Hello RAW readers and supporters! I am Janine Johnson; I am honored to be the RAW director of Eco. All of life is creation. I respect artists, as I am one myself, in that we are conduits to express the most natural things in life.

One might attribute the surplus of "stuff" being produced daily in our planet to the very fact that our population is multiplying exponentially, or maybe individuals are feeling empowered more and more these days to create (rather than recycle what we already have), but I often feel that we have created enough already! I don't mean to say that we need to stop creating, but rather, we need to be more conscious—keeping the environment in mind—and realize that we have enough scrap and waste material for generations to to continue creatively reusing. I urge artists out there to focus their energies and attention on the surplus of materials instead of selfishly looking for virgin resources.  In many of my blog entries, I will brainstorm and suggest different ways we can begin to reuse material we already have creatively.

Last year, while touring with the band The Crystal Method, I had the opportunity to practice some creative recycling. Every venue provided beer that we would either drink at the venue or on the bus later. In addition to the “regular” recycling program I enforced for the guys on the bus, I mandated that all bottle caps be saved. Later, I turned these caps into pairs of stylish earrings, or, beerings! I came up with this idea even before we hit the road. In an attempt to be as eco-conscious as possible, I bought eco-polyurethane (lacquer) from an eco-friendly paint store in the Valley, printed certificates of authenticity signed by a band member on tree-free stone paper, and packaged them with a fair trade organza bags. My efforts were recognized by Live Nation and the earrings are now featured on their “Recycling Rocks” section. You can also check out what other recycled and reusuable items from other musicians.

I will continue to showcase works or artists that are working toward a sustainable future and making a difference in their choice of materials or methods. As a progressive generation, we should support future generations by ensuring that they have the resources to create as we do now. If we are greedy with our choices, we deprive the future of the creative freedoms we now enjoy.

Photographed: Janine wearing Beerings, Ken Jordan of The Crystal Method wearing Rise Up (t-shirt), a socially conscious clothing company, and 7 Lightning Bolt (jacket) a handmade, reuse clothing collective and RAW Awards nominee.