Ethical Practices in the Glass Studio

by C Wedgbrow

The policies and procedures for the fused glass bird designs and glass art, evolved to help The Glass Bakery reduce its environmental [bird track?] footprint as much as possible.

 

Passive, Solar and Wool?!
The glass studio is heated by passive heat from the electric Kilns, solar energy (windows) and natural wool (wearing a jumper)! I've been known to start glass work at less than 5C in the winter, though admittedly not for long bursts as wearing gloves isn't practical when working at the level of fine detail necessary for the glass birds! In the summer, there's no air conditioning in the studio - only windows! No health and safety rules on minimum or maximum working temperature for this Canadian glass artist!
Currently I'm working in a temporary studio where electric lighting is used - once the natural daylight fades, glass art production halts! That's conserving energy!

Recycling and Repurposing! 

Waste is recycled wherever possible. Wholesale packaging makes use of repurposed newspapers, and pre-used boxes where available. New packaging material is comprised of recycled Kraft brown paper, card, corrugated card and paper wadding. Paper is surprisingly good for packing glass and no expensive honey-combed packaging is required! 

Minimal bubble wrap is used, and the wrap is "eco-friendly" with as much recycled content as commercially available. All the packaging used is recyclable as part of household waste within Canada. Unbleached paper-based or cardboard protective packaging materials are favoured to reduce environmental waste, contamination and exposure to chemicals.

Unfortunately, there is currently no commercial glass recycling in Western Nova Scotia, but raw glass material waste has been minimised through a bit of creative thinking!

Natural Retail Packaging

Retail packaging for the glass art and birds uses Kraft brown paper, paper wadding, corrugated card and natural fibres. In 2023, vinyl stickers on bird perches were replaced with wood branding. If you find anything vinyl in your gift package, it'll be because I'm using up old stock to avoid waste!

Cruelty Free Cleaning

All cleaning products used in the glass studio are Cruelty Free and Environmentally Friendly brands. Traditional silicone polymer and paraffin wax wood preservative for the birds live-edge perches was stopped in 2022 and replaced with natural oils such as Hemp or Linseed.

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