ideas for living eco-friendly

What Are You Doing For The Environment?

As we grew up we heard that old owl tell us to give a hoot don’t pollute. Our parents chided us to pick up the garbage around us and the sign along the road stated that if we threw our garbage out the window we would be fined. But is that all there is to being environmentally-friendly?

We at Benchmaster WoodworX aren’t tree huggers necessarily, well unless we’re holding tight to the tree we just felled. But we do believe in protecting our environment and living our best so the generations to come can enjoy what we have.

Whether you’re standing on top of a mountain in Colorado skiing, or snorkeling over reefs in the Caribbean, you don’t want to see garbage laying around or companies razing the natural resources leaving these beautiful places barren.

 carribbean reef           skiing in the moutains

Here’s a good definition one person iterated: 
Eco-friendly, environmentally-friendly, and green products are all concerned with how friendly a product is to the environment. They do not take into account the social and economic implications of a product, or the waste that a product creates, the way that sustainability does.

So what do we do as individuals to be mindful of this and consider the environment around us while we live our lives?

First, we’d say all of the above. Don’t pollute, take care of the environment around you and take simple, easy steps towards using our earth’s resources wisely.

  1. Begin switching out your plastic for wood products where it makes sense.
  2. Use products that last longer and make sure to recycle the materials you can’t seem to switch out yet.
  3. Pick up after yourself and really--don’t pollute! Be the one who stoops down to pick up trash and throw it away.
  4. Use the wood, or bring it to a place that can, when a tree falls in your yard. And don’t be cutting down healthy trees for firewood! (Trees are the best source of Carbon removal we have).
  5. Take a chance: listen to generation Z as they spout re-usable straws or ones made from biodegradable materials. Be open to change.
  6. Bring your own bags to the store and keep reusing them.
  7. Burn your paper bags and other burnables when camping-do what you can to keep excess out of our landfills. (Check out this world-wide process of turning waste into black earth called Biochar. Having a positive impact on soil quality while reducing CO2). 
  8. Save your information and receipts to ssl and hard drive memory instead of printing on paper.

Why does using wood products help us if by using wood we’re reducing the tree population?

GREAT question!

Wood products should be made from wood that has either come down on its own or is part of a reforestation process. Once the wood is available, using it, rather than burning it, will allow the carbon the wood is holding to remain in the finished product of what is created.

That wood table (or chairs or benches or light) has carbon stored in it that we do not want to release into the atmosphere. By using wood, as products, we keep that carbon from entering our world.

The simplest way to make your home more sustainable is to consider carefully the materials you bring into your home. Wood is by far the most sustainable material you can use since it is a renewable resource. It grows naturally and, because it is abundant in the United States, it is often easy to find locally sourced wood to reduce transportation energy and pollution.

In addition to being sustainable, wood products are durable and will last significantly longer than products made from other materials, like plastic. And we all know how great plastic is for our world (sarcasm).

Those of us that now find ourselves as Remote Workers, do we have more waste?
Yes.

  • You’re making your own coffee.
  • You’re supplying all the t.p.
  • You’re eating all your meals at home now.
  • You’re probably using paper plates by now to cut down on the dish washing.

—of course more garbage is created.

What small steps can we take?

Utilize the dishwasher. It actually uses less water than washing by hand and then we don’t have the paper plates to throw away. Yes, it’s more work, but in the long run it’s a great option.

You’re making more coffee—but those grounds can fertilize your plants or be placed in a compost pile.
And did we mention? Plants are GREAT at reducing carbon in your breathing air. So get more plants!

log planter for sale

Google your local recycling resources and schedule pick-up times. After a while these recycling days will be a natural part of your life.

Shopping online reduces your transportation energy usage, and really pays off if you buy from local companies that don’t have to transport far.

And last of all, incorporate more wood products into your life: kitchen accessories, lighting, even your home decorating. SHOP HERE.

Starting, then getting used to these ideas will happen in time. Years down the road you’ll be glad you did.

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