Standard Best Practices

• We pay a living wage rather than minimum wage & we extend that around the globe: N/A
• We have a written Social Equity Code of Conduct as a baseline for employee relations: N/A
• We have written and distributed a Supplier Equity Code of Conduct for our vendors and conduct training at our partner facilities on the adoption of same: N/A
• We and our partners meet or exceed all local health and safety codes and can document our health and safety working conditions in all our facilities/stores: N/A
• We have participated in or sponsored in-store, community and/or regional educational events on sustainability and the environment: N/A
• We investigate and mitigate any negative environmental impacts from our operations: N/A
• We regularly ask for verifiable chain of custody documents (legal logging certifications) before buying wood products: N/A
• We are eliminating unsustainable virgin materials from our product offerings while increasing our percents to total of rapidly renewable resources, reused/reclaimed components and recycled content. We factor disassembly, recyclability and product reclamation into buying decisions: N/A
• We have decreased our use/acceptance of known toxic chemicals for treatments, binders and finishes, replacing compounds that harm indoor air quality and are carcinogenic: N/A
• We are asking our vendors for organic cotton in place of conventionally-grown cotton and for textiles that are Oeko-Tex certified: N/A
• We are getting quotes on doing a Life Cycle Analysis and/or are applying for SMaRT certification: N/A
• We extract, manufacture and distribute for consumer use within a 500 mile radius for at least a portion of our product line: N/A
• We offer a product reclamation/product reuse policy: N/A
• We use recycled or recyclable packing/packaging materials, offer blanket-wrap transportation arrangements for customers and have a carton return/reuse policy: N/A
• We hold third party certifications for some of our products/as a store, we promote and educate the consumer on the meaning of various third party certifications: N/A
• We take responsibility for sharing our commitment to sustainability up and down our entire supply chain, rewarding our vendors with increased business for partnering with us on this path to sustainability: N/A
• We save reams of paper with our policy expressing an aversion to excess written documentation: N/A
• We have had an energy specialist/utility company audit to measure our conventional energy usage and are on track to reduce it, replacing a portion with certified renewable energy, either directly or by contacting Green e-Power: N/A
• We have replaced outdated and inefficient equipment, identified and changed wasteful resource procedures and implemented tighter operational controls: N/A
• We have increased the use of daylighting and instituted a fluorescent bulb exchange policy for direct cost savings: Yes
• We make only verifiable sustainability claims in adherence with FTC mandates against greenwash and in support of their Environmental Marketing Guides. Authenticity and adoption of one credible standard reduces confusion in the marketplace, driving sales: N/A
• We conduct training in-house and in the broader community about global climate change and our partnership with the SFC: Yes
• In keeping with our commitment to continual improvement, we are planning to take the following actions this year: On energy consumption: As I am working from a home office, the energy consumption changes I'm making are modest, and include changing all the bulbs in light fixtures to CFLs and adding dimmers. I also leave the AC off 90 percent of the time by using scrim shades to control solar heat gain.
• In keeping with our commitment to continual improvement, we are planning to take the following actions this year: On how we will manage our primary material or service to a more sustainable direction: I have launched a blog called www.thehappyhomeworkshop.com, which focuses on sustainable design and renovation as a central tenet of its mission. The home furnishings and materials I choose for my own office and home include some aspect of eco-friendly design. and I report on these choices in my blog and suggest similar choices for my readers and the people who consult with me or enlist my services as a green consultant and decorator.
• In keeping with our commitment to continual improvement, we are planning to take the following actions this year: On education and promotion of the sustainability cause: In addition to offering insight and research on sustainable design on my blog, I am writing a book, which will be based in part on the blog and include insight on eco-friendly living, sustainable product recommendations and commentary from other industry experts. This book is scheduled to be published in the spring of 2011.