{"id":56147,"title":"The power is still ours","description":"I chose Teemill as my Art of Raqs printer because I think it\u2019s vital to support the systems that are getting it right. As much as I am aware that the \u201ccarbon footprint\u201d concept was invented by oil companies to make people criticize each other (rather than the military industrial complex) - our choices still matter.","content":"

I remember in the 90s, there was a trendy burst of environmental consciousness. Edutainment flooded the airwaves, with cartoons such as \u201cCaptain Planet\u201d telling kids that \u201cThe power is YOURS<\/strong>\u201d to save the Earth. Fashion changed to favor earth tones instead of the hyper-artificial neons of the 80s. \u201cPaper or plastic?\u201d became the routine question at grocery stores, reinforcing a sense of individual impact.<\/p>

\"We'reAlthough I had been marching with my parents since preschool to protest ocean dumping, oil drilling, and \u201csave the whales,\u201d it became increasingly mainstream to recite \u201cReduce, Reuse, Recycle.<\/strong>\u201d Like a modern day Rosie the Riveter, youth of my generation were told \u201cWE can do it!\u201d<\/p>

My father personally apologized for the state of the world. He cites reports about global warming going back to the 70s, when he started taking action. My parents are watching their lives\u2019 work being rolled back. \u201cThink globally, act locally<\/strong>\u201d was their mantra. Still is.<\/p>

\"BryantThis month, I took my kids to visit to the Bryant Glacier in the south of New Zealand. It seemed important to see something that could be gone soon. On Earth Day, my Instagram reel about gently caring for my Art of Raqs shirts<\/u><\/a> by line drying received far more views than normal. Is that impact?<\/p>

It can feel exhausting to try and make a difference when we see our small sacrifices far outweighed by escalating war, governments polluting and plundering with far less accountability, and the exponential demands of AI processing.<\/p><\/blockquote>

I chose Teemill as my Art of Raqs printer because I think it\u2019s vital to support the systems that are getting it right. As much as I am aware that the \u201ccarbon footprint\u201d concept was taken over by oil companies<\/u><\/a> to make people criticize each other (rather than the military industrial complex) - our choices still matter. Reclaiming the original intent of the carbon footprint would put the oil companies out of business. There\u2019s never been a better time to decarbonize where we can.<\/p>

\"AddingFrom a moral standpoint, Teemill\u2019s certified supply chain<\/u><\/a> means I am not contributing to human rights abuses and environmental degradation in the cotton growing, dying, printing, and distribution of my merch.<\/p>

From a practical standpoint, I\u2019m weaning my brain off of instant gratification and misplaced ideas of \u201cvalue\u201d which are built around all the worst qualities of fast fashion. Yes, it\u2019s good actually that the high quality fabric of my new shirt will outlast the water-based inks of the artwork. Biodegradability is part of the point - and the cotton can be Recycled<\/strong>.<\/p>

\"Thread<\/p>

The shirt below<\/u><\/a> has been in the dryer too many times, now I dry it in the wind. Once it\u2019s too worn out, I can send it to Remill<\/u><\/a> or a similar service closer to home - or give it to my kid who loves sewing with scrap fabric (Reuse<\/strong>). Art of Raqs accepts Remill credits - and you can send ANY 100% cotton clothing for recycling, not just my products!<\/p>

\"Ebaa'sLike it or not, societies must return to nature somehow. Whether it\u2019s after we\u2019ve exhausted most resources through non-stop extraction and exploitation, or because we intentionally choose to roll back our consumption model (Reduce<\/strong>).<\/p>

Next time, I will go into detail about how I\u2019ve had to confront and contemplate my total contempt for AI. For example, it has been more environmentally friendly to use Teemill\u2019s AI clothing models, compared to shipping samples of everything to New Zealand. And how about artists working in a war zone with limited materials?<\/p>

Sometimes harm reduction is the best we can do, and definitely better than doing nothing!<\/p>","urlTitle":"recycling-rhetoric","url":"\/blog\/recycling-rhetoric\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/recycling-rhetoric\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/artofraqs.com\/blog\/recycling-rhetoric\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1776982516,"updatedAt":1777003429,"publishedAt":1777003428,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":367499,"name":"Art of Raqs"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ppj2atczmtwovjbav5gtv9aaisr0lbucyxrz4tzqrivnir1h.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ppj2atczmtwovjbav5gtv9aaisr0lbucyxrz4tzqrivnir1h.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ppj2atczmtwovjbav5gtv9aaisr0lbucyxrz4tzqrivnir1h.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":46331,"title":"Keeping our bleeding hearts open for PCRF","url":"\/blog\/keeping-our-bleeding-hearts-open-for-pcrf\/","urlTitle":"keeping-our-bleeding-hearts-open-for-pcrf","division":367499,"description":"Why should we keep our hearts (and wallets) open when all signs point to futility? How do we \"bleeding hearts\" keep hope alive?","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/zr0dkg7fm2enmmmqyakwogjl29xt7nzmixnuehvxbd7kgj95.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/zr0dkg7fm2enmmmqyakwogjl29xt7nzmixnuehvxbd7kgj95.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":43670,"title":"hibrfalastin currently matching donations to Watermelon Warriors!","url":"\/blog\/why-watermelon-warriors-e-si-ms\/","urlTitle":"why-watermelon-warriors-e-si-ms","division":367499,"description":"As of this writing (26th October 2024), I\u2019m happy to report that everyone\u2019s donations to Watermelon Warriors are being matched up to $10k! This is the best time to directly donate, either a one-time purchase or recurring donation.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/gacfgttoxv8m3bktrwdorqawgm5urfrlxeihibeh8ghh7btw.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/gacfgttoxv8m3bktrwdorqawgm5urfrlxeihibeh8ghh7btw.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":45553,"title":"How to get past overwhelm and be a lifesaver","url":"\/blog\/how-to-get-past-overwhelm-and-help-where-you-can\/","urlTitle":"how-to-get-past-overwhelm-and-help-where-you-can","division":367499,"description":"Focus on one thing at a time, and let go of perfectionism. This applies to all areas of life, so why wouldn\u2019t it work for making the world better?","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/uayyocjnymyvnblybl9dd9ma0xbva37pwveqawdegkxt3pxk.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/uayyocjnymyvnblybl9dd9ma0xbva37pwveqawdegkxt3pxk.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}