Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good

I hope you've been enjoying my series of guest posts by bloggers talking about how they have fun and do good. Today's guest blogger is Jennifer Moore.  Jennifer is a textile and surface designer, and owner of  Monaluna, a small business specializing in organic cotton fabrics.  You can follow her blog at http://monalunadesign.blogspot.com.

Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good

I find my joy from making things. Especially beautiful, useful things. Over the years I’ve worked in many different media, and made all kinds of things (some more beautiful and useful than others), but several years ago I found myself deeply in love with fabric. In my pursuit of the perfect fabric for one project or another, I began designing patterns that I wished I could have, and eventually began licensing those prints to a large fabric manufacturer.

Although the work was fun for me, it was also very fulfilling to see others respond happily to the fabrics, and to watch the prints fuel creativity in others. I feel that exercising the creative aspects of ourselves is vitally important, and I love being able to offer the tools that people can use to unleash that vision and joy.

The more I learned about the manufacturing of fabrics, though, the more I realized how significant the negative impacts are on the environment, and on the farmers who grow the cottons. Cotton uses vast amounts of pesticide, more than any other crop globally, and the health implications have been dire for cotton farmers in India, where my fabric is made, and also for the environment. As a result, I became committed to using my prints on organic cotton.

When the company I was working with wasn’t ready to take that step, I decided to do it myself, and started importing my own line of organic cotton fabric. Now, my business has grown to include several lines of organic cotton prints, and I try to keep it as green as I can, recycling, composting, minimizing waste and energy use and reducing transportation whenever possible.

If you like this post, you might also like:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and NPtechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good

Share