With Earth Day here, now’s the perfect time to think about how to make your outdoor space more sustainable. From our manufacturing processes to day-to-day operations, we’re constantly trying to find new ways to promote sustainability.
WHY IT MATTERS ❓
The last century saw nearly an 8-inch increase in sea levels and 2.12 degree Fahrenheit spike in global temperature (NASA), proving again the importance of combating climate change in whatever small way we can.
WHEN TO UPGRADE 🔨
As much as it can be exciting to fill your home with more sustainably made products, tossing out items that still have some life in them only adds to the problem.
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Keeping your gate hinges clean and lubricated (reduces rust)
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Sealing wooden products or structures (extends life cycle)
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Touching up any scuffs or chips on painted items (reduces rust)
THINK SUSTAINABLY 🌎
At Nuvo, we believe in helping in whatever small way you can. For us, that meant switching our office and warehouse lighting to sustainable LEDs, moving forward with paperless options in-office, and then deciding to see how we could take the sustainability mindset to new product development.
Made in Canada, these items incorporate recycled materials that would’ve been headed to the landfill – without sacrificing the longevity, quality, and style that the Nuvo brand has become synonymous with.
SPC25 – Nominal 4″ x 4″ Flat Top Pyramid Post Cap
Made from up to 30% of post-industrial drinking straw waste, the SPC25 came to be after we learned about the number of scraps and rejects from the drinking straw manufacturing process that goes to waste.
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We grind the unused straw waste and create a mixture of up to 30% straw regrind, polypropylene, UV, and colour additives.
SPC23 – Nominal 6″ x 6″ Pyramid Post Cap
When it came time to design and build the SPC23, we decided we wanted to be just as, if not more, sustainable than the SPC25.
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As the pandemic continued, we noticed that much of the leftover face shield material was going to waste and decided to repurpose it, with our new cap being made of up to 50% of post-industrial recycled COVID relief medical mask material.
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Although it may seem like the pandemic will only generate waste in the short term, it’s created enough material for us to supply these products for years to come.
PROJECT PLANNING 📐
While these caps are perfect to incorporate into an outdoor refresh or total backyard upgrade, those beginning a bigger project and working with a contractor or building materials store should ask what they can do to make their project sustainable.
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Don’t hesitate to ask questions about material differences, longevity, quality or anything else on your mind. Remember: the more specific you are, the better they’re able to help you out!
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It’s also critical you recycle the materials from your old space. So many woods and materials can be reused, repurposed and make for a sustainable reimagining of someone else’s outdoor space.
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Plant a tree. It’s quick, easy, improves air purity and will continue to provide shade for seasons to come. Even if your yard is on the smaller side, potted trees will bring you the same benefits, just on a smaller scale.
While implementing small changes might not seem fruitful, that’s not what the research says.
World Wildlife Fund claims the solutions we need for a carbon-zero future already exist and maintains more and more organizations and citizens are responding to the crisis.
Let’s try to keep optimistic, enjoy the process of sustainably accenting our outdoor spaces and do whatever we can to help the cause.
Happy Earth Day from all your friends at Nuvo Iron 🌎
