Body art is a beautiful way to personalize your body, and it is wonderfully green as well! Instead of buying clothes or other external items, YOU are the work of art. It's perfect!

I suppose you could choose body art that promoted a green message, but that would be completely up to you of course, if that is something that resonated with your soul.

Are there different kinds of inks that are more environmentally friendly than others, but are still as safe and effective?

Tattoo inks are, interestingly enough, unregulated and thus there's no real list of ingredients to even know what's in them.

With the danger of blood-borne diseases and the vast amount of medical waste generated and the industry-wide shift to disposable items instead of sterilizing and reusing durable needles and such, it's actually not a very green process at all.

That's an interesting point Rae - I was thinking about the idea that the ink is "on you" and is a permanent thing, so you save a lot of money vs using other external decorating techniques. I wasn't thinking about the collateral stuff involved in getting the ink into your skin.

I suppose even then it's a one time thing, as compared with say hair coloring which is an ongoing repeated thing.

Definitely human health comes first, so you would want them to do things in the safest way possible. That being said, you could also find out if a local tattoo shop recycles its paper that it uses, and does other green practices. That way you stay healthy and you also know they're doing the best they can within their options.

It's very interesting that you don't know what's in the ink, necessarily. I would think I'd want to know?

I guess there's the aspect of the message that someone puts on their body. I always think i would like something like vine leaves, or a beautiful animal. That seems to say something eco-friendly about the person who chooses the symbol, IMO.

I am thinking of your beautiful Bettas, Rae.

I wonder if anyone has a recycling symbol tattoo?

Of course people have recycling symbol tattoos. Typing "recycle tattoo" into your favorite image search will bring back a slew of results.

Tattoo Looks good in some place of the body....

i like simple tattoos in legs or the neck like butterfly or flowers

Hello, Tattoos are really great if they are made at proper places.Tattoos must be made according to your attitude and your body.Like a sweet butterfly will do wonders on a innocent girl,but it will never look great on a tall hefty man.

I once met a man who studied monarch butterflies and who had a whole back full of them, and I think that you need to realize that your notions of what is an appropriate tattoo for a tall hefty man are just your opinion and may not match the reality of all tall, hefty men.