Social Impact

SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT

The Environment

· We purchase and reclaim vintage items that we know are safe, can be restored and pass them onto you.

· We support the local economy buying a majority of our items within Oregon and Washington. This helps keep fuel costs and environmental impact down.

· We salvage many furniture parts to rebuild pieces before recycling scraps.

Recyling & Waste

· We used Metro Recycled Paint for our walls and ceiling.

· We use minimum 30% post-consumer recyclable paper products.

· Our average garbage disposal is less than one 13 gallon bag per week.

Energy Efficiency

· We use Flourescent Lighting

· We use Energy Star Electronics.

· We buy Blue Sky Wind Energy

· No Air Conditioning

Community

· We bank with a local credit union, keeping our money within the community.

· Member - Board of Directors, Montavilla Business Association

· We support the local economy by supporting other local small businesses.

· We support the Montavilla Farmers Market.

· We donate a percentage of profits to two organizations each year.

Shipping & Packing

· We purchase misprinted or previously used boxes for shipping.

· We recycle packing peanuts at our location. Just bring in your clean packing peanuts in an enclosed bag or call us for more info.

When you shop at Shag, you should know how your purchase impacts our environment. Every piece you purchase has a story behind it, someone who coveted it previously and it has been passed through us onto you.

Through thoughtful reuse, salvaging, and a good recycling program, we discovered that our weekly garbage disposal was less than one 13 gallon bag... which is something we like to brag about.

Shag constantly works with local businesses in our neighborhood and throughout the Portland area. We also use a local Credit Union for our business and personal accounts instead of a multi-national corporate bank.

We believe that supporting local businesses and keeping our money within our local economy supports our environment, education system, and the overall quality of life in Portland.

Shag works with 2 organizations each year through donations and/or special events. One organization is always local, and the second tends to be national or global. This year, because of our relocation, we have donated to the non-profit Montavilla Farmers Market to promote locally and regionally grown fresh foods and on a Global scale we have donated to Mercy Corps to help in Haiti.

Future Goals

We're Not Perfect, but we're trying... which is why we have a list of projects we hope to accomplish in the near future. If you have other ideas, let us know!

·      Move our web site hosting to 100% Wind Power Energy.
·      Identify new products that can be reused by future consumers. Things like CDs and books are on the list.
·      Work with local organizations to educate ourselves and our customers in energy efficiency, sustainability, and strengthening our community.
·      Move to 100% Paperless Billing.
·      Research environmentally safe cleaning products.