Three furniture businesses have been nominated for a national award, and one of them happens to be a small factory located right here in Vermont.

For nearly 33 years, Copeland Furniture has been making all types of products. They recently made an effort to become more environmentally friendly, which led them to be nominated for the Sage Award. This award recognizes environmental accomplishments within the furnishing and bedding industries.

“In Vermont I think we’ve got kind of a tradition of taking care of our forest land. There’s kind of a conversationalist mentality that goes back long before the advent of the popular green movement” said Tim Copeland, the president of the company.

Copeland uses top of the line materials that come from within 500 miles of the factory. They have mastered the art of turning wood such as maple, cherry, or walnut into a finished product to be shipped all over the U.S. and beyond.

The furniture compant has made some other green efforts to help the environment.

“ We’ve re-lighted half of the factory, and we’re working on finishing that. We’re converting our heating systems over to make them more efficient. It works solely off our scrap wood, which we will also turn into pellets. We are experimenting with finishes and we’re pushing to get customers more interested in water-based finish because we think it’s good for the environment and our employees too” said Mark Burzynski, the plant manager.

Copeland Furniture will find out if they win the Sage Award on December 2nd, at a reception in Greensboro, North Carolina.