SUSTAINABILITY
At Studio Shed, quality design, environmental stewardship, and affordability are not conflicting ideas. We are committed to building a more sustainable future and protecting the great outdoors throughout all areas of our business. Our goal is to create spaces that enhance and expand your living space and add value to your home while embracing the idea that living smarter is better than living bigger.
OUR COMMITMENTS
RESPONSIBLE MATERIAL SOURCING
Our devotion to a greener future begins with our materials. Every Studio Shed model is constructed with a variety of eco-friendly building materials and complies with even the most stringent of energy codes. The dimensional lumber we source is FSC-certified, meaning that it comes from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits. Our Energy-efficient Marvin windows and doors help reduce your power consumption while making your Studio Shed more comfortable, allowing you to rely less on your heating and air conditioning units in all climate areas. At Studio Shed, intention and innovation are at the heart of every design, focusing on features and materials that will extend the life of our product and support a more sustainable future for our environment.
MINIMAL WASTE
Beyond our commitment to green materials, we strive to create as little waste as possible when building each of our structures. Our optimized engineering and clean factory production ensure the highest quality, minimal waste, and a product that installs efficiently. Building a Studio Shed rather than a home renovation or addition requires not only fewer resources, time, and costs but also reduces the amount of waste produced dramatically. The typical construction site generates an average of 3.9 pounds of waste per square foot of the building requiring large dumpsters on-site, while on-site assembly of a Studio Shed typically only fills one large garbage can. In addition to waste reduction, we are also pioneering a robust materials recycling program at our production facility. 100% of unused metal scraps from the fabrication of our CloudLite and VistaLite structural windows is recycled, and all clean wood waste from our shop is composted.
LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY
SMALLER LIVING
- ADUs can cut CO2 emissions by almost 40% over a lifetime, compared to the traditional family homes
- ADUs reduce energy consumption as they take less time to heat up and cool down and use less water than larger homes
- Smaller living creates a cap for how many materials goods the resident can fit in their home – this encourages them to shop less, share when they need, and reuse as often as they can
- When you purchase a Studio Shed, there’s no need to install additional electrical, gas, or sewage lines since it is connected to the existing utilities in your home, which helps lower your overall carbon footprint
URBAN INFILL & WALKABLE COMMUNITIES
- ADUs are a gentle way to add housing density in cities, without the need to develop and build on new lots
- ADUs reduce development pressure on outlying areas, which helps protect land that serves ecological functions
- ADUs reduce the number of people who need cars by creating walkable communities – this helps lower greenhouse gas emissions and improves air quality
- Urban Infill leads to the cleanup and reuse of abandoned sites, often removing hazardous materials from neglected areas
TELECOMMUTING:
- Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., accounting for over 28% of total emissions in 2018 – vehicles are responsible for about 82% of all transportation emissions
- The average U.S. car emits 4.7 metric tons of CO2 per year. Assuming that the average employee drives 30 miles to and from work each day, telecommuting would reduce transportation-related emissions by about 69% each year
- Less use of fossil fuels – 650 million barrels of oil would be saved if half of the U.S workforce worked remotely
- Reduced power consumption from large offices – if 50% of the total workforce telecommuted, nearly $500 billion would be saved in electricity, real estate, and employee turnover
- Reduces office waste such as paper and plastic goods
DECREASES GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS:
DIMINISHES CARBON FOOTPRINTS
LOOKING AHEAD
A Studio Shed is one of the most energy-efficient structures you can find on the market, however, we know there’s always room for improvement. That’s why we are working diligently to achieve net-zero emissions with each of our structures. In order to achieve this goal we plan to add solar panels and skylights to our product offering by the end of 2021. Solar panels provide many advantages such as reducing greenhouse gas and CO2 emissions and alleviating the strain on finite resources in the U.S. Skylights are also a great way to ensure your home is more sustainable. Like the energy-efficient windows and doors we currently provide, skylights reduce the need for air conditioning and heating systems throughout the day and allow you to light your studio or ADU with natural light, which decreases power consumption as well as waste from lightbulbs. The entire team here at Studio Shed is passionate about the need for change when it comes to saving the environment and we are proud to offer products that contribute to this goal of creating a greener planet.
