Sustain means to support…hold…keep going…bear the weight of…supply with the necessary nourishment for life. For us at Greentree Home, this word perfectly describes our relationship with the earth. Earth gives us – the inhabitants and stewards of this planet – abundant resources to use and share. Some resources are finite, while others are endlessly created. Nevertheless, the human-led destruction and abuse of natural resources leaves us all in a precarious position. So, we ask: how can we nourish our environment? What nourishment can we supply back to the earth so that we aren't only taking, but giving as well?
Greentree Home is an eco-conscious company utilizing closed loop and circular economy principles to reduce our carbon footprint and protect natural resources for future generations of life. We have learned from experience that operating sustainably is worth the investment in the long term. "Going green" not only makes us smile – we see real, tangible benefits to our business and our community. These include:
1. saving energy, money, and resources
2. inspiring fellow small businesses to become more environmentally conscious
3. growing and strengthening local economies
4. educating and empowering our community in sustainability practices
5. enriching rather than depleting planetary resources
Sustainability at Greentree Home means approaching our work with mindfulness towards materials, energy, and community.
All of our candles are made with 100% North American beeswax, from sustainably and ethically harvested beeswax cappings – read more on our blog post Queen Comb.
We recycle and reuse materials as much as possible, including our beeswax – from wax trimmings and meltings to broken candles and wrong color batches, the wax gets melted, cleaned and reused.
We prioritize sustainable materials such as glass, metal and wood as much as possible in our candle production, reducing the use of plastic and other harmful waste.
We use 100% cotton wicks in all of our candles.
We make every effort to minimize plastic and are working towards using 100% recycled materials in our packaging/shipping department. Currently we use: cardboard, kraft boxes made of recyclable corrugated cardboard, biodegradable packing peanuts, plastic bubble wrap, and wadding made from recycled materials.
We operate on a closed loop system through small batch and made-to-order production, reducing energy and human labor.
We limit our carbon footprint giving back to the local communities and economies through donations to nonprofits and partnerships with local businesses.
We conserve energy by using only what we need – turning power off when not operating, not over-heating or over-cooling work spaces, and using only cold water on-site to avoid the energy required for hot water heating.
We collectively take care of our space with weekly cleaning days, which contributes to mindful use of materials and energy.
We are woman-owned and locally-operated by a community of people who care about the environment.
We support our makers with outdoor spaces for lunches/breaks and access to clean, fresh air.
We are more than just a business – we care for our GTH family through daily lunches together, annual team-building days, vacations, and celebrations. Learn more about our makers.
Our company works to educate our local community and our customers nationally and internationally about the importance of protecting pollinators, and the practices of responsible and sustainable beeswax harvesting.
We raise honey bees on our local land to learn about and support the species.
We hope you will join us in our commitment to sustainability.
You can start with just one beeswax candle. Each candle represents a small contribution to giving back to planet earth, by reducing the negative effects of pollution and giving our loved ones cleaner air to breathe!
