Vermont Woods Studios - Eco Furniture Blog

Stonehurst: Repurposing Our Trees

Vince Johnson of Johnson Custom Milling in Vernon, VT is milling trees that had to be taken down for safety reasons.   Now we can use them for future phases of construction at Vermont Woods Studios Stonehurst. 

 

Since forest conservation is a big part of my mission at Vermont Woods Studios, it's been a little heart-breaking for me to see some of the 100 year old trees at Stonehurst being taken down.  There were a handful that were leaning over the house and garage and Ken insisted that they were a hazard and had to go.

But lucky for me, Vince Johnson of Johnson Custom Milling in Vernon, VT came to the rescue.  Vince is milling the trees so we can use them for future phases of construction at Stonehurst.  Here's a video of his portable sawmill in operation.

Ken and Jeremy Coleman of J Coleman & Company Architects are looking into building a solar kiln to dry the wood so we can use it as soon as possible. 

And Dennis has plans to siphon off some of the wood to build bluebird houses, owl boxes and such.  It's turning out to be a fun project after all.  Let us know on our Facebook if you have any thoughts or advice for us as we go down this road of renovation at Stonehurst.  We'll be posting photos of the transformation and announcing details of our open house as we get closer to completion.

 

International Coastal Clean-up Day!

By Loryn Dion

 

In case you haven’t heard, this Saturday is International Coastal Clean-up Day, organized by the Ocean Conservancy. This year marks their 27^th anniversary of celebrating this initiative and they don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. In 2011, almost 600,000 volunteers worldwide collected more than 9 million pounds of trash from our oceanic ecosystems. These trash items, such as cigarette butts, plastic bottles and bags and food wrappers, are responsible for polluting our waters and endangering our wildlife.  Learn more at The Ocean Cleanup Project: What It Is and What You Can Do.

Vermont Woods Studios makes every effort we can to support initiatives like that of The Ocean Conservancy. In many areas of our company, you can find examples of how we support the preservation of our environment. We donate to local and national environmental organizations, we “green-up” our office space and we even sell recycled furniture!

Our Polywood Outdoor Furniture is the perfect addition to any green home. Made from more than 90% post-consumer recycled containers like milk or detergent bottles, these pieces are constructed using a process that makes them look and feel like real wood. That’s right. Durable, beautiful furniture that doesn’t harm our environment and actually helps to keep plastic out of our oceans. How much better can you get?

Here in the office, we decorate our “beach” area with Polywood and enjoy it all year long. We also have BIG plans for Polywood at our new Stonehurst home. Because that’s the thing about Vermont Woods Studios: While we are a fine, hardwood furniture company, VWS is built on sustainability and on protecting our environment.

This weekend, make plans to do something to support our oceans. Find a beach clean-up site near you, start or improve a recycling resolution in your home or office, or relax in a luxurious Polywood Adirondack Chair. However you choose to help, you’ll be glad you did! 

 

 

 

Loryn Dion is a Marketing Assistant at Vermont Woods Studios, an online furniture gallery which showcases Vermont's finest wood furniture. Follow our blog to learn about Vermont fine furniture, Vermont happenings, our mission, and our team.

Today Is National Wildlife Day

 

This cute little squirrel visits Heather B. everyday!

At Vermont Woods Studios we all have a special place in our hearts for animals.  From our own cats, dogs, snakes and other pets, to the familiar faces of chipmunks, squirrels and birds that share our backyards to the exotic and elusive endangered species we read about or catch a glimpse of in Vermont's forests.

 

So today on National Wildlife Day we'll be thinking about our furry, slimy, feathered and scaley friends and remembering that part of our mission is to conserve forest habitat for them.  In fact, one of the statistics that urged me to form Vermont Woods Studios is that half of the world's animal species live in the rainforest which is disappearing at an alarming rate-- we're losing over 100 rainforest species every day.  It's something we're trying to help change by raising awareness about where your furniture comes from.

