News Release
RECYCLE BINS IGNITE ARTISAN’S CREATIVE SOLUTION
2/1/2020 – Albuquerque, NM – With more than 2 trillion tons of trash produced every year globally and its disposal fueling the climate crisis, one artisan has mapped out ways to help relieve some of the environmental issues by tapping into consumer shopping trends.
Nearly 90% of shoppers are concerned about the environmental impact of their purchases, according to Forbes. “Makers are seeing a sharp rise in buyer searches for “sustainable” or “recycled” products,” says James Dillehay, artisan and former gallery owner.
Shoppers want to do business with companies that care about the planet: Lyst, a curator of fashion trends, reports a 75% increase in searches for sustainable fashion since 2019. Etsy searches for “eco-friendly” items has risen 43% year over year as reported by MarthaStewart.com. Buyers typed in a whopping 18,900 searches in a recent month on Amazon for “Greta Thunberg”.
Dillehay credits seeing a cartoon “Make America Greta Again” with sparking the idea for a new book about his experiences selling repurposed art and crafts. Not a political activist, he believes businesses of all sizes, especially those in the gig economy, are in the position to bring influence to climate change. His and stories from other artists illustrating the economic pluses of turning trash into treasure appear in his, “Start a Creative Recycling Side Hustle.”
“We’ve got two crisis that could relieve each other. Too much trash not being recycled and nearly half of Americans and Brits taking on side gigs to make ends meet,” says Dillehay. “The third piece that’s a bridge between the two challenges is the change in buyer habits toward sustainable products.
He suggests three things someone looking for a side hustle could do to bring in extra cash while helping reduce the trash burden on landfills.
1) Go to Amazon or Etsy and start typing in “recycled” or “sustainable” in the search bar to see the site auto-populate with suggested products buyers are searching for.
2) Check out hundreds of free tutorial videos on recycled or repurposed crafts ideas. Then, raid your’s and your neighbors’ recycling bins for free raw materials and start making stuff.
3) Set up a free shop on Etsy or get a space at a local market and start displaying your handmade sustainable products. Include search terms related to “eco-friendly” in your signage and online.
These quick-start tactics come from the 101 ideas in Dillehay’s book “Start a Creative Recycling Side Hustle.” For more information, visit Craftmarketer.com.
Order Creative Recycling Side Hustle E-book
About the author:
James Dillehay is a friend to the environment, a professional craft artist, former gallery owner, and author of eleven books. He has been interviewed in The Wall Street Journal Online, Yahoo Finance, Family Circle, Entrepreneur Radio and on HGTV. James developed craft business programs for the University of Alaska, New Mexico Community College, The Bootcamp for Artists and Craftspeople, The Learning Annex and more.