Seeing the forest – and the trees

At Dunn Lumber, we recognize that we're citizens of planet earth, not just consumers of its resources. One of the responsibilities of citizenship is to minimize our role in adversely impacting the environment and its ecological biodiversity. As a matter of company policy, we regularly evaluate and minimize the waste, energy consumption, toxicity and ecological damage resulting from our operations. We aggressively seek to partner with companies with similar values.

Under the guidance of a committee of Dunn Lumber employees, we've made a company-wide cultural shift that focuses on identifying opportunities for improvement in three critical areas: recycling; energy use; and procurement of products from responsible suppliers.

Recycling - Our recycling policies and programs have succeeded in cutting the amount of our solid waste by half. Recycling balers installed at each of our ten locations help keep tens of thousand of pounds of waste materials out of landfills. Besides collecting materials like office paper, glass and aluminum cans, we also recycle cardboard packaging, fluorescent tubes and ballasts, toner cartridges, computer parts, wood scraps, tarps, steel banding and plastic 'shed wrap' sheeting used to protect finished lumber during shipping.

One measure of the success of our efforts is that all of our yards have been able to substantially reduce the size and/or the frequency of pickup of their garbage dumpsters.

Energy use - We are replacing energy-inefficient incandescent and old-style fluorescent and HID systems with new, high-efficiency "T8" type fluorescent lighting, resulting in better lighting and dramatically lower power use. We continue to examine other energy-consuming processes as well as research and deploy alternate technologies.

Product procurement - Dunn Lumber's principal business is buying and selling forest products. Although forestry practices have dramatically improved in much of the world, there are still countries where logging is not carried out responsibly. Our goal is to purchase wood products only from those companies who demonstrate a commitment to managing natural resources in such a way as to ensure conservation of biodiversity, maintain soil and water quality and quantity, regulate harvest levels to sustain long-term productivity, and integrate forestry and recreational land use.

To ensure compliance, we encourage and recognize various forms of third-party verification of sustainable forestry practices such as the Canadian Standards Association, the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. As an example, Dunn Lumber has received Chain of Custody certification from the Forest Stewardship Council, authorizing us to guarantee the authenticity of FSC materials we buy and sell.

We're also proud to feature innovative products made from recycled or secondary materials or which utilize new energy-efficient technologies or less-toxic ingredients. Products like decking made from recycled grocery bags, arsenic-free treated wood, non-formaldehyde insulation or sprays without atmosphere-damaging CFCs were unavailable a few short years ago. But their demonstrated environmental benefits have resulted in increased demand and acceptance in the marketplace.

At Dunn Lumber, our long term commitment is to balance the demands of running a successful business with the responsibility of minimizing potential damage to our environment. In meeting that commitment, we will constantly provide our customers and fellow citizens of planet earth with the most accurate information possible so they can make informed decisions.