9 Species Going Extinct Due to Habitat Destruction & Deforestation

Last updated on September 27th, 2021 at 09:26 am

Aerial view of deforestation

When an environment is incapable of supporting native species due to factors like deforestation and illegal logging, animal populations lose their habitats. This habitat destruction leads to species’ homes being uprooted, their food supply diminished, population reproduction decreases, and ultimately the animals have nowhere to turn. Because of all these factors, more species are added to the endangered species list every year.

As part of our mission here at Vermont Woods Studios, a portion of our profits is used to conserve forests, plant trees, and save endangered species from going extinct due to habitat destruction.

Here are some of the most iconic animal species being threatened by global deforestation:

Read More

Already following our Blog? For more info sign up for our e-newsletter

Sign up now

This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

10 Quotes About Deforestation That Will Inspire You To Create Change

Last updated on April 21st, 2021 at 03:59 pm

Logs lay on the forest floor. Image from Unsplash
Forests, rich in biodiversity, thick in oxygen, and natural filters of greenhouse gases (GHG) like carbon dioxide. In one year, one single tree sequesters 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and turns it into oxygen. The amount of oxygen that is released through this process every year, is roughly 260 pounds per tree.

Read More

Already following our Blog? For more info sign up for our e-newsletter

Sign up now

This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

10 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Support Fast Furniture

Last updated on January 11th, 2022 at 05:27 am

A Green sofa left on a curbside for disposal

Furniture: we all come in contact with it every single day. Whether at our home, out in the park, on the sidewalks, or your place of work, chances are you probably saw a table, bench, desk, chair, and other furnishings throughout your day. But have you ever thought about where all of these items go once we are ‘done’ with them?

Well, let’s start off by saying it is the classic tale of the fast fashion industry: mass-produced items that are cheaply made and built to break, but this time it’s about furniture. 

Why Fast Furniture is a Problem

Although furniture gives off the perception that it is made to last, most furniture today is made with cheap material, like particleboard, that isn’t durable and is incredibly toxic with chemical resin and plastic coating.

For instance, let’s look at a standard office cubicle. Alone that cubical represents anywhere from 300 to 700 pounds of waste, with the majority of it being complex products – meaning it is non-recyclable – due to the fact it is made up of different materials like metal, wood, particleboard, and plastic. 

So if that is just one cubicle, what about all the furniture we have in our homes? How can we support a more sustainable system for furniture?

First things first, we can educate ourselves about the negative effects the fast furniture industry has on the environment. This way, we feel empowered to make more mindful purchasing decisions.

Read More

Already following our Blog? For more info sign up for our e-newsletter

Sign up now

This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

Your Vermont Guide to a Zero Waste Valentine’s Day

Last updated on February 9th, 2021 at 01:41 pm

 

As Valentine’s day approaches, the debate about purchasing gifts or not purchasing gifts crosses almost everyone’s mind. Did you know that each year, 36 million heart-shaped boxes, 180 million cards, 198 million roses are gifted within the United States? Another interesting fact, 881 thousand sparkling wine bottles are consumed during Valentine’s Day.

The worst part of it all? Most of these items are non-recyclable. They come wrapped in plastic, decorated in glitter, bows, and glue, all of which make them destined for the landfill.

 If they are recyclable, like the wine bottles, many towns are not fully recycling glass bottles anymore. Out of the 100 million metric tons of glass produced each year, only 33% of it gets recycled within the United States.

So what can you do? When you are faced with these kinds of obstacles, it is best to shop locally as much as you possibly can. 

Read our guide below to find out how you can have a zero waste Valentine’s Day – Vermont edition. 

