As a Certified Professional Photographer I have always tried to be as GREEN as possible. It is one of my core values as a human and one that I have tried to bring into my business as much as possible. So I thought on this Earth Day I would list some ways I'm trying to keep my world and my community green. 

When I first started in photography, it was in the film/analog days. We photograph weddings, usually about 30-50 rolls. Package it up and ship it to the lab, who then processed it in chemicals and then made 4 x 6 glossy proofs from the negatives they processed. Then those proofs and negatives were shipped back to the studio. Once we went through them, we would then present the proofs to the client who drove to the studio. 

So you can see in those days we had many issues that kept us from being as green as possible. Today, with digital, it's a lot easier. No more film, no more chemicals, reduction in shipping and fuel. With that being said, here are some other ways I try to keep my business green.

1. I drive a Prius. A typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year and my Prius uses about 46% less than a typical passenger car. 

2. All of my albums, wall art, printed marketing materials including business cards are printed at a Certified Green Printer. Using recycled papers, soy inks and digital plate making for offset printing. For silver halide prints they recover the unused silver for recycling. 

3. I work from home. This way I don't drive to and from a studio. Also, I'm not turning on the lights, heat or air conditioning at another location. 

There are more ways I hope to improve my Green initiative for my business. One way might be going to an all electric vehicle. Another way I can see is moving to doing more of is video consultations with my potential clients. Certainly during this crisis everyone is now fully trained and comfortable with video conferencing. I too have been doing a lot of video conferencing whether it is with friends, family or for business. 

So Happy Earth Day to everyone and I hope you can celebrate our beautiful world today by taking a walk outside! Thank you and feel free to share!