That is a great idea! Will keep an eye out for attractive packaging. This week we got sandwiches wrapped in such a pretty paper with logo of the deli. I saved a bit of it for potential Postcrossing creativity. 
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Great ideas, thank you! Fountain pens and calligraphy are like a whole new universe to explore. And I am hoping to get some kind of minimal painting supplies and paint already!
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It’s a beautiful universe! But once you get sucked into it, it’s really hard getting out. 
Here in Germany, we had to write in fountain pen in school, so most people know the basics, but it sure seems like it can be overwhelming if you don’t.
In terms of painting supplies, be sure to invest in some at least middle grade brushes. Low quality paint can work out decently, but low quality brushes are the worst.
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We had to write with fountain pens too, and all I can remember from that is blue fingers!
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Yes, blue smudges everywhere are part of the process 
It’s actually quite the funny story: I wrote with the same model of fountain pen up to graduating the German equivalent of highschool/A-Levels. As with such heavy use they sometimes broke or got lost or something like that, I regularly had to buy new ones and in my final year or so they discontinued this specific model. So, I scoured the internet and bought every remaining pen I could find. I think, they’ll last me a lifetime
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There’s a whole thread about it! And it’s lovely!
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A bit odd that no one has mentioned yet:
Buy cards from other postcrossers who might be reducing their card stock or quitting the hobby. Also philatelic sites/auctions have nice mint cards (also official maxicards which are hard to acquire in Finland, as Posti doesn’t issue them anymore).
Buy mint stamps from philatelic sites and auctions where they are often sold at a lower value than their actual value. I estimate that 60 % of my stamps are from a couple of philatelic sites and I must have saved hundreds of euros when it comes to stamps. Also the nice bonus is that the philatelic sites offer older still valid stamp that are out of print.
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In addition to what has already been mentioned above… 
If possible, buy postcards from local artists or local shops. Sometimes, especially living in smaller towns, this is difficult. Then buy postcards online from artists or shop in your country, or buy them when you are already travelling somewhere else. I always look for postcards when visiting another city or country.
Use public transportations when going to Postcrossing meetups. Take the bus or train if possible. Or if you have to take your car, see if there are other postcrossers in your area who want to share the ride 
Don’t buy more than you can use. How long does a pen last? Of course that depends on how much/often you write. But if you have 100 pens in your house, it might be better to use them all before you buy new ones. Same goes for postcards. Yes, it’s fun to have a stock pile of blank postcards so that you have the “perfect” card for every profile. But it might be good to consider using what you already have before buying something new.
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One thing that I don’t think was mentioned is if it is possible in your area is to recycle your pens once they have run out of their ink. In the US and Canada, most Staples have a bin where you can throw in your old pens. Maybe office supply stores in other countries have this option too.
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I don’t use stickers that much. Instead I use Rubber stamps. Less waste
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I love this idea. I currently use both but I shouldn’t buy so much stickers.
Also remember “Glitter is litter”…
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I probably need to start cycling to my post office instead of taking bike. Also, I have started reusing old papers/invitations for decoration of cards. Sadly, we don’t have any certification regarding green stamps/cards.
The article has pushed me to think of more creative ways to make Postcrossing more environment friendly.
Thanks!
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I’m totally agree and I love any way which help to save our planet ! Sometimes I was able to use envelopes several times! I try to make envelopes from advertising magazines. And instead of stickers I often glue strips from newspapers. I’ve never bought postcards made from used paper, because I didn’t saw it, but I love getting them. Im never heard about pecial postage stamps …
Thank you! It’s very important to speak about it !
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This is a big problem and I think that everyone can and should try to make their own contribution to save our planet! I study at school, I have no money for big projects, but I know that good can and easily be done for free! I try very hard to use things many times and try to avoid unnecessary purchases and don’t throw things away just because I don’t like them anymore, I redo them. And I am proud of my small contribution to the preservation of the planet. I wish everyone to contribute and be happy with it!
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I like to make postcards from re-used stamps or packaging (for the food packaging tag). It’s so satisfying to give “waste” a new lease of life as something else. I always walk to my letterbox/ post office. I try to buy stationery that is not wrapped in plastic when I can (Paperchase in the UK has a range that is entirely wrapped in paper/ cardboard and also has postcards that are made from paper from FSC forests). I’d like to try making some envelopes from recycled materials - this will be the next project 
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I’m afraid this topic triggers me and I will not necessarily say some nice Things.
Because of coming from a poor family, we never traveled by airplane and barely travelled at all, have no car and don’t do any fancy shopping excesses. Don’t like them anyway. I’m still wearing stuff that was given to me when I was about 12 or 13 (I’m in my mid 30s now).
I have no children, never wanted any. Again, no car, airplane or massive traveling to brag on social media. And the environment was the first thing that came into my mind when I started postcrossing (eco-friendly products).
What annoys me is that despite its importance, this topic is treated like a fancy trend, especially in the rich countries. It makes me sick sometimes. Part of the protesters do it only for social media. Take the travel influencers. They are the plague. Traveling was not common decades ago. And when I see how fast human population is growing, I really wonder what should we eat, plant, produce. Several key words I throw in in this discussion: overconsumption, over population, white saviourism, … it’s like running in circles.
Recently, there have been studies published clearly stating that rich people can afford a big carbon footprint, while the poor have to pay for it all. Does one have to travel at every occasion? Does one need the newest smartphone? Does one need new fancy clothes every two weeks? It makes me all sick.
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First I want to say that in the big picture, I think exchanging postcards is a fairly green hobby no matter what kind of cards/pens/sticker we might use. Provided, of course, that one isn’t constantly making special trips into town just to buy or mail them! You could spend a lifetime at it before equaling the carbon footprint of a single vacation abroad, collect hundreds of them before equaling the paper of a few books, and the shipping of all personal written correspondence combined is nothing compared to the shipping of (mostly unnecessary) consumer goods around the world.
But as for making it EVEN greener:
There used to be a local youth group that collected used greeting cards and upcycled them into postcards by cutting them to size and putting the lines and such on the back, then sold them at fundraisers. I thought that was great, not just reducing waste but also supporting a good cause 
but sadly a new leader took over who wasn’t interested in environmental stuff. So for now I am using store-bought cards. They are made from post-consumer recycled paper, but of course the manufacturing process still has some impact.
Also when I use stickers, I try to go with paper rather than plasticized or glittery stickers (unless someone sends me the latter, then I do use them, but I wouldn’t buy them.)
I think that’s about all I have to say that relates to Postcrossing, but environmental concerns influence many, many aspects of my life - from big things like not having children, and being the caretaker of a nature preserve, to tiny things like cutting my hand soap in half (which seems silly, but imagine if everyone did it!)
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I’ve made an envelope template to the postal system’s requirements that I use to trace on recycled paper! I can then fold any sort of paper into an envelope and I absolutely love the choices of paper I can have that way! Old calendar, magazine, grocery store brown bags, old sketching paper if reversed- everything can be an envelope!
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I think we should try to use more postcards that have already been produced but never posted. Vintage should be treasured but groups on our forum often stipulate new only ?
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