Our Commitment To Sustainability

Our Objective

Vert Plantworks™ is committed to doing business in a way that is environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and supports a vibrant local economy in our community. The Vert Plantworks Environmental Policy has been agreed upon by founder Evan Lambert and the Vert Plantworks team who will work together to ensure the policy becomes a part of how Vert Plantworks conducts business. 

As a company we are committed to the principles of biophilic design, which promotes the connection to nature in our built environments. Therefore a commitment to sustainability is part of our core function and infuses everything we do. It is of utmost importance to us that we preserve nature for future generations, and impact the environment as little as possible through our efforts to make it part of our living and work spaces.

Our People

We believe that our goals for our team are a key component supporting our environmental policy. This is expressed in our policy of diversity, equity and inclusion, and applies to all of our stakeholders. The policy is oriented towards the primary goals of treating others with dignity and respect, as well as enabling others to gain access to opportunities to develop skills and knowledge.

Our Goals

The mission of Vert Plantworks is to bring people closer to nature through environmentally responsible green wall and plantscape experiences.

We focus on the following areas:

Energy conservation – Because of the nature of our facility, it Is important we do everything we can to conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions.
Water conservation – Water is our most precious resource. We design systems that use the minimum water necessary and recirculate water.
Waste diversion – We are able to divert 100% of our food waste from the landfill.
Toxics elimination - We source and use organic, non-toxic and natural products.
Local sourcing – Sourcing and purchasing materials from nearby producers.
Community engagement - Working with community groups as volunteers and educators.
Continuing education - Constantly developing our team’s knowledge of best practices and new technologies about sustainable practices and materials.

In order to meet our goals, we have come up with specific measures in each category that will reduce impacts on the environment and the community while showing our community we care.

Energy Conservation

• Using renewably-sourced energy in our facilities

• Reducing our energy reliance through the use of energy-efficient bulbs and appliances, as well as electric vehicles

Water conservation

• Owners / manager will monitor, track, and post water bills for everyone to provide
  awareness of water use and promote goals of conservation

• We will choose only native and climate-adapted low-water use plants for landscaping,
  which also promotes healthy ecosystems

Waste diversion

• Providing recycling, composting, and landfill bins with signage so that employees and
  customers can engage in the process of properly diverting waste

• Choosing ingredients and products that have minimal or no packaging

• Seeking end-of-life solutions for construction materials through recycling and reuse

Toxics elimination

• Use of only organic and natural products for plant care, such as natural oils and organic fertilizers

• Natural pest control solutions such as naturally-occurring pesticides and mechanical pest deterrents such as sticky traps

Local sourcing

• We currently source 50% of our materials from local growers and farmers. We will
  strive to increase this number by 5% every year.

• For business support services such as accounting, printing, distributors, etc., we will seek
  out local and independently owned business to keep dollars circulating in our local
  economy.

Community engagement

• Providing materials and guidance for schools outreach, particularly in lower-income areas

• Plant education outreach through local organizations and businesses

Continuing education

• Managers, staff, owners, etc., are encouraged to attend classes, webinars, and events
  about environmentalism, sustainable project planning, conservation, etc.
  
  

Continuing Goals and Future Plans

While Vert Plantworks works on improving it’s sustainable practices, we are looking to future improvements and changes we would like to work towards, and develop projects that will further improve our self-reliance and transform the way we do business

Examples:

1. Gray water recycling : We will work to divert wastewater from our (washing machine /
   dishwasher/ sinks, etc.,) to feed the trees and plants in our landscaping. We also have plans to build rainwater cisterns that can offset how much water we use during the hot summer months.

2. Towards zero waste: We continually evaluate the products we use so that nothing is sent to the landfill. We will take a creative approach to analyzing our waste stream to see where materials can be recycled, upcycled, donated, composted, etc.,

3. Urban heat abatement: In order to address the effects of the urban heat island issue, we are working with local organizations to develop public green walls that will provide shade and greenery in areas that are lacking green spaces and suffer from higher neighborhood temperatures.
   
   

Signed by: Evan Lambert, Founder

Copyright 2023, Vert Plantworks™