Sustainability Policy

Ellen Strachan and Pigeon Loft Murals are committed to minimizing our environmental impact. We have begun to make changes and continue to evaluate our response as we strive to make further improvements. Here are some of the areas where we already have measures in place or plan to make changes:

1.   Energy Use

In place:

·        In our home studio, all of our energy is supplied through Octopus Energy’s renewable tariff. The Renewable Energy Association have given Octopus Energy their award for ‘the company that’s done the most to advance UK renewables’ for the last two years running. For every electron they supply from the grid, they invest in the generation of another green electron to take its place. They are also investing in technologies to drive system wide change and help end to end the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels. Read more at: https://octopus.energy/blog/what-makes-us-green/

·        We do what we can to reduce our energy use- the simple things such as not overfilling the kettle or putting on a jumper rather than turning the thermostat up but there is still much to do:

To do:

·        We want to insulate the walls and underfloor of our home to reduce the amount of heat wasted within the next 5 years.

·        We want to end our use of gas which is currently used for heating and cooking by replacing our gas hob with an electric induction hob and our gas boiler with a heat pump within the next 5 years.

·        We want to understand the suitability of micro-generation of electricity, for example using solar panels, for our building.

2.   Materials

Paints:

In place:

·        We normally paint with water-based paints with low VOC (volatile organic compound) levels. There are a few exceptions to this, for example, when sealing stained surfaces to prolong the life of the painting support or to provide a base coat allowing adhesion to a tricky surface. Each job is assessed, and we will use water-based, low VOC paints where possible.

·        In the past, we have used exterior water-proof paints for durability in large commercial spaces, but we’ve recently changed to using interior paints with a topcoat mural varnish to prevent the need to wash-up brushes and pots from multiple colours of exterior paint which contains more harmful substances than interior paint.

·        To limit water-based paints being washed down the sink, excess paint is wiped from brushes, rollers, and paint trays with old newspaper/packaging paper before washing up.

To do:

·        We’re not happy to let it rest there. There’s a lot of greenwashing in the world of paints with many brands claiming that they are eco-friendly based only on low VOC content. Most paints contain plastics that are washed straight down the sink when washing up brushes, pots, and trays. On first sight, the greenwashing from paint companies is impenetrable but we are determined to get to the bottom of this and will be conducting a review of available paint brands, their available finishes, colour range, pot sizes, durability guarantees and ingredients to gain a much better understanding of the green credentials of different paints to inform a future approach. To be complete by April 2025.

·        Visit Forest recycling which supplies reused and reprocessed paints to gain a better understanding of which paint types are available for general and community projects by April 2025.

Durability: Producing a durable painting is also an important consideration as more environmental impact could be caused by having to repaint surfaces frequently if a less durable paint is used.

Equipment:

In place: To reduce the amount of washing-up needed, our large paint trays have lids and we cover brushes to prevent drying out between use. For paint-pots, we use re-use food packaging.

To do: eliminate the use of clingfilm for covering by April 2025.

Wood:

In place: We have suppliers in place to provide used plywood and scaffolding boards and will give first consideration to these for projects where use of wood is required.

3.   Transport

In place: We always give consideration to whether public transport could be used for a journey and do so if it is. For example, where we can leave tools and paints on-site, we often drop off the materials on the first day and collect them at the end of the project by car with journeys in-between made by public transport.

4.   Waste

In place:

·        Unused paints are kept for future projects or taken to local authority recycling centre where they are sent to be re-used or reprocessed at paint recycling projects.

·        Other waste is sorted into recycling, landfill and where available, compostable, and disposed of appropriately.

To do: We plan to further investigate paint systems where pigments are mixed into a paint base as required during a project. This has the potential to reduce waste from excessive quantities of pre-mixed coloured paint. This is probably most appropriate for murals requiring a painterly effect rather than a limited colour palette- we will investigate this approach and its applications by April 2025.

Ellen Strachan

Last updated 15/04/2024