Posts Tagged ‘eco-conscious’
Follow Your Passion: Expert Advice from Grain Surfboards
Mike and Brad are the founders of Grain Surfboards – an eco-conscious, locally-sourced and community driven business located in southern Maine near the Atlantic Ocean (all the better for putting their boards to the test).
The guys of Grain
We caught up with them during a few quiet moments when they weren’t focused on waves or work to see what tips they have for other aspiring small and sustainable business owners:
Source local. Not only does it help your community and economy when you buy your materials locally, it cuts down on transportation emissions. Grain uses cedar from a local mill for their boards.
Local wood makes for great boards
Hire local. Another great way to support your community is by hiring your (qualified) neighbors. Some of Grain’s employees live so close by, they travel to work by bicycle (talk about a fun commute!).
Grain's employee parking lot
Use everything. Grain gives its wood shavings to farmers, who use it as bedding for animals. What kind of waste are you throwing in the landfill that could have a useful second life? (At Timberland, we’ve started using old fishing nets to make material for our jackets – who knew?)
Some lucky animal will be sleeping on these tomorrow
And finally: Follow your passion. Mike and Brad and their team are crazy about 2 things: surfing and treating the world right – and those passions shine through in every decision and surfboard they make. If you don’t believe in what you’re doing, life’s not nearly as much fun.
To see what other tips Mike and Brad have, visit the Expert Advice section of our men’s website. To see for yourself the beautiful boards they produce, go to www.grainsurfboards.com.
Fashion Fresh From the Sea
Maybe it’s a symptom of our Yankee frugality, but at Timberland we LOVE to recycle. There’s something oddly thrilling about giving old stuff like plastic bottles and discarded tires a second life as recycled materials in our products.
And as we get more excited about recycling, we get a little crazy. For example: Recycled coffee grounds in our S.Café® yarn (the grounds trap odors and absorb sweat — who knew?). And when you’re designing a jacket and you need it to be waterproof and durable, why not start by thinking about other materials that are waterproof and durable? Like, I dunno … fishing nets and ropes, salvaged from the ocean?
Introducing ReNet™ recycled nylon fabric:
Using ReNet™ in our products means less waste in the landfill (or worse – floating around in the ocean) — and wearing a jacket with ReNet™ in it gives YOU a whopper of a good story to tell on your next fishing trip.
Learn more about ReNet™ and the other recycled and renewable materials we use in our products in the Timberland Technology Guide.
Nothing Screams Romance Like Reusable Shopping Bags
If you haven’t already been to our website and memorized the tips and stats in our Green Guide to Dating and Love, it’s not too late – you’ll find everything you need to know about giving and getting eco-love right here.
Consider it our Valentine’s Day gift to you.
Learn more about how important eco-behavior is to finding and keeping true love by reading the complete results of Timberland’s Eco-Love Survey.
Five Ways to Woo Your Eco-Lover
Want to turn on your mate? Turn off the lights, say the respondents of Timberland’s Eco-Love survey, conducted last month. According to the survey, more than three-quarters (77%) of Americans find eco-minded behaviors (like turning off the lights when you leave the room) attractive.
It’s just this kind of tip you’ll find in Timberland’s Green Guide to Dating and Love — full of dos, don’ts and creative eco-romance ideas. We teamed up with the dating experts at OKCupid to create the guide, in hopes that we might help to foster a little bit of green love this Valentine’s Day.
Here are some other ways to increase your odds of attracting an eco-lover:
- Get outside! Nearly 60% of people said they would prefer to meet a potential date while participating in an outdoor leisure activity (think about it: better chances of meeting Mr. Right at the park than in your living room).
- Dress for success in eco-conscious gear. Nearly one-third (30%) of Americans are attracted to people who consider the environmental impact of the products they buy, including clothing. (Lucky for you, we’ve got Earth-conscious Earthkeepers footwear and apparel.)
- Don’t be an eco-slacker. Top turnoffs, according to our survey, include littering, not recycling, and being a “climate change denier.” Embrace the Earth and maybe someone else will embrace YOU.
- Don’t be an environmental zealot. On the flip side, there is such a thing as too much eco-passion. 46% said if their date pushed them to order environmentally-responsible food (think organic, locally-grown), that first date might also be the last.
Check out the Green Guide to Dating and the results of our Eco-Love survey, and then go get yourself an eco-minded Valentine! You can thank us later.
A Tour of Timberland Canada’s New Uber Green HQ
A few months ago, after spending some time at the Toronto International Film Festival, I had the privilege of visiting Timberland Canada’s Headquarters at the Evergreen Brick Works campus, a community environmental center that inspires and equips visitors to live, work and play more sustainably. Evergreen, a national charity, transformed the former Don Valley Brick Works from a collection of deteriorating buildings into an international showcase for urban sustainability and green design.
Josh, Timberland Canada marketer and tour guide extraordinaire, showed me around, pointing out features that make this campus the epitome of sustainable building and design. LEED® Platinum Certified, the center is expected to reduce energy consumption by more than 50 percent. While that alone is impressive, I was really blown away by the innovative eco-conscious features we found around every corner. A few of my favorites:
- The Evergreen Brick Works building was constructed on top of the foundation from the former Don Valley Brick works – they even left the old graffiti on the bricks!
- There’s a garden center filled with local produce on site, with proceeds going to fund Evergreen’s efforts.
- Solar Chimneys help remove hot air from the building and reduce the need for air conditioning.
- Large rainwater harvesting cisterns collect rainwater from the rooftops and reuse it in the campus’ toilets and garden.
- The parking lot’s concrete is pervious, which allows water to go back into the ground and maintain a natural cycle.
- The LED parking lot lights are specially designed to direct light downward, keeping the sky naturally dark for bats, insects and other animals.
You can learn more about Evergreen Brick Works, and even take your own tour, at http://ebw.evergreen.ca/ .