 

 

 

 

 

Vermont Woods Studios participated in VINS' "adopt a raptor" program. Welcome to the Woods, Woody!

Here at home in Vermont we support Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS), a non-profit located in Quechee. VINS aims to "motivate individuals and communities to care for the environment though education, research and aviation wildlife rehabilitation." VINS invites guests of all ages to visit and learn about the most recent environmental science information. More than 40,000 people through out New England go to VINS for environmental education programs.

While visiting VINS, guests will see some of New England's most interesting avian wildlife. Humans head to the doctors when we are sick, wild animals seek professional care at VINS. The Nature Center at VINS has licensed wildlife rehabilitators who heal wildlife and raise the orphaned.  The ultimate goal is to return the wildlife back to their natural homes; however, if they do not feel that an animal can safely be returned, the animal will stay with VINS.

Because VINS is a non-profit they rely on the help of the general public to keep their facilities running.  They have created an "adopt a raptor" program as a fun way for people to help fund their rehabilitation program. Vermont Woods Studios has participated in this program by adopting a Gray Phase Eastern Screech Owl, whom we have named Woody.  Woody's age is unknown; however, it arrived at VINS in May of 2004 because of a right shoulder injury caused by a collision with a vehicle.  In the VINS education programs, they teach visitors that they do not name the owls to stress the fact that they are not pets, they are wild animals. We have decided that because we have only symbolically adopted Woody, that it is okay to have named it (we don't know Woody's sex). By adoption Woody, we helped provide food and specialized care.

The Adopt a Raptor Program is a fun way to support VINS and the raptors they care for.  It is also a great, feel good gift for an animal lover like us!

Where Does Cherry Furniture Come From?

Dennis took this picture of a black cherry tree on his property in New Hampshire. Our cherry wood furniture typically comes from PA though, which has soils and climate more ideally suited to growing black cherry trees.

Heather Barrett mentioned the other day that many customers are coming to us by way of Google when they're searching for answers to questions like "where does cherry wood come from"? 

At Vermont Woods Studios we feel it's important to provide detailed information about where your furniture comes from.  We want customers to know that our wood is all sustainably harvested and that forest conservation is a fundamental part of our mission.

We source as much wood as we can locally, preferably right here in Vermont. Cherry wood however isn't a big component of the Green Mountain Forest.  There are a few cherry trees here and there across Vermont, but Pennsylvania is really the Cherry Capitol of the world and that's where we get most of our cherry wood. It is arguably the finest cherry wood on earth and is prized for its lovely red color, grain and luster.

Fortunately in 1995 the state of Pennsylvania had the foresight to protect and preserve a great deal of their cherry wood resources.  They committed to maintaining the state forest system sustainably and began green certifying it, by the Forest Stewardship Council, FSC.

FSC is considered the gold standard in third party certifications of forests so we can be confident that the forests providing our cherry wood will be around to enjoy for many generations... just like our cherry wood furniture.

Sustainable Furniture: What is FSC Certification?

If FSC certification is important to you, check out Copeland's Harbor Island Furniture collection. It's handmade here in VT with FSC certified maple from local Vermont trees.

Customers often come to us because they're shopping for eco-friendly, sustainable furniture.  At Vermont Woods Studios, our mission is founded on environmental and social responsibility so we find ourselves discussing FSC certification and other aspects of sustainable furniture almost every day.  Here are some of the basics on FSC:

What is FSC? The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization that promotes responsible management of the world's forests. It is widely regarded as one of the most important initiatives to promote responsible forest management worldwide. It places a special emphasis on rainforest conservation.

L to R photo credits: Reststart Forestry, Allard Lumber, Wayne Fawbush, Ellen Kahler, Copeland Furniture, via the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund.

Launched by environmental groups in 1993 FSC manages an international standard for well-managed forests and a process for tracking and certifying wood furniture, flooring and other products derived from those forests. FSC addresses numerous aspects of sustainable forestry, including ecological issues, old-growth forests, plantations, restoration, biodiversity, native habitat, indigenous people's rights, and sound management for timber production.

