Environmental Policies and Practices

As an Orthodox Christian operating a small business, I feel it is imperative that my actions do not have a detrimental effect on God's creation. I try to "step lightly" on the earth and have put the following into practice:

• All mailings are in 100% post-consumer recycled envelopes and swatch cards are re- used multiple times (many of them are used for years).
• I purchase all office supplies, such as paper and toner cartridges, based on which are the most environmentally-sound.
• Shipping boxes are partially post-consumer and re-used whenever possible. I use blank, recycled newsprint for packing material.
• Virtually all of my office and workshop equipment is either used or hand-made. Printers, desks, files, and warehouse shelving are all used; tables and storage cupboards are made by my father.
• I choose all garment materials based on quality, because quality garments last far longer and therefore don't need replacing as often.
• Fabric is used as economically as possible in order not to create waste. I also have a "scrap box" program in which small scraps of fabric are sent to children learning to sew.
• My workshop is built with 2x6 construction and has extra insulation in both the walls and the ceiling. It has fluorescent lighting and a mini-heat exchanger for both heating and cooling, which is both energy-efficient and economical. The gutters drain to rain barrels (very important in rainy Portland!) which I then use for plantings around the workshop.
• Home businesses have a definite advantage when it comes to car emissions: I drive my car less than 2500 miles per year.
• Whenever possible, I choose local businesses for supplies as this not only supports my local community, but keeps the detrimental effects of transport to a minimum.
• While some of my supplies come from other countries, thereby necessitating global transport, I maximize each shipment to avoid unnecessarily wasteful shipments.
• All fabric scraps are sent to an organization that recycles them into insulation for houses (these are un-useable scraps that cannot be made into any other item). This keeps the equivalent of one 32-gallon garbage can of scraps out of the landfill every week.