Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Treading Lightly

One of the things that is really important to us as we launch our new business, is to find ways to be environmentally responsible in everything we do. It is in our minds every day, but it can be hard to do, and we aren't perfect.

There are some easy things to start with: all of the paper products we use, whenever possible, are made from 100% recycled content. This includes our copy/printer paper, toilet paper, paper napkins, paper towel, and the paper used by our printers for brochures (in the works!) and signs. We also ask our printers to use only vegetable-based inks. When the Tour de Bloc started working on the posters for the comp, we asked them to do the same. We also buy only ecologically friendly cleaning supplies, and insist that our cleaning service do the same.

During construction, we made the decision to take down all of the existing high bay light fixtures (dating back to World War II?) and replace them with new, efficient ones that use compact fluorescent bulbs.

We will become a business customer of Bullfrog Power, who have a programme for businesses whose power is supplied by the landlord (as ours is).

And speaking of our landlord, Parc Downsview Park also has a commitment to operating responsibly with respect to the environment. One example of that is the waste disposal service they provide for the tenants. Turtle Island Recycling takes care of all the garbage, recyclables and food waste from the entire Downsview Park Sports Centre. While their service does not require us to separate all these materials (apart from cardboard), we decided to do so anyway as part of sending a clear message to our customers that recycling and minimizing waste is important to us.

Another decision we have made is not to sell bottled water. We have a drinking fountain with a bottle filler spout that provides good quality water for free. If you don't have a refillable water bottle, we'll sell you one with our logo for a reasonable price (once). The amount of waste generated by the bottled water industry is staggering, and there is no reason for it. We will not be a part of that.

While we are doing what we can, we're far from perfect. Building a climbing gym means buying thousands of climbing holds made from polyurethane (though we have decided to avoid the use of polyester resin holds, which we believe are less environmentally friendly). It also involves thousands of cubic feet of foam. We have been assured that our foam contains a certain (small) amount of vegetable content (still working to verify that), but the flooring is still a part of the business that represents an impact on the environment that we wish could be smaller.

We'll continue to work to come up with ways to operate more environmentally responsible, and we welcome your suggestions to help us do that.

2 comments:

  1. A few updates:
    - We are now bullfrogpowered!
    - We have been using leftover foam scraps from the floor padding to fill more ottoman covers, giving us fun and versatile furniture at a low cost while using up stuff we had lying around
    - I forgot to mention that when we host birthday parties we use real dishes and cutlery and wash them in our dishwasher, rather than sending disposable plates & cutlery into the waste stream. We also use the dishes for our staff meals & coffee.

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