The FSC label provides certification of the chain of links between the forest where a product originates and the consumer. For example with wood furniture, each of the following businesses involved in transforming a tree into a piece of furniture would have to be FSC certified in order for that furniture piece to be FSC certified.  It's called the "chain of custody":

• Certified forest owner- Must employ a professional forester and develop a forest management plan which meets stringent ecological and social criteria
• Certified logger and sawyer
• Certified lumber wholesaler
• Certified lumber retailer
• Certified furniture maker
• Certified furniture retailer

Benefits of FSC Certification In my opinion, FSC provides the most rigorous certification process available. It's widely considered the gold standard in sustainable forestry and has moved the world forward in many areas of rainforest conservation.

 

Copeland's Harbor Island Furniture collection is handmade here in VT with FSC certified maple wood from local Vermont trees.

Challenges for FSC As you might expect FSC certification involves extensive rule-making and auditing that can be quite expensive (and controversial) to implement. It can add up to 50% to the price of the end product although the hope is that this cost will decrease as FSC certification becomes more mainstream. Still many small manufacturers are unable to assume this cost and are thus not FSC certified.

 

Another challenge for FSC is the rampant counterfeiting of FSC documentation accompanying raw lumber that is being illegally clear cut from the Amazon and other endangered areas of rainforest. Also FSC has been criticized for being too lenient, particularly with their policy allowing limited old growth logging.

Should You Buy Only FSC Certified Furniture? Authentic FSC certified furniture is a responsible choice for the eco-conscious homeowner. However there are many genuinely responsible, green, eco-friendly furniture makers who are not FSC certified due to the red tape and expense involved. Conversely there is a large market of fake, FSC labeled furniture that comes to us through layers of corruption and counterfeiting.

In Vermont, many of us who were certified by FSC for years have been moving away from it lately.  Not because we don't support the ideal, but because we have so many other systems in place that effectively ensure our furniture is authentically green and sustainable.  At Vermont Woods Studios not all of our furniture is FSC certified, but it is all made from sustainably harvested wood from local and regional forests. 

If FSC certification is important to you, check out Copeland's Harbor Island Furniture collection.  It's handmade here in VT with FSC certified maple from local Vermont trees.  And let us know on our Facebook or in the comments section below how you feel about FSC certification.

Global Tiger Day

Today is Global Tiger Day.  Only about 3200 tigers remain in the wild.  At Vermont Woods Studios we support the World Wildlife Fund's efforts to Save Tigers Now.  Learn how tiger conservation is linked to furniture production here.

 

Today was designated Global Tiger Day at the Tiger Summit, held in November 2010 in St. Petersburg, Russia by the 13 countries that still have tiger populations.

Tigers are some of the most endangered creatures on our planet.  Only about 3200 tigers remain in the wild. They are such icons of beauty, grace and strength.  Can you imagine a world without tigers?

At Vermont Woods Studios we support the World Wildlife Fund WWF Save Tigers Now project whose goal is to double the number of wild tigers by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger.  I hope you'll consider joining us by making a small donation and spreading the word to your friends and family.  Together we can preserve this incredible treasure for future generations.

Learn how your furniture purchases are linked to tiger conservation here.

View or download a beautiful infographic on tiger conservation here.

 

 

Aint Nothin' Like The Real Thing

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but it's still frustrating to see people take your work, copy it and sell it as their own.  Unfortunately the Internet has made that a full time job for many companies around the globe. 

 

 

See any similarities in these two logos?  Our Vermont Woods Studios logo (above) has three trees made with thumbprints to signify the handcrafted nature of our furniture. The trunk on each tree is unique to convey that our furniture makers are independent, with their own styles, designs and crafting techniques. Our American made furniture is carefully handcrafted in Vermont of solid, sustainably harvested wood.  It's guaranteed for a lifetime.  It truly is the real thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know we can have attorneys go after this company but I'm not sure we can afford to take our focus off making Vermont Woods Studios best in it's class-- in order to chase them down.  It's kind of like that "Whack-A Mole" game.  New scams just keep popping up.

