Earth Kind Creations

A bit about me…

Ever since I was a child I loved creating, from paintings to sculptures to dolls clothes fashioned from scraps of material. In later years I studied Digital arts at the University of Hull which really changed the way I viewed art and I was able to start thinking in different ways. Although I had a passion for creating I never knew the best way to be able to utilise my skills, until the past couple of years.

My journey to reducing plastic waste came around after having watched David Attenborough’s blue planet 2. Like most of you who watched it too, I was horrified by the impact plastics, especially single use plastics, were having on our beloved oceans. It brought me to tears and I knew I had to do something to help reduce this tragedy. The main battle is trying to get others to recognise this issue in order for them to make changes too! I live in East Yorkshire, in a seaside town called Bridlington. I see the Debris left by holiday makers in the summer along our beaches and seafront and it makes my heart sink to think that this rubbish will be washed out to sea and last for decades.

Time for change

I started off making reusable food bags for myself and my daughter instead of the mountains we used to ashamedly use, which proved to be popular among my friends and family who encouraged me to make more to sell. So I did and they did better than I anticipated. I didn’t want to stop with food bags, so slowly I added other Eco friendly and reusable products to my range which are tried and tested by myself and my daughter.

People around me started talking to me about wanting to make changes too and at this point I started crafting and moulding my ideas into a set of eco friendly products.

I love being able to help people make more sustainable choices and to be a part of the movement which will hopefully end the threat of single use plastics.

There is a definite need for a change of lifestyle, it has been shown by how much support my new business has received.

How I create my products

I try to source my materials as locally as possible, and support small fabric shops rather than buying online constantly. I believe this is important to helps support other local businesses.

In the interest of keeping my business self contained, I decided to make my own product packaging bands. I make these from recycled card. I also source labels which are printed on a recycled and compostable backing sheet in order to keep waste to a minimum. I recycle boxes where possible and only ever use card or paper to send out my products.

Any scraps of material go into the making of my unsponges. These are completely plastic free so don’t shed microplastics as disposable plastic sponges do.

All my products are sized so that I can get the most out of a length of material without having to cut off a large amount.

I’m always making changes to be more eco responsible, but it’s just one step at a time. One step will get you a long way eventually. I look back now to my journey which started little over a year ago and I am amazed at how far myself and others also have come.

If you want to help stop the single use plastic problem don’t let anyone tell you one person can’t make a change. Be the change you want to see, influence others and help look after our world. Even a little change helps.