A Worthwhile Commitment

"We often forget that we are nature. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say we have lost our connection to nature, we have lost our connection to ourselves."

- Andy Goldsworth

It might seem a bit odd that a company who manufactures tools for chopping down trees would also be dedicated to saving them. We promise, the irony is not wasted on us. However, simmering at our core behind the facade of our unorthodox design and irreverent brand, a conservationist heart burns intensely.

At Bone Daddy Blade WerX we believe that proper stewardship of the planet begins with an appreciation of the natural world. It is only through first-hand experience that one truly comes to understand that which they wish to preserve. A good example of this would be the often maligned (and grossly misunderstood) "hunter".

In some cultural circles there can be a perception (albeit misguided) that hunters are pillaging the land for personal gain, without a care for the toll their efforts take on the environment, or that they are simply blood thirsty killers. While there may be rare truth to these fears, it is certainly by no means the norm. In fact, it has been my experience that hunters are often the most passionate conservationists there are. They learn the rhythms of nature, they sense her balance, they hear her subtle whisper in the wind, and can read her messages on the earth. One cannot spend countless hours in nature and not also be changed by it. Because of this, I believe that hunters are in fact better suited than most for proper stewardship of the land.

And so it is that Bone Daddy Blade WerX hopes to ultimately establish itself as an industry leader in the perpetual struggle to balance the environmental impact of conducting business & manufacturing against a desire to nurture, support, and sustain the natural world. Ultimately, by reducing weight and increasing functionality, our tools are designed to bring people closer to nature, and in doing so we raise awareness. But this is only half the battle...

Initially, we conceived of a system wherein all products featured on our site would have a corresponding environmental cause/charity to which they are associated. This way, buyers could selectively choose to support the environmental causes they care about with their purchase. A portion of every purchase, no matter the item, would then go directly to supporting some facet of the global conservation effort.

However, after some consideration, we felt that this plan was too broad and impersonal. Sure, there are still those charitable organizations to which we will likely contribute to in some way (One Tree Planted, Arbor Day foundation, etc.), but we are now starting to feel that focusing our efforts on the local level might be the right place to start. A recent social media discussion with some of our tribe members regarding the causes most important to them/you revealed a surprisingly broad amount of support for youth focused, wilderness oriented training and experiential learning opportunities. A consensus felt that quality environmental stewardship begins with properly educated youth. And honestly, we couldn't agree with you more!

That is why, as we prepare to return to Colorado in the fall for fulfillment of the first Axxis Hand Axe orders, we are already looking for ways that BDBW can get involved with the community and become a business leader in environmental activism. More specifically though, we plan to contribute our time to, and become heavily involved with, the Wild Bear Nature Center in the heart of downtown Nederland. Dedicated to youth development, their mission is to "inspire a lifelong connection to nature and community through creative exploration of the outdoors".

Beyond our commitment to conservation and bushcraft training programs, we will of course, always be devoted to reducing our environmental footprint, both as a company and as individuals. These efforts include (but are not limited to) reducing packaging to its most minimal form, using environmentally friendly inks, sourcing raw/untreated or recycled materials when possible, etc. In fact, we have been continuing to refine our packaging, and just recently, we made some functional changes to the box design which has ended up reducing the total package weight by more than 4 ounces. While that might seem insignificant at first thought, this reduction means that more than 250lbs of trash packaging will be removed from our initial order of 1000 Axxis units.