Renew – use renewable energy/water sources
When Bird first started, we used two old car batteries and a solar panel to power our domestic sewing machine, our lights and computer. As the
movement towards sustainability has progressed, Green Energy has
become widely available. There are a wide selection of wind, solar and
hydro energy providers now available.
Our home and studio was built using passive solar principles and strawbale walls for insulation. Power is provided from solar panels, water is harvested on our roof and stored in two 20,000 litre tanks, water is solar heated, our sewage is treated through a greywater reedbed system, our toilet functions
as a waterless compostable unit. The only service we rely on is our telephone, although we do choose to feed excess power, generated by our solar panels, back into the central grid system.
…and as a last resort, with whatever is left…..
Offset – neutralise any emissions you can’t presently renew,
reduse or reduce.
Carbon emissions from use of fossil fuels are acknowledged as the most serious environmental issue facing the world. Bird is working with
Climate Friendly, to offset any carbon emissions created by our business.
We undertook a lifecycle analysis of the carbon costs for the entire business. Our climate impact through from freight of raw materials, manufacture, operations, travel and delivery of finished goods has been calculated so
that we can green our carbon emissions by funding projects that slow global warming. This was done by purchasing renewable energy in wind farms and UV solar plants.
Bird was the first business in Australia to become 100% climate
neutral in 2004.