I can't help humming that old song by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.  Remember it?  Ain't Nothin Like The Real Thing, Baby.

So I just have to hope consumers aren't getting us confused with imitators.  In talking with our customers we've learned they typically spend 3-6 months shopping and researching before they make an investment in American handmade furniture.  I think that's what it takes anymore to make sure you're getting the real thing. 

What do you think?  Drop us a line in the comments section below or on our Facebook.  We love hearing from you!

 

 

 

 

 

Our visit with BEEC and Samuel the Possum

By Loryn Dion

Here at Vermont Woods Studios, a big part of our mission is to support and give back to our local and global community, specifically to those that are helping to better our world through forest conservation. While many companies and organizations promote a similar cause in their missions, VWS staff members like to do more than just write out a check or sit in the office talking about our plans but not physically putting them into action.

Thursday, the folks at the Bonnyvale Environmental Educational Center (BEEC) welcomed Peggy and me to their beautiful sanctuary, a vacation away from the hustle and bustle of the average work day. BEEC is a member-based, nonprofit organization founded with the mission to develop a more ecologically informed citizenry through education and action in order to enhance and sustain the vitality of southern Vermont’s bioregion. BEEC’s land and facilities include 100 acres of mature forests, open pasture lands, hiking trails, sweeping hilltop views, and a classroom and office, all situated in a beautiful rural setting less than 10 minutes from downtown Brattleboro.

BEEC also coordinates and leads important community-based environmental research and conservation programs, including watershed stewardship, reptile and amphibian conservation initiatives, and biodiversity planning and protection.

Check out those hill tops!

We traveled to BEEC for a meeting with Patti Smith and Belle Coles, two staff members of BEEC, to brainstorm some ideas for a partnership between our organizations. BEEC has some fantastic programs that they organize throughout the year and they are always looking for volunteers and sponsors. Vermont Woods Studios is hoping to help them out with one or more of these projects in the not-so-distant future.

Although Peggy and I were there on “business,” we were able to go on a nice hike to see the amazing views of the Vermont landscape and meet a lazy little possum named “Samuel Gompers.” Samuel and his siblings were rescued when they were just babies after they lost their parents. Samuel is very happy at his home with BEEC staff and enjoys eating blueberries and Japanese Beetles! I’d say this was a very successful business meeting!

If you’re interested in helping out too, the next big event that BEEC is holding their annual Hike-A-Thon. Last year, they raised over $1400 through the fundraiser. To learn more about BEEC’s projects, check out the event calendar on their Web site.

 

 

And to learn more about our participation in a future BEEC project, keep following our blog or follow us on Facebook! 

Mr. Samual Gompers

 

Loryn Dion is a Marketing Assistant at Vermont Woods Studios, an online furniture gallery which showcases Vermont's finest wood furniture. Follow our blog to learn about Vermont fine furniture, Vermont happenings, our mission, and our team.

Anderson's Luxury Tree House: The Ultimate in Green Decor

 

This tree house looks a lot different from the one in my back yard. Architect Scott Anderson of The Anderson Studio of Architecture and Design created a zen-like dwelling incorporating a live-edge side table, root-ball bases on the coffee table and natural finishe into the green decor.

In browsing through my weekly Houzz Tour I came across this incredible tree house designed by architect Scott Anderson of The Anderson Studio of Architecture and Design.  Fellow green furniture fans, check it out! 

I send my thanks to blogger Becky Harris for featuring the South Carolina, Kiawah Island retreat on Houzz, the world's latest and greatest interior design website. 

I love the tree house's clean, green, Zen-like decor.  "The great room feels like some sort of natural habitat; besides the great views, a live-edge side table, root-ball bases on the coffee table, plants, natural finishes and plenty of open space connect the space to its surroundings" notes Becky.

