Sustainability in my studio

Mud Matters and Clean Green Ceramics

I cannot recall how I came to be introduced to Mud Matters and Dr. Wendy Gers, which seems odd, given the altered trajectory I took in my attitude around sustainability within my practice and within craft after meeting her. When I began to feel hopeless about what I could do to do my part around climate impact and sustainability, I realized through Dr. Gers that I could start where I stood the most...in my studio. 

After attending several Mud Matters zoom presentations, where sustainability and the environment were front and centre, green ceramics was introduced. From there, I reached out to find out more. 

In 2021, I began the process of becoming certified as a Clean Green Ceramicist, and in February 2022, I received my certificate (spoiler alert: just because you complete the certification doesn't mean you are done.) The certification is a commitment to continuous improvement, where goals are set to improve on multiple fronts and to educate others to see how we can create sustainably and do better for everyone. 

At the same time, a few other ceramicists had completed the certification, including Here and Now Pottery, located in Irpen, Ukraine. Yuliya is an eco-potter who has continued her commitment to the Clean Green Ceramics process in the middle of an unlawful war and has recently published a book to be used as a resource for greening your pottery practice. You can find the link to the text below. 

I'll update resources here and continue to improve on my plan.

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Resources:
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Here are some other resources that have been helpful to me on my journey to practicing green(er) ceramics. 

Mud Matters - Youtube page

Clay Matters - Website

Clean Green Ceramics Resource Page

Yuliya Makliuk's books: 
Potters Save the World: Learn to make sustainable ceramics and help protect the Earth
Sustainable Pottery: A Quick Guide to Eco-Friendly Ceramic Studio Practice

Sara Howard - Circular Ceramics

Fran Tristram's  book: Single Firing: The pros and cons, 1996.

Tim Thornton's workshops: Product Safety for potters - which is helpful because it is a good introduction to certain glaze ingredients that don't break down well in the landfill.

NCECA Green Task Force - Educational Resources, Projects, and Presentations