We
are committed to striving to live a sustainable life.
We feel one important way we do this is by powering our home and
studio with solar and wind power. This
land was first farmed in the 1800’s but was abandoned sometime in the
1900’s. Because of this,
it missed the “Rural Electrification” plan that brought power lines
to other rural
places. Therefore, when we
bought this land in 1983, we had the choice to spend thousands of
dollars to an electric company to bring in power lines or to invest the
money in a renewable system that could grow with us.
We chose the latter in order to support the green technology that
we feel is the best future for our planet.
We started with just two solar panels.
These have grown to twelve over the years.
Because the
Adirondacks
aren’t always the sunniest mountains in the world, the choice of a
wind generator helps our house run smoothly almost year – round.
The electricity is stored in batteries and an inverter is used to
change it to 110 volts.
Along with the commitment to green energy, we feel farming
must be sustainable as well. Our
sheep are raised outside (with shelter available) and we
use a system of rotational grazing to keep them healthy.
When buying additional yarns for my weaving work, I look
particularly for organic cotton. Mainstream
cotton production uses an enormous amount of pesticides.
I am lucky to have found some sources of organic cotton yarn.
Most is undyed, a small amount comes
dyed using eco-dyes. These
are not natural dyes (they do not come from plants) but they are much
safer (no toxic metals) and more environmentally friendly than other
dyes. I also look for
recycled yarns and mill end yarns.
The Earthues natural dyes we use are all grown sustainablly
with care given to the land and the farmer.
