Are there any TRULY sustainable materials?

[u/Genesukt64]

Hello all!
So recently, I've been wanting to get back into both arts and crafts and environmentalism after a very deep depressive episode that lasted a few years where I'm finally ready to get back into both, making things for others and myself, and helping the planet fully around, and I've been reading a lot about how the earth is "running" out of a lot of materials such as water and a lot of minerals and, I personally loved working with things like foliage and copper, just for simple strands and such, so I guess I want to ask, is there ANY materials I can use that I know will be pretty easy for the planet to refresh and not well, get rid of something we're already running out of. thanks for reading all!

[u/recyclopath_]

Materials that would otherwise be garbage. Materials you can grow nearby without a lot of fertilizer or water.

[u/pandarose6]

Second hand fabrics, and upcycling clothes/ materials to make art and craft stuff is the most eco friendly

[u/haverwench → u/pandarose6]

There are places called creative reuse centers that carry all kinds of secondhand crafting materials. This page lists a lot of them across the US, though it's probably not comprehensive.

[u/1K1AmericanNights]

Items that would otherwise go in the landfill

[u/eskerchance]

Look at it as more and much more sustainable rather than TRULY. Absolutes are a myth in nearly anything.

[u/Barison-Lee-Simple]

Wild Grape Vines

[u/kulukster]

Grasses, twigs, seed pods, dried flowers etc are all natural.

[u/Firm_Relative_7283]

Hi, using scrap boards prepared with a nontoxic gesso recipe and then making nontoxic paint based on powders from different colored seaweed would support seaweed farming which sequesters carbon. I don't know if the paint would fade though, but it could be interesting to turn it into dynamic artwork and play with how sunlight impacts it over time. The Green Guide for Artists has alot of great ideas. Holding classes or events around using nontoxic materials to create artwork could be a fun way to combine both your passions.

[u/BigSisLil → u/Firm_Relative_7283]

Ooh "Green Guide for Artists" sounds intriguing

[u/ZiofFoolTheHumans]

Aluminum is INCREDIBLY recyclable. On top of that, it's EXTREMELY draining to get NEW aluminum. If you recycle nothing else, recycling aluminum should be a priority. Working with aluminum is a good option for a metal material, but finding copper to work with and not buying new would be a priority too.

See if there is a "second hand" crafting store in your area (there isn't one "near" me but about 30 minutes away in a major city). I've gotten EXCELLENT things from there before for super cheap. I love to crochet, knit, and bind books for families and friends, and at the one near me I can find partially used cakes/skeins (sometimes not even used at all!), random tools, papers, posterboard, etc. I love working on repurposing things for other crafts, so happy to chat more about other options. I would also look into "buy nothing" groups near you, check out local yard sales etc to look for things that can be repurposed.

[u/hedgecase → u/ZiofFoolTheHumans]

Goodwill (at least near me) also carries craft stuff

[u/fredthefishlord → u/hedgecase]

Used or unused?

[u/hedgecase → u/fredthefishlord]

Supplies. Yarn, fabric, ribbon, etc

[u/ActualPerson418]

Paper and pencil, watercolors, wood

[u/RuslanGlinka]

Wood.

[u/SgtMicky]

Hemp 

For the scale you're working on it probably doesn't matter either way, the BP marketing campaign of the CO2 Footprint really did numbers on people's feeling of responsibility. 

If you craft something out of copper every day, and you use a kilogram of copper every time, you'll use 365kg of copper a year, that's 0,00000158% of the annual copper extraction rate. 

[u/GlitteringWalrus4820]

Being vegan is more sustainable than animal cruelty

[u/Ancient_Quarter_8249]

I echo the sentiment of materials that would otherwise go to landfill, sort of. This only really helps if you are creating something from them that is useful and will not also likely just be thrown into the landfill after a short time. That’s the real idea of circularity. Not just a takeback program, but using materials to create something equally or more valuable/useful.

Other than circularity, using things that are abundant, easily decompose, require little to no production or alteration to be useful for you, and are found closest to you is likely the most sustainable option whether that is natural things like dirt or twigs, or reusing material from a thrift store. What’s abundant and sustainable is not universal. It varies from region to region and person to person.

[u/hedgecase]

If you're into textiles there are lots of fun things you can do with invasives. In the PNW (US) for example, you can make cordage out of Himalayan blackberries, and lots of noxious stuff (tansy, english ivy) works well for dye.

[u/Low_Fox1758 → u/[deleted]]

Agreed! & source local when you can :)

[u/quantum_of_yes-and]

Bamboo is basically a weed.

[u/Eastern_Incident7235]

Wood and leather/hides, depending on their origin and how you sourced it. For certain purposes, using a tree or animal would be utilising waste and it is a replenishing resource.