As you know, our blog usually focuses on design advice, decorating ideas, and practical safety tips for outdoor living. And, of course, our fabulous guest bloggers write about their area of expertise as well! But, today we’d like to use the blog to answer one of the questions that have been buzzing around lately.
“What is CedarStore.com doing to positively affect the environment?”
Let’s start with the harvesting of our materials. Our most obvious ecological products are our lines of Polywood outdoor furniture. Polywood is made from 100% recycled plastics and polyresins, then crafted to look and feel like real wood. Just think, you’ll be enjoying your garden thanks, in part; to the empty milk jug you just crushed and threw into recycling!
But, a lot of our materials are wood, as well. All of our Red Cedar products are sourced in California and Oregon, our Pine wood is from Louisiana and Georgia, and our White Cedar originates in Michigan. We are committed to only using Cedars and Pines found and processed in the United States. We do this not only to support our nation’s economy, but because it significantly reduces that amount of fossil fuels that many other companies use to ship cheaper wood from overseas. Plus, in accordance with Forestry Preservation initiatives, we only work with lumber suppliers that plant at least FIVE trees of the same species for every ONE they cut down. So, we’re using the bounty of our earth, but we’re making sure that future generations will be able to enjoy her gifts as well.
After our shops receive the materials, we continue to encourage sustainable practices. The majority of our shops are in the process or already using alternate energies to power their buildings; in the form of solar panels, wind mills, and increasing the use of man-powered labor (instead of electrical equipment), our craftsman are dedicated to using sustainable energies over any other kind.
In any craft, there’s a lot of potential for wasted materials. But, we do our best to recycle or reuse all of our left over resources. For example, all of our sawdust is turned into mulch for flowerbed, trees, and pathways. This not only ensures that the sawdust is used instead of wasted, it is also a much less expensive and more sustainable mulch. Providing the tools for gardeners and farmers of all financial standings to grow their own food is important, and we’re happy to be part of the solution.
Most of our Treated Pine products are treated with a low impact preservative that allows them to be defined as “Green Spec Environmentally Preferable Products.” Older treating methods are often chemically toxic and bad for the environment. However, our natural preservatives work with the wood without using any harsh synthetic materials. Using wolmanized wood, or wood that has been treated to preserve its life, allows the wood to last much longer. And, of course, wood that lasts longer naturally doesn’t need to be replaced as often, reducing the demands on forests for replacement timber.
So, now that we have the materials, treated the wood, crafted the patio furniture or outdoor structure, and recycled any leftover materials… we’re ready to send it to you. The boxes we use for shipping are made from 50% Post Consumer Waste cardboard, and can be recycled after you unpack your new patio furniture.
Since we judge our products from cradle to grave, we have considered where your outdoor furniture will go if you decide you can’t use it anymore. We hope this will be very far in the future! But, when that time comes, the wood fiber created from our worn out porch furniture is used to create such diverse products as fuel pellets, insulation, pressed logs, decorative landscape mulches, home building materials, and other goods.
We’re not claiming that we’re saving the world or completely revolutionizing the outdoor living business. But, we’re doing what we can to make sure that our children and our children’s children will be able to enjoy the outdoors in the same way, or perhaps even a better way, than we do. So, whether you’re looking to install a gazebo or pergola, use one of our picnic tables to create an outdoor dining area, design wonderful outdoor seating with garden benches, porch rockers, and outdoor sofas… we just want to make sure your products are helping, not hurting, the earth. We hope you join us in our pledge to always consider ways to promote more sustainable practices.
Hazel.
Tags: garden benches, gazebo, Outdoor Furniture, outdoor sofas, patio furniture, pergola, picnic tables, polywood outdoor furniture, porch furniture, porch rockers