Internationally there is a move towards more environmentally friendly trends. Green is the new buzzword and with good reason. For too long we have lived of the fat of the land whilst the environment is paying the bill.
With the new green movement everybody is starting to rethink the way they buy, use and dispose of items. The best of all is that it has become “cool” to be environmentally conscious. We see it in our business as well with local farmers bringing in the most beautiful Origan Pine wood that they retrieved from buildings on their farms and asking us to build them a television units, beds, coffee tables, etc. In my opinion this is recycling at its best. I am pretty sure that the mere fact the item is made from re-used wood would probably increase the item’s value more over time as well. If not, you still did the right thing!With this being said, I have always thought that we as carpenters, are a major contributor to the destruction of natural forests and hence the hole in the ozone. It has always been a major focus in our workshop not to waste wood – think and plan before you cut. We furthermore made plans to use all our waste, if not by us then by somebody else. I am proud to say that probably less than one percent of wood that comes into our shop reaches the landfill. It is a good feeling and although it is not enough we feel it is a start.
I saw an advert recently that made me re-evaluate the way I looked at the timber industry as a whole and its role in the environment. The advert, from a timber company, claimed that by using more wood we can save more trees. It did not make sense at all so I read further. They claim that if the demand for wood increases, local communities would place more value on the trees in their area and actually look better after them. Think about it, possibly less natural forests could be cleared for farming, local communities would take greater interest in the sustainable management of forests and more land could possibly be allocated to plantations.
Whether this is actually possible is debatable, especially in a country such as South Africa, but it sure gave me a whole lot of wood for thought!
Thanks for the visit, till later!
Junior
