The back story of how Creative Recycling Side Hustle came to be:
One day last fall, a cartoon appeared on my FB feed. It said “Make America Greta Again.” I smiled and thought: someone who lives in a big white house was going nuts on Twitter about now.
So I watched Greta’s UN speech. Love her or hate her, she has drawn the world’s attention to climate change.
And her actions got me thinking. Could I do more to help the environment? Sure, like you, I recycle (even on days when I don’t feel like it.) I drive a Honda Civic (40mpg) and not very often. It didn’t seem enough though.
If a sixteen year old could go on the world stage and chastise UN leaders, surely there was something (perhaps on a slightly smaller scale) I could do.
As it happened, I was working on a guide for turning one’s knitting, sewing, weaving or other fiber craft into a business. I had some success in that area. My last product line sold over $134,000 working part time.
Then I remembered that my top selling item had been a recycled scarf. And when I ran my gallery in Madrid, NM, the best sellers were the recycled art and craft pieces. An idea was forming.
I knew that if I was going to write a book people would buy, it should entertain or educate. Since I can’t remember jokes, I went with the latter.
The weaver in me began putting the threads together. Three things (threads) going on in the world stood out:
1) We have a real trash crisis and it’s getting worse. The average American produces 4 lbs a day that could be recycled but isn’t. (EPA)
2) Almost half of Americans and Brits (along with a huge number of Aussies and Europeans) have side gigs in order to make ends meet.
3) Eighty-eight percent of consumers want sustainable products (Forbes). Ninety percent of millennials are willing to pay more for products that contain environmentally friendly or sustainable ingredients. (Nielsen.com)
“Creative Recycling Side Hustle” was born to serve as a blueprint for how to balance sustainability with profitability.
I just started getting the word out. So far, it seems to be speaking to people.
After all, what’s wrong with helping the environment and getting paid to make a difference?