We here at the Framer's Workshop have been working on a plan to get green business certification. We already offer a lot of green framing options and reuse and recycle a lot of our materials, but it's going to take some time to become a truly green business. In addition to starting to transition to more eco-friendly products and energy-efficient equipment, we have come up with month-by-month goals to make all of our changes easier for everyone at the shop to keep track of. Our five September goals were a great success and have become habit for everyone who works here. They were:

1. Reuse the paper that comes in glass boxes

2. Collect metal frame scraps to take to the recycling center

3. Cut down glass & foamcore boxes into reuseable cardboard

4. Collect mat, foamcore and acrylic scraps to donate

5. Save, write & print on scrap paper whenever possible

Since our September goals ended up to be so painless, we decided to try for six goals in October. They are:

1. Switch to reusable metal cutlery in the breakroom

2. Use microfiber or cloth towels instead of paper towels when possible

3. Don't print unnecessary paperwork, emails or webpages

4. Save mounts to do in large batches to save energy when possible

5. Turn off lights & fans upstairs when no one is up there

6. Wrap moulding sticks together with reused materials

They're small steps, but when everyone does them routinely they'll add up! Stay tuned for updates on our progress...