Living Locally, Behaving Globally
 On November 11th it is Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans Day in the US,
a time when we contemplate the many blessings we have. While researching a trade seminar I presented recently, I had the privilege of interviewing several local furniture manufacturers, who reminded me about the innovative people who live and work nearby.
What a fabulous story they told of successfully surviving our economic climate by manufacturing top quality products that are in demand throughout North America. They have made their operations more efficient by reducing waste, lowering the amount of raw materials, energy and water consumed, cutting excess packaging and streamlining administration. This is not only great for business, but great for the environment as well. We all benefit from having wonderful and locally produced furniture and accessories.
 For example, many of our furniture and flooring manufacturers ensure the hardwood they use comes from managed forests. Some use wood that is FSC certified. The Forestry Stewardship Council is an international certification program which tracks the tree from forest right to the consumer. Other manufacturers have programs to plant two trees for every one cut, or plant a tree for every piece of furniture purchased. These responsible activities help make our North American forests the continued envy of the world and an important part of the global ecosystem.
So, ask questions of your manufacturers and suppliers to determine how ‘green’ their products are. By purchasing from local industries when it works within the context of your design, you are subscribing to one of the key areas of sustainable design initiatives -- buying locally saves transportation energy!
I shot these photographs at...
 the opening of the Juno Beach Centre in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy France on June 3, 2003. Skyhawk paratroopers descended with the enormous Canadian flag for the official flag raising ceremony. The antique Spitfire airplane dropped 45,000 poppies, one for every Canadian solidier killed during WWII. My family attended this historic ceremony with my 92yr old father-in-law, who landed on Juno Beach 3 days after D-Day, June 3, 1944. My own father was shot down from his Halifax bomber, parachuted to the ground and spent 7 months as a prisoner of war. Both men raised us to be citizens of the world, respect all, and behave globally.
For more information on how you can be inspired to live locally and behave globally, contact
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed