Going Green with Snazzy Rats and My Newest Design

With Earth Day fast approaching, I've been mindful of trying to keep my latest project earth-friendly. Although not perfect in their "footprints", my Snazzy Rat catnip toys are trying to do their part to have a small impact on the planet, while having a big impact on Kitty Dearest.

And in honor of April 22, here is a sneak peek at my newest Snazzy Rat design:

artwork and design copyright 2013 Susan Faye, all rights reserved

It's definitely "green" and called "Earth Day Every Day". I hope you like it! I'll be adding it to the line-up if we reach the next "stretch goal" in my Kickstarter campaign (details here).

Here are some of the other ways that I've tried to make this project as "green" as possible:

FABRIC: My catnip toys are made from 100% cotton fabric with no synthetic fibers. Spoonflower.com, who does my printing, uses digital textile printers, which are modified large-format inkjet printers. Unlike traditional textile methods, this process creates less textile waste, and uses less electricity, water, and ink. Spoonflower uses eco-friendly water-based pigment inks on natural fiber fabrics. No additional chemicals are used in the process. Read more about their operation here.

THE 'NIP: The catnip that I use is certified organic, grown both in Canada and the U.S.A.

Assistant Yarn Inspector Inka performs a quality assurance test

YARN: The tails are made from up-cycled yarn-- you know, those little leftover bits that knitters donate to Goodwill or sell at a yard sale in hopes that someone can use it up. I look for the SNAZZY remnants. 

FIBERFILL: I use a tiny bit of fiberfill to fill out the rat's ears and nose and currently have been using bamboo fiberfill.  However, I recently found out that it uses a lot of chemicals in the processing and is not so eco-friendly after all.  Does anyone have any ideas for a fiberfill that would be "greener"?

PACKAGING:  I've switched from plastic poly-bags to glassine paper bags. These almost transparent paper bags are recyclable and bio-degradable, yet will still keep the catnip toys fresh and clean until kitty is ready for them. 

As you probably know by now, I'm currently raising the "seed money" necessary to launch this new line of catnip toys. By making a pledge, you will be pre-ordering your choice of Snazzy Rat designs   If we reach my next "stretch goal" before the end of the campaign, I'll be able to add the "Earth Day Every Day" design to the line-up.  As of this writing, we are just a few pledges away! Please help by making a pledge today, or by sharing my Kickstarter link with all of your crazy cat lady friends.  Here it is: http://kck.st/Z05ibL.

And as Earth Day approaches, remember to always reduce, re-use and recycle EVERY day! It really makes a difference in the long-run.  Your grandkids' grandkids will thank you.