As live edge furniture makers and natural finish afficionados we stood up and cheered when we saw this green respite in the trees of Kiawah Island.  Congratulations to Anderson Studio for achieving the ultimate in tree house decor!

And speaking of tree houses, I couldn't close without mentioning James Roth, cofounder of The Treehouse Guys in Warren, Vermont.  Roth and his company have built 34 wheelchair accessible treehouses in private camps and public parks across the country.  Have a look at some of Roths amazing works of art that let everyone, "no matter their physical ability, experience the joy of what it’s like to ‘climb’ and be at the top of a treehouse.”

Living in Harmony with Nature

 

90% of tiger habitat has been destroyed world-wide, much of it by illegal logging that supports the imported furniture industry.  Avoiding imported wood products (furniture, flooring, siding, millwork, etc) helps protect tigers and other endangered species of the forest. For many of us, living in harmony with nature includes opting for American furniture made with local, legal wood. 

I got an email from our friends at World Wildlife Fund WWF today that thought I'd share with you.  WWF has always been my favorite charity, with a great mission of "building a future in which people live in harmony with nature."

 

Today's email was about saving tigers.  They urgently need our help and this week has been designated Tiger Week to focus attention on their plight.  The world's wild tiger population is at an all-time low, dropping over 97% (from 100,000 to as few as 3,200 today) in the last century. Demand for tiger parts in some Asian countries is resulting in poaching and trade that is emptying forests of the last wild tigers.  Three tiger subspecies—Bali, Javan, and Caspian—have already been wiped out and 90% of tiger habitat has been destroyed.  The South China tiger is close to extinction and all of the five other remaining subspecies are in danger of the same fate.  Can you imagine a world without tigers?  Not on our watch, right?

The WWF is working to save the tiger and you can help.  It takes just 10 seconds and $10:  text TIGERS to 20222 to join the movement to save the tiger.  Learn more about tiger conservation and how your lifestyle affects their habitat on our website.  Yes we can live in harmony with nature.

Rio+20 Earth Summit 2012: Tweet To Show Your Support

 

Some are saying this will be the only powerful world leader attending the Rio +20 Earth Summit in Brazil today

If you haven't heard a word about this week's monumental "once-in-a-generation" global conference on sustainability you're not alone.  Rio +20 marks the 20th anniversary of the original 1992 Earth Summit in Brazil where for the first time, the world's most powerful and influential leaders met with thousands of activists and participants from public, private and non-profit groups to begin collaborating on solving the planet's most urgent environmental issues. 

It was heralded as a game changer with regard to pollution, overpopulation, global warming, species extinction, deforestation and more.  But unfortunately our collective global will to solve these problems has since waned and little action resulted from the 1992 summit or the many other successive meetings.

On the bright side, over 100 presidents and prime ministers will be represented at this year's summit today through Friday, however President Obama, David Cameron, Angela Merkel, and dozens of the other major global leaders have snubbed the talks.  Environmental activists are looking for ways to help salvage things.

Vermonter, Bill McKibbon ("probably the nation's leading environmentalist" per the Boston Globe) has organized a Twitterstorm as a way for people all around the world to lend their support to the conference.  Bill's signature issue is climate change and pollution from fossil fuels so he's asking everyone to tweet this message today: "Want to stop climate change? Stop funding it. Pls RT! http://endfossilfuelsubsidies.org/twitterstorm/ #EndFossilFuelSubsidies"

Logged in to your Twitter account now?  How about lending Bill a hand?  The world record for tweets in a day was set earlier this year, with birthday greetings for Justin Bieber.  It would be a sad state of affairs if we couldn't beat that.

Recycling Old Diapers Into Furniture?

In Scotland they're recycling old diapers into outdoor furniture. Huh? My bottom line here is No Thanks. I'll stick with my Polywood furniture, made out of recycled milk jugs. I'd rather recycle something from the beginning of the babyfood process rather than the end.

 

 

Now I'm all for recycling but this idea sounds like it's gone a bit too far.  In Scotland they're recycling old diapers into outdoor furniture.

