Well, the deal is that we're trying...

The word "green" seems to be the catch-all word for sustainable, responsible, ecological, many concepts to be sure.... I think everybody certainly has to figure out what the word means to them. Over the last decade I've become more concerned with what I do, in my work, in my daily life, and what it's impact will be on our planet. So what I've come too, that works for me, is a plan that takes us forward over the years to come. Throwing down and changing the whole show in one shot and making the impact drop to zero, is a great thought, but isn't really practical, at least for me. But making a plan that step-by-step gets us to a goal of minimal imprint on the planet is what works for us. We've started, I've embraced recycling heavily, and as a blacksmith, and a fabricator, I'm in a position where I can take this to very intense level, much of the woods and steel I use in my work is recovered and re-made material. Why make it again, if we already have it?

My intense interest in ancient techniques of tool-making and steel-making in particular have brought me to an interesting place; along with some friends we've done some smelting to explore ancient methods of making steel, it's spawned work on finding small-scale ways to actually re-melt recovered steel and make new steel, in the chemistry I want for use in my work. Keeping the impact low has been part of the challenge, but it's getting there, and it's exciting on many levels. Over time I'm hoping this will actually become a regular part of the process here and all the steel I use in my work will be made from recovered or raw materials, including the fuels, lessening the impact on the world and with some great benifits for the business to boot.

It's partially from a sustainable standpoint that I made some major changes in the shop and tooling, and method of doing things over the last while too; I've gotten away from powertools and the need for electricity to a huge degree, and there are a few more steps to go, but eventually, the shop will be in a very good position to use alternativly created power completely. It's not the only reason, to be sure, more significant was a a desire to "get back to the roots" of my craft, to get rid of the noise and dirt, to become more connected to the tools and the work. But, from the start, it was obvious to me there was the "other" benifit as well. I'll have some lights to power, I like working at night... and a couple of electric motors to run occasionally, and the computer, so the requirements have become very minimal, a perfect situation to make the last step and go "alternative". The plans are active solar for heat, and windpower, with small back-ups for both.

Another interest of mine is, obviously, fire. I need fire to do what I do, and for two decades I've already been intensely expirimenting with different fuels and designs for furnaces and forges; propane, methane, hydrogen, wood and wood-gas, charcoal, oils, corn, paper-pellets, and many different configurations mechanically. They get better all the time, but it's a long path of development, to be sure. The goal is always to get more fire with less fuel, and less output of waste gas at the same time. But it's ongoing, and almost a secondary "vocation" of mine at this point, so I'll add articles to the "Fire" section on the Shop page as I get new furnaces and forges constructed and worked out.

In any case, like I started out saying, we are trying, and I think really this is how we all will have the biggest impact; to make changes, step-by-step, when we can, however we can. I don't believe that we collectively have to give all that much up really, the computers, the lights, the TV... by making changes in consumption I think we can enjoy all the great things that our technology has brought us... but we have to seriously consider the cost, that's all. What works for us is to find ways to use less, and get it down enough that we create options for where and how we get the energy we need for our convieniences.

There's more also, in our lives outside the business, and over time, as the plans cycle through, I'll add links to the right on stuff that others may find interesting.

Last thing I'll say is this... I don't personally believe the "answers" will come from big companies, a huge grid and corporate controll, or centrallized production of power. I think the "answer" is going to be local power, local food, local trade... and we can have that AND the global marketplace as well. But we have to take steps to provide for ourselves, it's what needs to happen first before the "global economy" actually belongs to us, and not the corporate few.