Richard Weigand says he does not regard sustainability as an “issue.” The term’s intent is best exemplified when “it becomes a way of life as opposed to a principal that one is waving a flag over. I believe in the idea of moderation in all things; I know people who say about using trees for making things, cut one, plant one. And that’s a good idea too.”
In woodworking, my operating basis is, it’s not so much a matter of cutting or not cutting trees, but of what do you do with the wood. Use it properly, not wastefully. In the end, you should ask, does the product’s usefulness outweigh the destructive value of cutting the tree? And if the answer is yes, then you’ve done something worthwhile.
I’m not really much of a flag-waver. I’m not trying to promote a political position or a trendy topic of discussion. But utilizing resources thoughtfully is just logical. Simply living on planet earth means you do a degree of harm, but there’s a logical degree to which I can inflict, without being a menace to the world.