BUYING GREEN

Photograph by Juliette Blasor

IN Roger Corman's wonderfully loony 1960 movie "The Little Shop of Horrors," a florist assistant finds a mysterious plant resembling a Venus Flytrap. The plant, which he names Audrey II in honor of a secret love, is in dire need of care. But as the poor bloke soon discovers, Audrey prefers human blood to water and before long, mayhem ensues as he tries to keep up with the plant's pressing command: "Feed me." The American marketplace is a lot like Audrey; it too is a monster that requires constant feeding and American consumers are all too eager to respond to its incessant one syllable refrain: "Buy."

STILL, new forces are coming into play to reshape the American marketplace.
 Environmental concerns and growing awareness about man's impact upon Earth's limited resources are encouraging more and more consumers to rethink their role as buyers. In turn, corporate America is responding to this awakening sense of environmental consumerism by delivering products that respond to the new zeitgeist. How to find out about these products?

LOOK AROUND the internet and you'll be surprised at the number of interesting websites devoted to green products. Of course it's all in the service of commerce but at least these are products that embody an ethos of environmental responsibility. Pristineplanet.com, which has been around since 2004, connects eco savvy consumers with socially responsible merchants selling apparel, furniture, food & beverages, health & beauty products and more. Under home & garden, for example, you'll find many categories such as appliances, cleaners, products for the different rooms of the house, lighting, even musical instruments. Each product is accompanied by a brief explanation and picture, plus a link with the corresponding merchant for anyone interested in buying the item. Some products are quite unusual like the unisex movie film belt listed under belts in the apparel section.  Retailing for $22, this belt is made from "35 mm Hollywood movies that are no longer run in theaters. The movie film is backed with a clear film leader so you can see the images when held up to the light." Now that's one exciting way to recycle film!

GREENANDMORE.COM, a one stop eco-shopping site for energy-saving and recycled products, came online in 1999 and is run by Boston Green Goods Inc., currently ranked #421 on the Internet Retailer Top 500 websites. It covers a broad spectrum of products including air purifiers, appliances, dehumidifiers, electronics, furniture, bedding and plenty more. The three products featured under bicycles were hand picked by the company as "some of the best options for getting around cities and towns across America." They don't come cheap but boy are these bikes a beaut: the Strida 5.0 LT Folding Bicycle ($649); the iXi Breakaway Compact Bicycle ($999); and the iXi Standard Compact Bicycle ($799). The bags & backpacks section offers some intriguing choices like purses made out of license plates (prices range from $60 to $280). The electronics section offers portable solar battery chargers and kill-a-watt electricity monitors to help you unplug. Under bedding, you'll find organic pillows, mattresses, and mattress pads. Recycled products sold through greenandmore.com are manufactured from such materials as soda bottles, rubber tires, street signs, copper, recycled paper and even car seat belts, according to the site. Even if you don't buy, it is interesting to see the diversity of green products for sale nowadays. A real eye opener for this reader!

WITH A NAME LIKE ecostiletto.com and sections devoted to beauty, food, fashion and shopping (via digital store), this website is arguably attuned to female buyers. Still, there is no reason why male consumers can't drop by and check out the site since some information is clearly of interest to both sexes. Like a piece currently posted under the section ESTV about how Ford company became the first auto car manufacturer to create an entire car  -- the new Ford Focus Electric -- composed of 100 percent sustainable materials. Furthermore, "The company incorporates post-consumer recycled materials into all aspects of design, including transforming yarn into seat fabrics, upcycling nylon carpet into cylinder head covers, and recycling two pairs of used jeans into each car made. And Ford established a protocol that recycles 95 percent of materials from all 'retired' Ford cars."

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS, recycled/repurposed products, fair trade products, cruelty free products, vegan and organic products. They're all part of a movement that is gaining traction and aims to enable mankind to continue developing without completely wrecking the environment. Presidential contender Rick Santorum recently stated that "We're not here to serve the earth. The earth is not the objective. Man is the objective." Earth and man are tied to each other in a permanent and ineluctable bond; it's not a question of either serving the other. It is simply a question that should we  destroy the planet through our relentless misuse and exploitation of its finite resources, man will end up digging his own grave. Without Earth, man is a goner.

"Cherish"
  Artwork by Denise Blasor

                                 

                    This is how we go on: one day at a time, one meal at a time,

                        one pain at a time, one breath at a time.  --  Stephen King

✄A SIMPLE TIP:
Notices, forms, advertisements with a blank side make ideal notepaper.
Just cut the paper into four sections and keep the stack handy to write down
messages, reminders or thoughts.

Photograph by Juliette Blasor
I would listen to my heartbeat.
I couldn't imagine that this sound
which had been with me
for so long could ever stop.
Albert Camus, The Stranger

Copyright  © 2012 Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved