Sustainability

As playground design-builders, we think about kids a lot. What kind of world are we building for them?

Wood is more than an aesthetic preference or a business decision. At Earthscape, wood is a corporate philosophy and an ethical commitment. As our primary material for playgrounds, we value it for its beauty and versatility. It creates an embodied dialogue between playground creators (designers, engineers, and carpenters) and end-users (children, families, and communities). Designs speak of the deep affinity for wood’s depth, warmth, and even its ability to age, thus remaining true to the complexities of life. Wood allows us to think through our responsibilities with respect to climate change. Wood is renewable, recyclable, and has a low carbon footprint and embodied energy. Using wood for playgrounds reduces the carbon footprint both in terms of carbon storage and by avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. As compared to the production of a plastic or metal playground, wood processing uses far less fossil fuel energy.

Our commitment to sustainability extends to all parts of the business. This means that we maintain close business relationships with our North American wood suppliers. Earthscape timber is graded in accordance with standards established by the Canadian Lumber Standards Accreditation Board and the National Lumber Grading Authority. Earthscape is a member of the Canadian Wood Council and sources much of its timber from Canada. Canada’s timber harvesting laws are among the strictest in the world, ensuring that sustainable forest management practices are followed across the country.

Earthscape has committed to planting a minimum of one tree for every tree used in our production process, through local reforestation initiatives and in partnership with One Tree Planted, a global reforestation non-profit.