Greener Photography

I'm joining the Green revolution!

I have joined an international organization of photographers, Greener Photography committed to making a lighter footprint on the Earth. As of now, I am the only Maine photographer in this group, but I am hoping that changes soon!

As a member of this group, I am committing to making changes, large and small, to decrease my carbon footprint. We recognize that it is very difficult to be perfect, but it is very important to start making steps in the right direction.

Some of the things I am working on:

I have switched the power supply to my office to 100% wind power. I still get the power delivered from Central Maine Power, but they purchase it from Maine Interfaith Power and Light By making this choice, we bring more renewable energy to Maine. This is available to residential customers too!

I have replaced all of the light bulbs in my office with compact florescent bulbs. This is so easy to do, and saves money in the long run!

I have decided to offset my carbon footprint. I don't want to buy the typical carbon credits, because I'm not that typical. :)

So instead, I found these amazing water jugs, called Q Drums, that were developed in South Africa to make getting clean drinking water easier and even a little fun. Using the money that I would spend offsetting my carbon credits for my business driving, I will buy a few of these drums to help out in some neighborhoods where drinking water isn't something taken for granted.

It's surprisingly easy to offset the carbon credits for your driving. Just figure out how many miles a year you drive and then use a calculator like this one.

I also have switched to a new lab for my photo processing. I now use Pro-DPI, a professional lab who has committed to being carbon neutral. They also offer press printed products on 100% post consumer waste paper made with 100% wind power! I have gotten my first batch of marketing materials on these new papers and they look fantastic and make me feel great too!


I also do a lot of small things: I use rechargeable batteries and recycled paper, I try to use ground shipping whenever possible. I am going to be switching to digital contracts in the near future, which also makes booking much more convenient.

I am really excited to be a part of this movement. If you are doing some green things in your personal life or business, I would love to hear about them. Put a comment on this blog!