3 Ways You Can Make Your Woodwork Projects More Eco-friendly

Julie Starr • September 13, 2021



Woodworking has been around for years and is a great hobby to build new skills while creating beautiful designs. Woodworking involves lots of materials and tools, which, unfortunately, can lead to lots of waste and energy. 

If you are trying to make a conscious effort to be more sustainable in your day-to-day life, then it is important to look at how your hobby, whether it’s new to you or you are a well-seasoned woodworker, affects the environment.

Here are 3 ways you can make your woodwork projects more eco-friendly. 

#1 Materials 

How you use, store and dispose of your materials is just as important as what materials you use for your woodwork projects. When starting a new woodworking project, make sure you plan what you are going to do. This will enable you to buy the correct amount of materials and reduce waste right from the start. When purchasing your materials, source local businesses for your wood, for example, from leftover builds, local lumber mills, or farms. 

Materials that you will not use right away need to be stored properly, to ensure they do not spoil and therefore, are unusable. Conduct thorough research on the materials that you are using and ensure you have the correct environment set up before you start. For example, some may need to be stored in certain temperatures, away from any moisture, or even in air-tight containers. 

When you have finished a project and find you have materials left over, there are several ways to dispose of this in a more eco-friendly way:

  • See if you can re-use it in a future project 
  • Put the word out to your local community to see if it can be used in a local project or by another woodworker 
  • Remove any chemicals or paint coatings and turn them into chippings and use as compost, keep it dry and save it for your next cookout, or hand it over to a recycling company. 

#2 Tools 

Tools play an important role in your woodworking project. Not only will it impact the efficiency of your work, but also the waste and your energy consumption. 

Spending money to fully stock your woodshop might look good, but is not good if you will not be using them. You should only purchase the tools that you need. There are a range of different things to look out for, for example, new and recent tools that will enable you to work more efficiently, such as the 2021 best spiral cutterhead jointer , alternatively, you could pool together with local woodworkers and swap and share your tools. 

#3 Chemicals 

Many of the chemicals that are used in woodwork projects can be harmful to humans, as well as the environment. By switching to eco-friendly alternatives, such as water-based paints or wood stains, you can keep yourself, and the environment safe while practicing more sustainable woodwork and disposal. 

Making just a few simple changes to the way you purchase and dispose of wood, choosing your tools carefully, and switching out toxic chemicals, can do wonders for the environment without having to inconvenience you too much. 

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.