Sustainability
PERFECTING INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY
In pursuit of a more sustainable system to design, manufacture and sell glass.
Our vertically integrated factory allows the proximity to immediately address key issues. From renewable energy and waste management, to paying a living wage and creation of green spaces, we are working to protect our environment and improve our community.
WORK IN PROGRESS
We approach our work through the lens of eco futurism, but to evolve our system to become more sustainable and dynamic we need to work from all sides
Current Practices
Completed in 2021
Natural Cleaning Products
While it may not seem like a large action, we have 30,000 sq ft of space that needs cleaning consistently. Of the most toxic chemicals in any building, typically many are found in standard cleaning products. There are readily available substitutes for all of our needs and we no longer have to worry about the harm caused by what is going down the drain.
Completed in 2021
Bio Packaging
We use biodegradable materials in all aspects of our business where possible. From paper goods for serving events to bin liners, we have tested each biodegradable product to see what actually breaks down into natural material.
Completed in 2021
100% LED Lighting
Our building is an adaptive reuse of an old manufacturing site and in the process of modernizing our building, we are in the final stages of eliminating all non-LED lighting.
Completed in 2020
Solar Powered
Our rooftop solar power system produces a large portion of the energy we use in the building. This is the most efficient way we can make our facility more sustainable in terms of energy consumption. For all other electricity needs, we source from 100% renewable energy.
Ongoing Pursuits
Engage in 2023
Rooftop Water Capture and Recycling
Currently our stormwater is not captured from the building’s rooftop and this presents an opportunity to tie in an onsite source for our grey water needed for production and other grey water needs at our building.
Engage in 2023
Pollinators and Pollinator Habitat
We look to create pollinator habitat with all possible green areas onsite and will install several bee hives on the roof to have onsite pollinators.
Engage in 2023
Zero Waste Certification
This third party certification would include data tracking, an audit from an outside party, and confirmation that we meet rigorous criteria for the certification. This certification for the Glass House as a whole would include our glass studio Hennepin Made, and our event business ensuring all aspects of our operations are cohesive in committing to the values we champion.
Engage in 2023
Greenhouse heated by waste heat from Glass Studio
As you can imagine melting glass requires a lot of heat and heat means energy. We have identified an opportunity to recycle the waste heat into a greenhouse that will be able to produce onsite produce.
Engage in 2022
Environmental and Social Impacts
We are diving deep to better understand our carbon footprint and our impacts to minimize our harm to the planet. This starts with a third party evaluation of our environmental and social impacts throughout the products' life cycle and our production practices. The evaluation will give us a roadmap to the most impactful changes we can make and from there we will set our action plan.
We will publish our action plan and commitments to share with everyone our journey in the practical work of becoming more sustainable.