Eastwood: 20th century workshop reduces its carbon footprint
Seven years of protecting an old forest with a reforestation project of native species
After the January 2012 M&O show we had an important conversation: the world was definitively changing and our structure and the way we were manufacturing was too 20th century: melting metal, steel molds, wood, plastic… . Some years ago we decided to follow the suggestion of our box supplier to use recyclable cardboard as a material. We would normally only buy wood (and all our materials) in Spain, with Certificate of Origin, but this was a drop in the ocean . We decided to buy a plot of land with a forest and rescue it. It had to be less than two hours away far from Madrid . We finally found one and bought it a year later . The land had been abandoned for more than 30 years: it had been cultivated, burned and forgotten. It had a fantastic forest with old oaks, pine and pomegranate trees, some olive trees and quite a few fig trees. There were also the remains of a stone house, some enormous rocks with strong energy. There was no evident source of water sources and everything seemed to be covered by huge and impenetrable bushes with blackberries. You couldn´t even see the whole plot land . It had something, however . I have a sort of daydream… In a way this land was like Clint Eastwood: brilliant cinematically and musically, too fond of weapons, at the same time sensitive and tough. Complex but interesting. Rich in possibilities. We called it “Eastwood” . Hard work started: clearing and discovering, planning water sources respecting the land´s shape and characteristics, from its highest to the lowest point. Following the Permaculture principles of cultivating water . Once we had located and guaranteed a source of water for the land, we started the reforestation with autochthonous or native deciduous trees . We chose to plant autochthonous trees because we wanted to rescue original species and to restore the forest to its original state. Deciduous trees because they absorb CO2 better . The project continues. We keep improving the quality of the soil, so new plants and trees can grow healthy and ecologically. We are trying to maintain water as long as possible within the land, building small water reservoirs, saving rain water, recycling waste water and irrigation water . After seven years we have reduced considerably our carbon footprint and our aim is to reduce it even further until we have no carbon footprint at all . NOTE: the project is actually far more complex, but that’s another story.