Are you serious?  We have a beautiful line of recycled plastic outdoor furniture at Vermont Woods Studios that's made from recycled milk jugs, and customers love it.

But dirty diapers?  I understand that disposable diapers do have a huge impact on the environment (in Scotland a whopping 450,000 diapers end up in a landfill every day) but is recycling them into furniture really the answer?  I don't know.

I guess we'll see as the recycling project funded by Zero Waste Scotland gets to the bottom of this issue over the next several weeks.

A note to new mothers and other diapering experts:  drop by my neighbor's very popular Green Mountain Diapers Facebook page to register your opinion about changing dirty diapers into outdoor furniture.

For me, I think I'll stick with milk jugs.

Ocean Conservation And Furniture

 

Be a part of the movement to protect our oceans!

I started Vermont Woods Studios Fine Furniture almost 7 years ago as part of a mission to help with rainforest conservation. We promote American made furniture that's built with local, sustainably harvested wood as an alternative to imported furniture made with illegal tropical timber, clear cut from the world's rapidly disappearing rainforests.

 

But a couple years ago when we were searching for an eco-friendly line of outdoor furniture, I began to learn that furniture is such a HUGE commodity it's manufacture affects ocean conservation as well as forest conservation.  Often when rainforests are clear-cut for timber, they are converted into plantations that require massive amounts of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. The whole process results in soil erosion, run-off, ocean pollution and coral bleaching. 

This knowledge is what led us to begin carrying our Polywood outdoor furniture collection which is made from recycled plastic beverage containers, rather than rainforest woods like teak or mahogany.   I know this is a convoluted pathyway, but that's what reminded me of today's designation as World Oceans Day. 

There's no denying it-- we are destroying the oceans and we need to take action to restore them.  90% of the big fish are gone and many of the fish caught today never even have the chance to reproduce. The average size of the remaining big fish has been cut in half in the last 50 years (the average weight of a swordfish caught today is 90 lbs., down from 266 lbs. in 1960).

The Green Prophet has some great suggestions if you're wondering what you can do to help restore the oceans.  In addition to avoiding the purchase of furniture made from tropical woods (like teak, mahogany, ipe and eucalyptus) you can also help by eating only sustainably harvested fish and learning more about ocean conservation.

OK, thanks for reading all this.  Now time to head out to the beach for a swim!

More Eco Friendly Practices From VT's Lyndon Furniture

Yesterday I wrote about Vermont's Lyndon Furniture, one of America's most admired green furniture companies-- and one that has remained in America throughout the offshoring exodus of the last 40 years.

Lyndon's owner and founder, Dave Allard is shown here in Vermont's Green Mountain Forest with some of his hardwood creations.

We interviewed Dave yesterday to learn more about why Lyndon Furniture is considered one of America's greenest furniture companies and here's the second half of Dave's response:

Sustainably Harvested Hardwoods - Lyndon furniture is made with choice hardwoods such as natural Cherry, Maple, Oak, or Walnut which are harvested through sustainable forestry practices. The predominant method is Single Tree Selection where trained foresters select individual trees for harvesting. The cut logs are then removed with the least disruption to the surrounding environment. This method creates openings in the forest canopy allowing more precipitation, sunlight, and nutrients to reach the forest floor ensuring the health of other trees. Responsible forest management takes into consideration long term timber production, while addressing water quality, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, forest aesthetics and recreational opportunities. The same can’t always be said for Asian or Rainforest woods where responsible forest management practices often take a back seat to maximizing profits.

Green Furniture Finishes - Lyndon's furniture finishes and stains are all made in Vermont. Vermont has some of the strictest environmental laws in the country which coincide with our views and respect of nature. Consequently our finishes have far lower VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and HAPs (Hazardous Air Pollutants) than current American industry standards, and far exceed the standards of imported products.

