Are you looking for eco-friendly wedding planning ideas? Are you looking to reduce your carbon footprint? Rochester Wedding Photographer, McKay’s Photography is very excited to announce their acceptance into Greener Photography’s Leadership circle as a certified sustainable & eco-friendly business!
Heather McKay has been adding new products with sustainability in mind for years. McKay’s Photography is also always looking to her vendors to offer alternatives to the status quo as she has built the business. The main album company used by McKay’s Photography in the beginning was Capri Albums and they were chosen just because they were the only company with non-leather alternatives. Thankfully, environmental consciousness has become trendy and the options are growing by the minute! Currently, client favorites are Artisan Craftsman Books and Pro DPI press-printed books.
In addition to the products sold, Heather has been running her business with green practices in mind from the beginning. This year, however, McKay’s Photography will continue this path with more frequent use of electronic invoicing of clients as well as marketing and advertising initiatives.
Heather is very proud that McKay’s Photography was awarded the Leadership Circle of Membership with Greener Photography with having only done what came naturally and organically with the greater good in mind.
Greener Photography Core Values:
Photography is an art form that allows each of us to interpret the world around us. The nature of our tools and traditional materials makes photography a high-tech field; it is an energy-intensive activity. We believe that we can make our high-tech field more green by implementing environmentally-friendly practices, and encouraging suppliers to do the same. Here are Greener Photography’s four core values:
Preservation
Preservation conserves all of the resources that go into creating photographic images. It is the single best thing we can do to reduce the impact of our photographs.
Reduction
Reduce, Re-use, Recycle. While we are trying to produce the most archival products in our industry, we will do so while using the least energy-intensive products available.
Local Production
Shipping and transport are some of the biggest sources of pollution. Anything that can be produced, manufactured and assembled locally will have a significantly lower environmental impact than components manufactured overseas.
Cruelty-Free
Animals and people are as much part of the eco-system as water, air, and trees. We do not see a difference between environmentally harmful products and those produced in harmful working conditions.
We expect our principles to grow as our community grows. We want to drive the industry standards for environmental awareness and pollution reduction. As a member of Greener Photography you are part of the solution…
BASIC LEVEL examples are:
• Tracking your electric/gas energy expenditures.
• Setting your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher for cooling and 68 degrees or lower for heating.
• Offsetting your carbon footprint.
• Carpooling.
• Commuting less then 10 miles to your studio.
PREMIER LEVEL examples are:
• Purchasing renewable energy
• Controlling heating and cooling with natural methods
• Writing a policy to reduce water consumption
• Offering clearly marked recycling recepticles
• Purchasing refurbished items
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE LEVEL examples are:
• Using renewable energy
• Going at least 75% paperless
• Using electronic contracts
• Uploading files electronically to your lab
• Printing with pigment-based ink
• Giving back to your community
• Pooling resources.
• Participating in environmental efforts.
• Volunteering to Greener Photography
• Writing a community service plan.
• Obtaining your city’s local green certification.
