Looking after our beautiful planet as much as we possibly can is something that means a lot to us here at PWR FIT STUDIOS, so because of this, we have put together a sustainability program so that our small business is making somewhat impact and can hopefully encourage others to do so too, whether it’s in your own home or even in your workplace.
Here are a few of the things that we do in our studio and smoothie bar to be more sustainable:
- COMPOSTING: We use only compostable packaging, for our smoothies, smoothie bowls, coffees, soups (coming soon), and oat pots (coming soon). Now the thing with these compostable packaging items, is that YES they are fantastic and reduce the amount of plastic that we use, however, they are commercially compostable, the same with the majority of the “compostable packaging” that you will try to use/buy in the supermarkets and other food and beverage outlets. What a lot of people don’t realise is that commercial compost items, need to be broken down at certain temperatures in order to officially break down, and be composted. When you put the commercial compost items in your general waste they are actually defeating their purpose of being “compostable” as the commercially compostable items can not be broken down in the landfill, due to the lack of oxygen and heat needed to do so.
How does composting make a difference?
(Information sourced from WECOMPOST website)
Soils play a vital role in carbon sequestration and water retention – approximately 20% of global carbon is held in the soil. By composting, we are putting the biomass into the soil back rather than just taking it away. When organic waste breaks down in an anaerobic environment – like in a landfill – a significantly higher proportion of methane gas is produced, than if it breaks down in an aerobic environment – like a compost pile, where mostly creates carbon dioxide. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 23 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. So, composting your food waste reduces the production of methane, whereas food waste in landfills can contribute greatly to the greenhouse effect and climate change. Best of all, we can use organic waste to create a useful product that helps to grow more food!
- 100% COTTON ONLY: Our towels, t-towels, bath towels, shower mat, hand towels, dishcloths, uniform t-shirts, etc are all triple checked to ensure they are made from 100% cotton only, and containing absolutely NO POLYESTER (a toxic material commonly used in clothing, towels, etc) Polyester is one of the most popular textiles on the market because it is cheap, durable and light-weight. However polyester is one of the most destructive textiles on the planet due to it being synthetic, man-made, and usually derived from petroleum. It’s a non-biodegradable material that can be categorized as plastic. The production of polyester involves the use of harmful chemicals and carcinogens. As a result, the industry contributes to water and air pollution. If left untreated, it causes irreversible environmental damage.
- ECO CLEANING PRODUCTS: We only use eco-friendly cleaning products that are commercially graded. They contain no toxic chemicals like most household and commercial cleaning products such as bleach, jiff, Ajax to name a few (which are so detrimental to your health). Our cleaning products also contain NO PALM OIL, an oil commonly found in processed foods, cleaning products, shampoos, soaps, and body washes. This oil is causing deforestation in the Amazon and causing many species to become endangered due to loss of habitat and the effects of chopping down the rainforest. Our equipment in the studio is cleaned using biodegradable eco disinfectant wipes, as well as recycled/cotton cleaning cloths.
- WE TRY HAVE LITTLE PAPER TRAIL: Unless we are required to sign an important document or need to print out some new menus, we avoid paper trail and do everything possible that a business can to use our computer/google drive. We don’t offer receipts to customers via paper, however, you can have these emailed to you if you need one for your own business purposes.
- CONSERVE ENERGY: We ensure we switch off all the powerpoints in the facility when we are not using something or when we are closing up for the day to ensure we are not wasting energy. We also turn lights off when they are not needed to be on to help lower our electricity cost and usage!
- SUSTAINABILITY SOURCED FOOD PRODUCTS: We take a lot of care and put a lot of thought into the food items we use in our smoothies, everything must be up to standard with our ethics, for example, we use plant-based protein, plant-based milk alternatives in our smoothies, and only use cows milk for coffee, unless a customer asks otherwise. Our collagen is made from NZ ingredients and free-range. We buy 90% of our frozen fruit from NZ fruit & vegetable farms such as Sujon unless it’s something that can’t be grown here due to our climate for example mango.
- GENERAL WASTE: We as a small business that produces smoothies, coffee, and also have foot traffic from clients who come in for a class or personal training session, only fill up half a rubbish bag of general waste for the entire week, and we are open 7 days! This just goes to show the positive impact of composting and recycling properly and not just putting everything in the rubbish bin because it’s the easy option.
- COFFEE GRIND: All of our coffee grind that doesn’t get used for the day, goes home with staff to make coffee scrubs, and the used coffee grind will go straight back into the gardens and home compost bins. Used coffee grind is a hit in the garden, the plants love and thrive off it!
Our goal is to be a sustainable small business that gives back to the planet and its people, by being mindful of how we run our business, and ensuring that we look after the people by giving them nutritious food items and helping them to move their bodies more functionally to be healthier, fitter, well, beings! If we as a small business in the heart of Kumeu can spend the extra money to ensure we are sustainable then hopefully bigger companies and corporations can start doing the same, and maybe even you can too with the things that you do in your own household. Start by making small changes, because after all, it’s the little changes that each individual makes that can make an even better and bigger change overall.
LET’S DO OUR PART AS INDIVIDUALS!
PWR FIT TEAM