Read More

Already following our Blog? For more info sign up for our e-newsletter

Sign up now

This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

Zero Waste Holiday Guide

Last updated on January 11th, 2023 at 10:22 am

As the saying goes, ‘it’s the most wonderful time of the year.’  The warmth and cheer that the holiday season brings every year are in full swing, but so is the trash. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s day, there is a 25% increase in landfill waste produced. From glittered holiday cards to plastic decorations and single-use casserole dishes, our trash bins begin to get fuller as the holiday season begins to evolve.  At Vermont Woods Studios, you know how much we love trees and want to repopulate the forest; that’s why we plant trees for every purchase made. When we found out that 15 million Christmas trees end up in landfills every year across the United States, in addition to the 25% increase in landfill waste, we know we had to do something.  Below are our top tips for you to have a zero waste holiday!

Read More

Already following our Blog? For more info sign up for our e-newsletter

Sign up now

This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

16 Ways to Help #SaveTheMonarchs

Photo of several monarch butterflies, captured by Dr. Sue Sill

As you might have already heard, our founder Peggy is a big advocate for forest and species conservation. In 2005, after struggling to raise money for her non-profit Kids Saving the Planet, she decided to start a company driven by a mission to save endangered species by conserving their habitats. Lo and behold, the birth of Vermont Woods Studios!

One day, Peggy read about Jose Luis Alvarez and the work he was doing through Forests for Monarchs. After reading about his work, Peggy decided to reach out since they had aligned values in forest conservation and restoring the monarch butterfly. Since Vermont Woods Studios  is a mission driven company, Peggy felt a partnership with Jose and Forests For Monarchs (FFM) would amplify the message and work around the importance of conserving the monarchs. Years later, we are still putting in the hard work with Jose and his team to Save The Monarchs.

Read More

Already following our Blog? For more info sign up for our e-newsletter

Sign up now

This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

5 Exotic Hardwoods to Avoid & Why

Last updated on June 30th, 2022 at 03:27 pm

The environmental and societal cost of exotic woods is high. We choose to only source our woods from sustainably managed forests in the US. Here, some examples of the different types of wood and stains we can offer. Order wood samples.

Wood is generally an earth friendly material because it is a renewable resource, meaning it grows back naturally and isn’t finite like oil, metals, or even rocks like marble and granite. But not all species of wood are inherently sustainable.

Woods that grow locally like maple, oak, cherry, walnut, ash, pine, and others travel short distances between harvesting and processing and are taken from sustainably managed forests in the US.

But that’s not the case for many types of woods that come from different parts of the world. The term “exotic hardwoods” refers to woods that originate in other parts of the world (often tropical forests), and the impact of using these woods is high.

Did you know that the harvesting of certain species of wood is linked to organized crime, sex trafficking, corruption, human rights violations, illegal logging, species extinction and climate change?

Read More

Already following our Blog? For more info sign up for our e-newsletter

Sign up now

This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

4 Factors Contributing to Climate Change & How You Can Help

Vermont Woods Studios was founded on a passion for the planet- its forests and their inhabitants. When the company was started in 2005, Peggy was nearing her 50th birthday and made a concrete decision that the time to do something to help fight climate change and save the world was now.

Years earlier, she had started a non-profit, Kids Saving the Planet, but she struggled to raise capital to make an impact. So she turned to business as a vehicle for change. Through Vermont Woods Studios and our non-profit partner Forests For Monarchs, we plant trees for every order and provide an eco-friendly alternative to imported wood furniture, which is a key driver of climate change, as you’ll read below.

But since the company was founded in 2005, it has only become more urgent that we all do our part to help fight against climate change. So we’re putting together this post to help educate about what the leading causes of climate change are and how you can help fight against it.

Read More

Already following our Blog? For more info sign up for our e-newsletter

Sign up now

This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

10 Cool Facts You Didn’t Know About Trees

The VWS team get's out on a hot spring day to plant a few new trees

At Vermont Wood Studios, there is no denying it; we love trees. The business was actually founded on Peggy’s passion for forest conservation. Not only do trees provide wood that we use to make furniture, but they’re also a vital component of our ecosystem.

Trees provide many benefits to the various living organisms that inhabit planet earth. Below are some ‘treemendous’ facts about trees and how they make the world a better place.

Read More

Already following our Blog? For more info sign up for our e-newsletter

Sign up now

This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.