SUSTAINABILITY ON THE FARM
REDUCE
Our climate is changing, and chances are that the maple industry will be impacted in the future. A sugar bush filled with maples helps our environment because these trees sequester and store carbon. It is estimated that HALF of the dry weight of wood is carbon, which was removed from our atmosphere during the growth cycle of the tree. Since a forest is part of the natural carbon cycle, we aim to be excellent stewards of our sugar bush, which includes supporting new growth for future generations of sugar makers.
REUSE
To cut back on our plastic use, we aim to sell our maple products with only reusable or biodegradable materials by 2025. For our first year, we aim to sell a minimum of 70% of our product using glass bottles and eco-friendly mylar bags with compostable films. It will take some effort and unique packaging design to remove 100% of plastic from our products but this is a top priority. We welcome feedback about our packaging and suggestions that may help us achieve our goal.
RECYCLE
At Ithaca Maple Works we rely on a gravity vacuum system that uses plastic tubing, spouts, and connectors to transfer sap from the tree to the sugarhouse. In the event that our tubing is damaged by cute squirrels or fallen trees, we have opted to recycle our used plastic materials. As part of the Recycling Agricultural Plastics Project (RAPP), we provide all of our recyclable maple harvesting supplies to NBF Plastics in Auburn, NY. NBF Plastics incorporates these materials into a plastic plywood substitute.
