Staging: Art and Environmental Ethics

My husband is always saying that I need to take before and after photos of my canvases. You might wonder why I would do that . Well, the answer is that I almost never buy a new canvas. I buy them at Goodwill, yard sales, thrift stores, etc. There are three basic reasons that I do this.
First, I try to practice what I preach. In both my Ethics and Geography classes, we talk about the importance of conserving natural resources and preserving the environment for future generations. Making art can be hard to justify since it uses natural resources to produce something that has no practical use or value. This way, I am at least reducing, reusing, and recycling.
Second, my backgrounds always wind up with multiple layers of paint that give them texture and uniqueness, so as far as I am concerned, the first layer I buy them with is just primer.
Third, buying used canvases allows me to save money, which allows me to not only pass on that savings to my buyers, but it also allows me to give more of my profits to my local animal shelters and rescue groups. I also don't mind donating a painting here and there to a good cause or charity because I haven't sunk a ton of money into materials.
I hope a lot of other artists don't take up this practice though because, honestly, I don't want competition at Goodwill!
If I've said it once, I'll say it a million times: This is also the best way for sellers to get that "new" art they need to brighten a room, create a color story, or fill a blank space left by family photos.

Who knows what these will become?