Sustainability is very important to us at J-Man Carpentry. Eryn formerly worked for a conservation non-profit and has her B.Sc. in Land Use & Environmental Studies, while Jarrett has seen the waste from the construction industry; much of which can be prevented. In our free time we spend as much of it as possible in nature & are passionate about wilderness conservation. It seems ironic then that our business revolves around trees that have been cut down. It is our intention to give these trees as much respect as possible through our work, highlighting their natural beauty and elevating them to a place of prominence in your home. Every piece of solid wood furniture sold by us replaces one that could have been made from plastic. Every piece of solid wood furniture created by us is meant to last generations vs. big box store furniture that lasts less than 5 years before being dumped in the landfill. Every renovation we take on ourselves or complete in your home adds years to a house’s life. We often work in older neighbourhoods where every renovation decreases the chance that the home will be torn down and helps to make older neighbourhoods more desirable. We are grateful to be able to do what we love every day and bring the joy of natural, sustainable wood products to your lives.
Product Sourcing
While wood is a natural & renewable resource, not all wood is equal when we talk about sustainability. At J-Man Carpentry, we only use North American wood species. Exotic wood species, while beautiful and unique, are harder for us to justify: they have to travel long distances to get to us, may exploit labour where workers are not paid living wages or work under stressful conditions, could contribute to rainforest deforestation, may be illegally harvested, and may result in over-harvesting and endangering species biodiversity. In using North American species, we know that the wood harvesting practices are held to highly regulated standards within Canada & the U.S. North American species also have to travel less distance to the mill and then to us, reducing their carbon footprint. Additionally, the jobs created by the forestry industry in Canada & the U.S. are much closer to home allowing the impacts of such work to remain in our local economies.
Species most commonly used by J-Man Carpentry:
ambrosia maple (Acer saccarum) - not a distinct species of maple, but used to describe maple wood discoloured by fungus-causing wood-boring ambrosia beetles
black walnut (Juglans nigra) - grows from the eastern U.S. up into Canada.
cherry (Prunus serotina) - grows from Mexico up through the east coast of the U.S. into Canada.
maple (Acer saccharum) - the sugar maple grows in the northern U.S. up into Canada.
western red cedar (Thuja plicata) - grows from southern Alaska down the west coast of Canada into California & the Rockies.
white oak (Quercus alba) - grows from Texas up into Canada along the eastern coast.
Our most frequented lumber dealer uses suppliers based in Indiana, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, and New York with much of our lumber coming from White Pigeon, Michigan. Almost all soft woods come from Canadian sources.
By primarily using hard woods in our projects from furniture to built in storage, we extend the lifespan of your project. Solid wood furniture has the ability to be re-finished over & over again as it wears over time. Plywood & veneered projects have a limited ability to be re-finished due to thin layers of wood.
Shop Initiatives
In our efforts to be as eco-friendly as possible, we take measures to cut down on environmental footprint:
reduce waste in our shop by following the 5 Rs (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle)
limit use of plastics & plastic packaging
opt to purchase from locally owned stores over internet shopping or big box stores when possible
opt for quality vs. quantity when purchasing tools and materials
choose eco-friendly wood finishes
use up wood scraps leftover from projects when possible. Anything too small to become another piece of furniture becomes firewood.
re-using sawdust for mulching, donation to community for re-use at their homes & farms, or composting anything that is in excess of what can be used
limiting transportation by having home-based shop
all communication & invoicing is digital - mostly paper free workplace
J-Man Carpentry supports local organizations doing good work to help our environment. See 1% for the Community.