Sustainable Manufacturing - Lyndon Furniture has an extensive recycling program. We recycle paper, cardboard, metal and wood waste. Most materials (with the exception of the wood waste) are picked up by our local recycling center for proper material reintegration. Wood scrap is utilized as a biomass heating source (which has allowed Lyndon to drastically reduce oil usage) while sawdust is used by local farms for animal bedding. We have also made significant investments in energy efficiency to reduce our costs, and more importantly our carbon footprint. 

At a time when it seems every furniture company is "going green" it's nice to know that Lyndon Furniture and their fellow Vermont furniture makers actually have a history of using green practices from the start.

Vermont's Lyndon Furniture: What Makes It Eco Friendly?

Lyndon Furniture's green practices start with using sustainably harvested North American lumber sourced locally and regionally.

Vermont's Lyndon Furniture is one of America's most admired eco-friendly furniture companies.  We've been partnering with Lyndon for many years and often customers ask "just what is it that makes Lyndon Furniture so green?"

 

 

We put the question to our friend Dave Allard, Lyndon's owner and founder and below are a few of his comments.  We'll follow up with more tomorrow.

 

Use of Local Woods - At Lyndon Furniture "green" practices start with our Purchasing Policy.  We purchase wood through responsible local partners, thus minimizing transport distances and helping our regional economy. This policy greatly reduces fuel usage and carbon emissions.

Sustainably Harvested Woods - The hardwoods we utilize at Lyndon are grown and harvested within a 500 mile radius of our shop. Some are even harvested less than two miles away, from my own property. This is unlike furniture imported from China or other places where the lumber might be sourced from thousands of miles away in Africa or South America, thus consuming great amounts of energy in transit before timber is even received for furniture production.

 Green Technology - At Lyndon Furniture we utilize advanced technology and responsible manufacturing to maximize yield and reduce the amount of wood waste, making certain that all wood processing by-products are put to some use. For example, our sawdust is used by local farmers for animal bedding.

Pretty cool, right?  In Vermont nothing goes to waste.  It's part of our Yankee culture of ingenuity, innovation and oh yeah...thrift.  In Vermont "green furniture" is not a new promotional slogan.  Furniture making has always been this way up here and I'd guess it always will be.  Vermonters just aren't very responsive to passing trends.  It's more about quality, integrity and sustainability in VT.

We'll post a few other green characteristics of Lyndon's eco friendly furniture tomorrow.

Today Is World Environment Day

We're celebrating World Environment Day WED today.  Similar to Earth Day, it's a holiday created by the United Nations to raise global awareness of the need to take positive environmental action. The theme of this year's WED is "Green Economy" and the idea that "a small step to save the earth is in your hands. Do just one small thing today...because the Green Economy includes you!"

At Vermont Woods Studios Fine Furniture we're re-visiting our Earth Day “Green Up Your Workday Challenge" today.  We're doing some little things around the office, like turning the air conditioning off and printing less.  Looking for something even easier than that?  Two mouse clicks will add your name to the list of almost a million people who are calling on world leaders at the Rio+20, United Nations Conference (in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 20) to end fossil fuel subsidies around the world. 

These ideas may not sound like much, but if we all do something, it adds up to a greener world.

Please join us!  Visit our Facebook page and let us know what you're doing for WED.

 

 

Living Planet Report 2012

 

World Wildlife Fund's landmark Living Planet Report underscores our mission of Forest Conservation at Vermont Woods Studios

 

Our friends at the World Wildlife Fund have just published their bi-annual Living Planet Report.  It's a landmark study of our planet in terms of the health of our forests, rivers and oceans.

 

The results aren't pretty.  Here are some of the facts they highlighted about our environment:

 

• We’ve lost 30 to 70 percent of our wildlife since 1970. That's an average.  The tropics have lost 50 percent of their animals over the last 40 years, and tropical freshwater ecosystems have lost about 70 percent. The wild tiger population has suffered a 70 per cent decline in populations

 

• We are living as if we have the resources of an extra planet at our disposal. We’re using 50 percent more resources than the Earth can provide sustainably

 

• The U.S. has the fifth largest ecological footprint in terms of the amount of resources each person annually consumes. We rank only behind Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and Denmark in the global rankings of the Ecological Footprint

 

These are just a few of the statistics noted in the 80 page report.  But the good news is that it's not too late to save wildlife species and reverse unsustainable trends. 

