The Sustainability of Small-batch Handmade Pottery
As the owner of a small-batch pottery studio, being sustainable means developing processes that conserve energy and resources and making mindful business choices to lessen negative environmental impact.
Here are four things I do to be more sustainable in my pottery studio:
Reclaimed Clay: I reclaim every scrap of clay that isn’t fired. My reclaim involves rehydrating dried out clay with used throwing water, mixing the wet slurry to eliminate chunks, laying the slurry on a plaster bat for even drying, and, when pliable, re-wedging the clay to make it workable for future projects. I intentionally chose stoneware and porcelain clays in my studio with matching shrink rates to reclaim them together, resulting in stoneware/porcelain hybrid pieces. Curious to know if one of my pieces is made of recycled clay? Check the bottom of the piece. If you see color variation in the clay, it’s likely a hybrid! And you can know then the thoughtful labor that went into bringing that clay back into use to produce something beautiful.
Non-Toxic Materials: I’m intentional about working with non-toxic, lead-free, and food-safe materials.
Thoughtful Energy Consumption: I fire my electrical kiln only when at capacity and during off-peak hours. That means less strain on the grid and more mindful energy consumption. On cold days, I will also maximize time in the studio while a kiln is firing so I don’t have to use heat. I also use energy efficient light-bulbs.
Reusable water: Think pottery-making meets eco-friendly water conservation. I don’t have running water in my studio. Instead, I rely on a trusty 5 gallon bucket of water (which I fill in the shower) for all my projects, replacing it about once a month. I use that water for throwing, cleaning tools, and smoothing out pieces. Clay particles will settle overnight, leaving relatively clean usable water at the top of the bucket the next day. If the water gets too cold overnight, I have an old electrical water boiler I use to reheat it.
There are other things I do, like reuse paper bags and packaging materials, limit trash to about 1 bag every 2-3 months, and wash my towels by hand.
I’m sure I can do more, but every little bit counts!
