Celebrating Mother Earth
April is Earth Month! and we’re celebrating one of the core values at Modern Folklore: conscious consumption.
The term “conscious consumption” embodies the mindful consumption of products with an awareness for how they impact the greater good: socially, economically, and environmentally. With this framing in mind, our artisan goods are intentionally sourced with consideration for the materials, makers, and product end-of-life; of which many are fully useable, recyclable, or compostable. We agree wholeheartedly with Anna Lappé when she says that “every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want.” It was this very realization that motivated our founder, Corrie Williams, in establishing Modern Folklore.
While all of our curated selection of artisan goods very much lives in the spirit of conscious consumption, we want to highlight two products that particularly resonate.
Dripping Springs Ollas
Currently owned by partner Mary Kathryn Dunston, founder Lori Haynes started Dripping Springs Ollas as a way to conserve water while gardening in the hot and drought-prone Texas hill country. Ollas (Spanish for “pot”) are unglazed, porous clay pots that have been used for thousands of years for irrigation. They are one of the most efficient watering systems, using up to 70% less water than other irrigation techniques. Ollas support proper soil hydration, leaving your plants with exactly what they need. Buried in the soil and filled with water, water is pulled from the ollas when the soil is dry and remains in the pots if saturated. Plants’ roots will grow towards the olla and receive what they need when they need it.
The tops of Dripping Springs Ollas can be left open to collect excess rainwater due to their wide mouths, although be mindful that critters can fall in and mosquitoes might be happy to call it home.
According to the EPA, the average family in the US consumes 96 gallons of water per day in outdoor use. However, as much as 50% of the water used for irrigation is wasted due to inefficient irrigation methods. Ollas offer a simple solution to reducing water consumption in our own drought-stricken region, saving you money as well. Depending on your region, you can often water your garden fewer days per week as it provides the water your plants need without the loss from evapotranspiration. Combined with a thick layer of straw mulch, your plants will be thriving through the dry summer heat.
Handmade by artisans in Mexico, these ollas are a win for you, your garden, and the environment!
Wrappily
Wrappily is a company based on sustainability through and through. Founder Sarah Smith saw a problem in the waste caused by traditional gift-wrapping products. It is estimated that 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper are used in the US each year - most of which ends up in a landfill. As a solution, Wrappily developed a newsprint wrapping paper that is 100% compostable and recyclable with a lower production impact and high recovery rate given that 73% of all newspapers are recovered and recycled in the United States.
Wrappily products are milled, printed, and packaged in Washington State, lowering production emissions compared to most traditional wrapping papers that are printed overseas, traveling thousands of miles to reach consumers. A one-to-one swap of traditional wrapping paper to Wrappily paper equates to 8,750 miles not being driven by the average passenger vehicle, 397 gallons of gasoline not being consumed, and 3,886 pounds of coal not being burned. That’s an eco-footprint I can get behind and we are proud to host Wrappily at the shop.
While consumer choice can be viewed as a privilege, many of us do have the power to make choices in how and what we consume. And we believe every step matters. This Earth Day, we encourage you to consider one item or action in your own life that you can shift to be more mindful of this Mother Earth we all call home.
written and compiled by: ava lypps, shop guide
edited by: corrie williams, founder
