Going greener--anyone have tips?

With Earth Day coming up, I'm betting a lot of people, like me, are musing about what they do that's green and what could maybe be a bit greener.

For example, the hubster and I have changed all the lightbulbs in our house (with the exception of two bathroom faxtures that simply can't be changed) to compact fluorescents, we recycle, and we drive a car with really good gas mileage (40 to the gallon), but I know we could do more. My next goal is to get a far larger percentage of the produce we eat from local farmers.

In my handmade shop I also try to be green by using all repurposed materials for shipping, but there I'm not as satisfied with my results. I haven't found any eco-friendly ways to make prints, for example, or any of the other stuff I make. I see so much cool eco-art on etsy and it makes me sad to realize that none of my actual materials are terribly green. So I was wondering if any of you all have any pointers on ways to make the kind of art/crafts I make any greener?

And if anyone wants tips on safe, effective, and professional ways to reuse shipping materials I'm happy to share--just say the word! (My biggest tip is to invest in a custom stamp with your logo on it that you can stamp on the outside of all your packages that says why you reuse materials--the stamp makes it clear you are a thoughtful professional and helps offset any thoughts that you're just being careless. For example, I came up with this little rhyme for my stamp:
"My packaging, unlike what's inside
May not look so pleasing to the eyes
But it's because I reuse all I can
To protect both your order and the land")

If I had any pregnant friends...

...I'd probably buy them this pretty stroller blanket that's on sale at TwoZanyZebras (this month's featured EtsyBlogger). 

She also has an amusing sense of humor on her blog--I think this entry is my fave.

The dissertation post

Usually I don't volunteer much info about my dissertation project; I tend to view it kind of like an unpleasant health condition: not something you want to blather on about to people unless they really want (or need) to know. But since one of my readers expressed some curiosity about it, I decided to go ahead and post a brief description. So, if you're curious what I do when I'm not drawing/crafting, working on etsy giveaways, playing with my kitties or being snide on my blog, feel free to read on. If you're not curious, however, I absolutely totally and completely don't blame you--unless you're not curious and looking for a free sleep aid--in that case, this might be just what you need ;)

I'm doing my dissertation on a study of writing center practices (for those unfamiliar with writing centers: they are common in universities and colleges, and are usually staffed by students willing and able to help their peers revise their writing. They don't provide editing "services"--in other words, you can't drop off a paper to have it fixed--but rather peer tutoring with the goal of helping clients get the personalized attention that can help them continue to improve their writing skills, regardless of their current skill level. For example, at my writing center I work with everyone from first time college students who are very uncomfortable with writing to people writing their dissertations).

Specifically, I'm investigating the practice of reading aloud in writing center sessions--usually most sessions start with the client, or occasionally tutor, reading the client's paper (or letter, or poem, etc.) aloud. However, there hasn't been much discussion in the field as to just why this is done and what the effect is of doing this. Writing center directors argue over the effects, and preferred practices, and so on, but no-one has really done any specific investigations into what is actually going on as a result of the reading aloud.

That's where my study comes in: I'm recording tutoring sessions under three different conditions--one where clients reads their own writing aloud, one where tutors read clients' writing aloud, and one where tutors read clients' writing aloud while using a method called "interpretive reading" to (hopefully) help writers see where their intents are being clearly communicated and where they aren't.

By doing this, I hope to be able to discuss some of the questions writing center directors care about, like how we help writers increase their audience awareness, take control of their own writing, and generally continue to develop as writers.

Ok, that's it--no more dis talk, unless someone asks another direct question. And if you're still reading this far despite having no interest in education or writing, pleasant dreams ;)

Forgive me?

I've been terribly neglectful of the PurrPrints blog lately, and all the people who have been kind enough to leave me comments. I didn't think I had anything to say because I haven't been doing much with my cat art recently--all my creativity has been going to two places: my dissertation (I've officially begun my study--blare of trumpets, please!), and the new content and design over at EtsyGiveaways. However, it suddenly dawned on me (about 5 minutes ago, actually) that there was no reason not to share those little tidbits though--especially the EtsyGiveaways one.

I'd be delighted to know what you all think of the new design and content--either in comparison to the old one, if you've already been there, or just first impressions if you haven't been there before.

Oh and for those of you with shops on ArtFire or other places outside Etsy you might be interested to know that we're now taking any independent handmade giveaways at EtsyGiveaways, which I'm also very excited about (there are so many beautiful ArtFire and Dawanda shops I've seen).

So anyway, sorry about my absence--I can't promise I'll be back to every-other-day posting again soon because my dissertation study is keeping me extremely busy right now, but I'm still reading and enjoying all of your blogs and I really appreciate your comments on mine!