If you haven’t yet discovered the wonderfully localized new media, Carlsbad Patch, do check it out. Especially in such a diverse county, it is refreshing to have a community journalism focus in our own town. Journalist Megan Pincus Kajitani recently interviewed me about my work with Greener Photography; she tells an engaging story. In her words, from her article Flash of Green-ius on Carlsbad Patch:

Did you know that your photographs—like the landfill-crowding disposable diapers we often hear about—will never, ever biodegrade?  “Two hundred years from now, the images on your photographs may have faded, but the plastic-based paper they are printed on will remain,” explains Carlsbad-based professional photographer, Dawn Tacker.

This surprising fact is one of many shockers concerning the large carbon footprint of photography that Tacker discovered as she strived to make her own family portrait business more environmentally friendly several years ago.

Discovering the damage mass-produced photographs and photographic equipment are doing to the planet—along with realizing the utter silence in her profession about this issue—led Tacker to co-found the first eco-conscious professional association for photographers worldwide, Greener Photography, in 2008.

Tacker and her co-founder, New Hampshire-based wedding photographer Thea Dodds, now have a thriving professional organization with more than 150 members on four continents, who are all “greener” certified through an intensive process the partners created. They also have a 1,000-subscriber newsletter and the first and only clearinghouse of information on greener photography in the entire industry.

Read the entire article here. Thanks to Megan, for the wonderful and painless interview!

We just got this press release from Leadership member, Rebecca Wilkowski.  I wanted to share it, because Green America's Green Festivals may be a great way to increase your exposure as an eco-friendly photographer.  I can't wait to see how this works out for her!

Rebecca Wilkowski Photography is proud to be participating in this year’s Green Festival……the first green photographer and green wedding provider to ever exhibit at the San Francisco event!

Rebecca Wilkowski Photography is certified as a green photographer by Greener Photography, Inc. and is one of only 11 photographers in the country approved to be part of Green America’s Green Business Network. Rebecca is also an approved member of the Green Chamber of Commerce, Green Bride Guide, and Green Wedding Providers. Rebecca has received international recognition for her work, and particularly enjoys photographing weddings as well as working for environmental non-profits and local green businesses such as the Environmental Defense Fund, Veritable Vegetable, San Francisco Community Power, and others.
Rebecca Wilkowski Photography will be co-exhibiting with the following green vendors: Gorgeous and Green Events (sustainable wedding decor & floral), Karine Brighten Events (eco-friendly event planning), Sugar Beet Sweets (San Francisco’s first vegan bakery), and MyGoodGreetings.com (eco-friendly/recycled invitations). Be sure to check us out at Booth #1014.

Green Festival®, the nation’s largest sustain ability event, returns to the San Francisco Concourse November 6–7, 2010. This year’s Green Festival theme is ‘Engagement,’ with exciting new ways to shop green, be inspired, get engaged and give back. Community members enjoy informative, insightful speakers, incomparable green shopping, cutting edge eco-innovations, great live music, fun and educational family activities, hands-on workshops, organic wine and beer and delicious, local vegetarian cuisine.

Ten stages and pavilions give attendees the opportunity to engage with 125 local experts and nationally renowned authors, actors, leaders, educators, farmers and visionaries. Exciting keynote speakers include Bill McKibben, Amy Goodman, Thom Hartmann, John Perkins, Dolores Huerta, Gil Friend, Karen Stewart, Howard Brown, Kirk Boyd, Starhawk, Penny Livingston, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, Ari Derfel, Daniel Pinchbeck and many more.

Green Festival’s mission is to inspire and inform as many people as possible to help make our world more just and sustainable.

“Green Festival has something for everyone,” says Green Festival Board Member and Green America Director, Denise Hamler. “Whether you go to shop, learn, try new organic foods or experience art and music, this event has it all, with the goal to motivate every person to think, participate and make more planet-friendly, sustainable choices in their every day lives.”

A project of Green America and Global Exchange, two leading non-profit organizations dedicated to environmental and social justice for more than twenty-six years, Green Festi val serves as a foundation to explore and build sustainable solutions to benefit communities and the environment, discover new environmentally-friendly products and practices and connect with like minded individuals from all over the nation.

Green Festival demonstrates an unmatched commitment to reducing environmental impact by reusing, recycling or composting 95 percent or more of festival waste through the efforts of its full-service green event management company.

For more information, please contact Rebecca Wilkowski at 347-413-4747 or info@rebeccawilkowski.com

Reexamining the Greener Print

By Dawn Tacker
Images by Mark Pawlyszyn

Whether your do your own printing or task that to a competent lab, Greener Photography recommends using natural fiber paper in place of traditional RC/silver halide paper for printmaking as a greener option. Read more about that in our Greener Photographic Prints article. But which natural fiber paper to choose? One important factor to consider: the use of OBAs, or optical brightening agents.

OBAs are used to make paper look more uniform, and more white. But at what cost? As OBAs break down, their effects do as well—and they don't break down uniformly. A paper that is made unnaturally white through the use of OBAs will start to yellow—it is a matter of the paper returning to its "natural" color. However, when OBAs break down they can cause irregular yellowing. OBAs call into question the longevity of a photographic print—what good is a lightfast rating of 200 years if your print will yellow sooner than that? The greenest options for printing are also those that will withstand the test of time.

What's a photographer to do? To avoid color shifts and yellowing of your fine art prints, chose papers with zero or very low levels of OBAs. How do you find out if your paper has OBAs? Check out the manufacturer's website, and look for information on OBA content. Click on "Continue reading 'Reexamining the Greener Print'" to find our list of a few examples of papers that have zero-to-low levels of OBAs: