Climate Class 01: Course Review
This is Climate Class, our monthly email series with Long Trail Sustainability and BEST to enroll in a sustainable future by learning the effects of our lifestyles on the planet, we implement simple everyday practices to live a cleaner life.
In 2020 we broke down each carbon emitter that’s led to our current crisis (you can read those here). This year we’re recommitting to putting our knowledge to practice. And what better way to do so than to spotlight some brands, businesses, humans that are leading by example.
Who better to start with than ourselves.
BEST is a creative studio specializing in brand experience. That means everything from branding to content creation to everyday marketing needs. We’re an Art Department of the Future, always remote and always available.
THE PAST + PRESENT:
We’ve always been a do-good kind of operation, but really got hooked on sustainability when we partnered with the Germantown Laundromat and Amsterdam studio, Al Stampa, on developing the messaging and visual language behind their efforts to engage the local community in living cleaner.
Since we’re all remote, our team members are individually responsible for their carbon footprint with the support and resources from leadership. As a studio we are committed to always recommending the most sustainable option first to our clients — whether that is through packaging, direct marketing, or shipping.
THE FUTURE:
As for our own brand, sustainability and minimal waste is a top priority when printing postcards (we love mail!), promotions, or studio merch. This often costs a bit more, but is great for our karma. We also recognize that the injustice marginalized communities experience affects not only humans, but the planet. In working to dismantle these systems of oppression in our own industry, we do right by the planet as well.
Long Trail Sustainability (LTS) is a boutique firm of sustainability professionals specializing in life cycle assessment and sustainable product development. Founded in 2001, women-owned and based in Vermont, we help our clients assess the cradle-to-grave environmental impacts of their products, integrate environmental footprinting into the design process, and put the science behind marketing claims.
THE PAST + PRESENT:
Protecting the environment is the reason LTS exists today. LTS was originally established to address the imbalance between business, society, economy and the environment. Our mission has been to build capacity in organizations to incorporate the knowledge and tools that will allow manufacturers and service providers to implement procedures and best practices to reduce and minimize their environmental impacts, using methodologies based in Life Cycle Thinking to make sustainability part of day to day operations.
LTS organizational practices are structured to minimize our impact on the environment. We utilize technology whenever possible to reduce or eliminate unnecessary travel impacts, both eliminating the daily commute in favor of working remotely, and making use of video conferencing for both internal and client meetings, greatly reducing emissions.
THE FUTURE:
As we look ahead to 2021, our goals remain the same — continue to find ways to reduce our own impacts while educating and guiding our clients to do the same. One aspect of that is making our work more accessible and understandable to wider audiences.
The Germantown Laundromat is both a 24/7 Laundromat and Sustainability Shop in Germantown, New York. This space was created to work with our community in exploring what it means to live a cleaner life. We show how to be eco-responsible not only in how our space was renovated, but in the products and services we offer, and the collaborative work we do within our community.
THE PAST + PRESENT:
We renovated the 1965 Laundromat to have as small an impact on the earth as possible by using all LED lighting, pulling energy from wind + solar, sourcing recycled furniture, using reusable hand towels in the bathroom with a water saving toilet, offering compost and recycling receptacles, collecting + recycling cigarette butts, providing toxic free and plastic free detergent, purchasing energy efficient washers + dryers, and offering a clothing donation program.
Our Sustainability Shop offers bulk laundry detergent, soaps, and cleaners — decreasing single-use container waste while saving money. In addition to bulk offerings, the shop provides everyday products that take care of our bodies and planet — everything from bamboo toothbrushes, period underwear, and dryer balls. We partner with businesses that are taking part in a more circular economy and take seriously how they source their materials, what their product is made of, how it is packaged, and what happens to it at the end of life/use. Additionally, we offer mending + repair services to help keep items out of the landfill. We recently launched an online store and everything we send out is packaged in 100% recycled materials with a compostable sticker asking the recipient to reuse or recycle again.
THE FUTURE:
Environmental Justice will be our primary focus this year. We have taken the Intersectional Environmentalism Pledge and will now begin reworking our value statement, product selection, educational platform, and community involvement through this lens. We will prioritize the underserved members of our community that are most affected by climate change.
Additionally, we are a part of the newly formed Germantown Climate Smart Communities Task Force, joining forces with our town’s governing bodies to help with community education and implementation of sustainability goals.
See more of the Laundromat’s Sustainability Efforts here.