 

Green commerce plays a fundamental role in this as do you and I.  The choices we make about our purchases will determine our planet's future. 

 

Excerpts from World Wildlife Fund's landmark Living Planet Report

 

 

 

Learn more about what Vermont Woods Studios is doing to promote forest conservation and preservation of endangered species like the Sumatran tiger. Join us in our green mission!

 

Lyndon Furniture: The Real (American Made) Thing

 

Ken (on left) and the management team at Lyndon Furniture:  Christine Drown (sales and marketing manager), Dave Allard (owner and founder) and Brian Ball (general manager)

 

 

Ken and I traveled up to Lyndon, Vermont today to meet with Lyndon Furniture.  We carry all of Lyndon's line of Shaker, Mission, Modern and Traditional hardwood collections.

 

That's Lyndon's owner and founder in the middle, Dave Allard. 

 

Dave started Lyndon Furniture over 30 years ago, building his first woodworking shop from timber he cut on his family farm and had milled locally.  Since then his business has grown and earned a reputation for producing high quality, eco friendly furniture that lasts a lifetime.

 

One of the things I love most about Lyndon Furniture is that when times got tough and all the other American furniture companies fired their employees and went to China to cash in, Dave Allard and Lyndon Furniture stayed right here in Vermont.  They remained true to their employees, their community, their integrity and their quality.  I see that integrity in their furniture.

 

Lyndon Furniture in Lyndonville, Vermont. American made hardwood furniture made to last for generations

 

It's interesting because we're seeing another mass exodus of so-called "American furniture companies" now.  But it's from East to West.  They're all hurrying back to American from China now that Chinese wages and trans-oceanic shipping are so costly.  But I have to wonder how long they'll stay.

 

I think it's safe to say, though, that regardless of global economics, Lyndon Furniture will remain right here in Vermont making high quality, handcrafted furniture and contributing to their community.  It's the Vermont way.

 

The Ultimate in Eco Friendly Furniture

 

Peter Cook grows his own furniture at Pooktre

 

How cool is this?

 

Check out Peter Cooks website, Pooktre.  Peter's tree gardens are in Austrailia where you can learn how to shape your own tree, or commission him to grow and shape a tree for you.  If you choose the latter, it takes about 7 years or so till the tree is shaped and you can transport it to your own garden.

Pretty wild.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vermont Woods Studios Eco Friendly Furniture

 

 

All Weather Polywood Outdoor Furniture: Recycled From Plastic Trash

 

All weather outdoor pool, patio, beach and garden furniture by Polywood is made from recycled plastic bottles

Many thanks to our Vermont Woods Studios staff members who volunteered to pick up trash today as part of Vermont's Green Up Day.

 

We bagged about a dozen pounds of old beer bottles, empty cigarette packs and plastic shopping bags, most of which we were able to place in Vernon's recycle bins.

 

So that's a fun project for us to do and besides supporting our community it also it dovetails into our new line of Polywood all weather outdoor furniture. 

 

Polywood is a line of patio, porch, pool and beach furniture that's made from (90-100%) recycled plastic bottles.  We love the Polywood brand because of it's eco-friendly, green nature but also because it's 100% made in America and the quality is superior to any comparable patio furniture we've seen. 

 

If you're looking for super strong and sturdy all weather outdoor furniture check out these polywood collections on our website:

  *     Adirondack Classic Furniture

  *     Deep Seating Patio Furniture

  *     Modern Euro Poly Wood Furniture

  *     Kids Indoor - Outdoor Furniture

  *     Traditional Garden Furniture

 

Vermont Woods Studios Green-up crew

Many additional collections are available on our Outdoor furniture Sets and Collections page or use the top navigation bar for further detail.  Most pieces can be delivered to your patio or beach in less than a week.