Celebrate Earth Day with Handmade Eco-Friendly Products
Since it was founded in 1970, Earth Day on April 22 has become a globally recognized event to raise awareness for environmental concerns and to encourage worldwide action to better protect our planet. Since 2013, India has been actively involved in Earth Day celebrations. From small villages to large cities, India’s diverse population has united behind this single cause.
In this same spirit, Mela Artisans is committed to producing eco-friendly, sustainable products handmade by our local Indian artisans. Since many of our products are crafted by artisan groups, our commitment to sustainability impacts entire communities. All of our collections are produced using natural and recycled products that contribute to Earth Day’s goal of a cleaner, greener planet. By working with artisan groups that specialize in using recycled horn and bone products, sustainably grown mango wood, recycled brass and metals, and eco-friendly river grass and banana fiber, we are able to effectively combine style with protecting the environment.
Additionally, in celebration of Earth Day 2014, we are offering 22% off all our products using the code EARTH22. You can view our entire collection here.
Blowing Our Horn
Several of Mela’s signature collections are made from recycled natural horn and bone handcrafted in northern India. Using excess horn and bone from the meat industry that would otherwise end up in landfills, our artisans handcarve exquisite motifs onto photo frames, trays, boxes and bowls.
Mad About Mango
Mango trees are a fast growing, sustainable source of tropical hardwood timber comparable to ash or cherry wood. Due to its rapid growth rate and its short lifespan for yielding the best fruit, the trees are replaced every seven to 15 years on sustainably managed fruit farms – providing the farmers with extra income from the timber and replacing the need to harvest slower growing trees. View our collections made from mango wood here.
Jasmine Pedestal Bowl, $275.00
Top Brass
All of Mela Artisans jewelry collections are produced using recycled and repurposed brass and other metals. A common by-product of many manufacturers, scrap metal from industrial and consumer waste increases the pressure on Earth’s non-renewable resources and negatively impacts the environment by releasing metallic toxins into the eco-system. By using these materials to construct small consumer items – including jewelry – Mela Artisans is able to transform waste into chic accessories.
Going Natural
Several of Mela’s artisans groups create stylish home décor items from natural fibers supplied by banana farmers. Using, leftover materials from their banana harvests, these farmers essentially transform agricultural waste into good quality silk grade fiber yarn. This process has the dual benefit of both reducing waste and also providing the farmers with an additional income source. View our tabletop collections made from banana fiber and river grass here.
