Beyond Recycling

Studio owners around the world are exploring new ways to run environmentally conscious businesses—and they believe Joseph Pilates would approve.

- Anne Marie O’Connor

YOU RECYCLE , YOU TOTE A REFILL ABLE WATER BOTTLE VERY WHERE , YOU CHOOSE “GREEN ” CLEANING PRODUCTS . But some studio owners have made being ecologically responsible a crusade, exploring and implementing new, innovative ways to create truly eco-friendly businesses.

“We didn’t initially set out to build a ‘green’ studio; our goal was to create a healthy indoor environment for Pilates,” says C.J. Meffie, the co-owner of Atlas Pilates in Seattle with his wife Teresa Shupe. (Shupe is a Romana Kryzanowska–trained Pilates teacher, while Meffie runs the business.) “But it turned out Pilates-friendly goals were very much aligned with environmentally friendly ones.” It also helped them stick to their tight budget.

“I don’t think one needs to be an expert in green building or spend a lot of capital to avoid polluting the indoor air with easily avoided toxins or permitting energy or water to be wasted,” he adds. “Awareness is inexpensive and goes a long way.”

So in 2013, they moved from an 800-square foot live-work unit to their current 2,500-square foot studio. “It was a raw space in a new LEED Silver certified building,” he says. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design; it sets standards for water and energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality.) “It’s safe to say that the owner of a LEED building is already going to understand the benefits [of being environmentally conscious], and is likely to be more understanding of the studio’s concerns.”