The Mission
Timber Offcuts turns wood scraps into retail goods that raise funds to plant trees and help people in need.
Trees offer a lot. Other than shade and good looks, one of their most valuable assets is their intake of carbon dioxide from the air. Think of them as pollution sponges, soaking up all the bad things us humans constantly expel into the atmosphere. Using them as a building material is great because that carbon is “stored” as timber. While building these buildings, scraps are generated that would otherwise be put into a landfill. So we turn these scraps into things that can be sold, raising money to plant more trees!
That’s not all…
For now, we’re helping plant more trees. Long term we’re looking to help offset the impacts of gentrification. Mass timber construction provides a path towards a more sustainable building culture. But the elephant remains in the room; how can new development acknowledge the local communities that aren’t benefiting? Is there an opportunity for mass timber construction to have a positive socioeconomic impact?
What if the scraps from each mass timber building were turned into a series of products, like an album, and auctioned off as pieces of art to raise money for a marginalized community in the immediate vicinity of the new building? The use of the new building could indicate where proceeds are directed.
For example…
A new private school building could suggest proceeds be directed towards education for low income families nearby.
Or the offcuts from a new residential building are made into home goods that raise money to address homelessness in the area.
Or a new office building’s offcuts could raise funds to support job outreach for minoritized community members nearby.
Or a new transportation facility could generate funds to increase mobility for those without cars.
