based products for all miniatures. Ask artisans what materials they use. Avoid mass produced plastic or resin miniatures.
- Avoid lead or 'pot metal' based miniatures whenever possible. If you must use lead based miniatures follow safe handling guidelines for metal miniatures to avoid lead contamination of yourself and your workspace.
Greener alternatives
- If you do a lot of spray painting, switch from aerosol cans to the most energy efficient air gun and compressor you can find. Develop good brush skills for as many applications as possible.
- Avoid resins, epoxy resins, plastics and polymer clays when practical.Paper clays, some air dry clays and papier mache from recycled papers are good alternatives.
- Avoid solvents and solvent based paints, including solvent based markers. Use water based paints and finishes. Use metallic pigments like Pearl Ex pigments which can be mixed with water based paints instead of solvent based metallics. If you have to have a solvent based coating, apply it as a final clear coat, rather than using only solvent based products.
- Avoid battery powered tools and battery packs. Batteries are costly to recycle and highly damaging to the environment. Consider using small solar cells to light small displays or use a solar powered battery recharger and rechargeable batteries if you must use batteries. Use high efficiency LED lights whenever possible.
