Happy Earth Day! Last year, we shared a blog post with an update on our sustainability journey, celebrating our wins, sharing what we’ve learned, and reflecting on the theme of  Earth Day: “Our Planet, Our Power.”

This year's Earth Day shares the same theme as last year's, but instead of focusing on how we can personally implement more renewable energy, this year's focus is on the wider picture, i.e. 'global economic, environmental, and civic conditions' that should be included when thinking about the climate crisis.

Here's what the Earth Day website has to say:

"Environmental conditions influence food systems, water availability, energy access, disaster risk, and economic resilience across all regions. Community participation has historically shaped these outcomes across countries and political systems."

We agree that now more than ever, there needs to be more collective action outside of what politicians decide for us. It's been quite clear in the last year or so that the environmental protections in place are being sidelined in times of conflict and economic decline. In my opinion, we can't rely on our government to make decisions in our interest. Therefore, we have to act as a group outside of political systems in order to enact any real change. 

Powering Our Handmade Ceramics Sustainably

We've recently seen how a reliance on fossil fuels leaves us at the mercy of price fluctuations caused by conflict. That's why we're so glad that our ceramics supplier in Sri Lanka now operates 100% on solar electricity! This helps keep some costs down for us and shields our suppliers and us from energy cost hikes. But this needs to be more readily adopted on a larger scale to shield everyone from price rises in energy, whilst also combatting environmental collapse.

Join Earth Action

• Start talking with neighbours and community organisers about renewable energy and resource management/sharing.
• Volunteer in your community. Share skills and resources with each other. Donate to environmental charities and projects that can help shape government policies. 
• If you have your own business, look into relying on more renewable energy. And for the rest of us, looking into companies that use sustainable energy and supporting them goes a long way.
• Vote for a government that actually cares about the Earth and puts people above profit.

Buying from us supports our dedication to sustainability

Every time you choose to shop with us, you’re directly supporting a sustainable ceramics business that does its best to prioritise people and the planet.

Thanks to your support...

• We have invested in a more energy-efficient kiln, LED lights, heaters, and are exploring the installation of solar panels at our workshop to sustainably offset our electricity demands.

• Our kitchen textiles are printed on organic, unbleached cotton, ensuring environmentally friendly products without compromising quality.

• A percentage of the profits from the Dog and Puffin + Swift designs goes to charities we believe in: WeCare Sri Lanka and RSPB. The new Swifts are handmade by me and my daughter, Megan, in our Wiltshire workshop, and £5 of each set sold goes to the RSPB, as Swifts are currently endangered.

It’s not always easy, but we believe that sustainable handmade homewares should be the norm, not the exception. Every piece we make reflects our values.

Have you struggled to find eco-friendly, handmade gifts?

If you're concerned about the planet and have had trouble in the past finding a sustainable gift company, we'd like to reassure you that, in addition to all of our other activities, our packaging is 100% recyclable!

Everything is neatly boxed in 100% recycled cardboard. To keep our designs protected in their boxes, we use recyclable decorative tissue paper or recyclable corrugated cardboard. To make sure certain designs are extra cushioned, we will also use puffed wheat packing chips. We get a few questions about these, as they look very similar to plastic packing chips. They are, in fact, totally biodegradable, and they can go in your compost!

So, there will be no nasty plastic surprises when your order arrives! Our ceramics are heirloom-worthy investment pieces, made with respect for the earth in mind. Not contributing unnecessary waste to landfills is a top priority for us.

If you have any ideas for how we could improve or what you would like to see us do in the future, let us know by commenting here, messaging us on Instagram, or emailing us at sales@hannahturner.co.uk. We’ll sign off with a heartfelt thank you—and a reminder that your choice to support us is helping us contribute to a better, greener future.

Thank you!
Hannah & the team