16 Ways to Help #SaveTheMonarchs

August 13, 2020August 13, 2020 Marina McCoy

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.

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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.

25 Facts About Climate Change & Deforestation

July 30, 2020September 29, 2022 Riley Farabaugh

Last updated on September 29th, 2022 at 03:06 pm

This Global Forest Watch interactive map shows tree cover loss since the year 2000. Areas in pink are those suffering the worst rates of deforestation. They are the areas where timber is being illegally harvested and used to make imported furniture.

At Vermont Woods Studios, we certainly have a passion and appreciation for high quality craftsmanship and woodworking, but, the truth is, Peggy founded this business out of a passion for forest conservation.

It was this one astounding statistic that really lit a fire under her in 2005:

Every second, an acre of rainforest is lost forever

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5 Exotic Hardwoods to Avoid & Why

July 13, 2020June 30, 2022 Marina McCoy

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?

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4 Factors Contributing to Climate Change & How You Can Help

July 13, 2020July 13, 2020 Marina McCoy

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.

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Investing in Our Future: Kids & Nature

June 8, 2020June 8, 2020 Peggy Farabaugh

Investing in our future: Kids and Nature — Every year Vermont Woods Studios sponsors an environmental field trip for the 3rd graders at our local Vernon Elementary School VES. We think it’s important to pass along our love of nature to the people who own our planet’s future. Our new friend, Keelin agrees!

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10 Cool Facts You Didn’t Know About Trees

May 27, 2020May 27, 2020 Marina McCoy

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.

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Off to Mexico to Help the Monarchs

February 13, 2020February 14, 2020 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on February 14th, 2020 at 11:56 pm

Monarch butterfly at Stonehurst in Vernon, VT — If you visit us at Stonehurst in the summer, you’ll probably notice the milkweed and monarch butterflies outside our showroom. But did you know we also work to conserve the monarch’s winter habitat in Mexico?

Reforesting the Monarch’s Winter Habitat

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2019 Highlights

January 1, 2020January 25, 2020 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on January 25th, 2020 at 08:48 am

Happy New Year! A look back at 2019 highlights & a salute to the future. — Here’s a look back at 2019 highlights & your impact on the work we do at Vermont Woods Studios. We are grateful for your support and we wish you the very best of good health and happiness in 2020.

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Christmas in Our Home Town

December 16, 2019September 29, 2022 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on September 29th, 2022 at 08:16 pm

Vernon’s Giving Tree

The Giving Tree | Vernon, Vermont — Vermont Woods Studios is located in the tiny village of Vernon, Vermont (population 2141). Every December local volunteers set up a Giving Tree at the Town Hall.

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This Climate Change Remedy Is Proven. What Are We Waiting For?

November 16, 2019November 16, 2019 Peggy Farabaugh

Climate Change is Mitigated by the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont — Trees are Carbon Capture Technology at it’s best. Trees remove carbon dioxide CO2 from the atmosphere. CO2 is the greenhouse gas that’s causing climate change and global warming. Protecting existing forests (and re-planting forests we have already destroyed) is our best chance to remedy climate change. Let’s start planting trees. Photo of the Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest by artist #1778011 at Pixabay.

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