6 Tips for Eco-Friendly Adult Coloring

eco-friendly adult coloring

If you’re committed to being eco-friendly, you might find yourself wondering if it’s possible to enjoy adult coloring without sacrificing your commitment to environmental responsibility.

To color with a clear conscience, consider these suggestions.

1. Recycle Your Markers

Crayola runs a ColorCycle recycling program that recycles markers in cooperation with school districts across the United States. They will accept any brand of markers, including dry erase markers and highlighters. Crayola pays all shipping charges, so there’s no cost to participate.

2. Melt Down Your Crayons

If you’re using crayons, save the broken ends and melt them together to make new multicolored crayons. You can use silicone baking molds for this project to shape the crayons into cute designs. These new rainbow crayons make wonderful gifts for the kids in your life — especially if you include a new coloring book or two!

3. Make Colored Pencil Jewelry

When your colored pencils are too short to use, turn them into fashionable jewelry.  Design Mom has a tutorial that shows how to turn pencils into beads that can be used to make bracelets and necklaces for all your coloring-obsessed friends!

4. Use Both Sides of the Paper

Print free coloring sheets on both sides of the paper whenever possible. If you use markers and bleed through is a concern, print sheets on the back of office paper you no longer need.

5. Organize with Repurposed Materials

Instead of buying expensive storage solutions for your coloring supplies, consider making your own using materials that would otherwise be thrown away. For example, tin cans covered with pretty paper can be used to sort markers, colored pencils, or crayons. In addition, sturdy cardboard boxes can be covered with patterned duct tape and used to make stylish totes for organizing your collection of coloring books.

6. Color With an App

The Colorfy app mimics the experience of coloring on your smartphone or tablet, creating a totally waste-free way to enjoy the adult coloring trend. It’s also perfect for coloring on the go, since you don’t need to worry about toting along extra art supplies to keep yourself busy.

[Photo courtesy of Lea Latumahina via Flickr.]

2 comments

  1. danahinders@gmail.com says:

    Thanks so much for your kind words Miryam! I’m also really into origami, so I’ve done a lot of thinking about how to be eco-friendly without sacrificing my creative impulses.

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