Local Video
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| It's easy buying green |
By: RACHEL TORGERSON, editor@northfieldnews.com
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Posted: Friday, July 30, 2010 10:44 pm
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Women and Kids on Division’s Joyce Hoogenakker carries stuffed animals made from bamboo along with other green products for children. (News photo by Rachel Torgerson).section_image {width: 300px}
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These days, going green means anything from using a tin water bottle instead of plastic to buying eco-friendly toys, accessories and even greeting cards. There are so many ways to go green, and downtown Northfield has plenty of products that make going green easy.
From stuffed animals made of recycled plastic bottles to purses made of recycled inner tubes, Northfield has a lot of options for environmentally conscious shoppers.
Merchants say that though the products are more expensive, the cause is worth the extra cost and that customers value having the option to choose green products over products that aren’t as environmentally friendly.
“For the most part we have to find a balance of carrying the products we believe in, but also keep it in the price range that the Northfield community will pay for. Natural products are more expensive than others,” said Gina Lovestrand, manager at Monarch in downtown Northfield.
APPAREL
Many downtown stores have 100 percent certified organic cotton apparel merchandise. This cotton is made from plants that have not been genetically modified and have not been sprayed with synthetic chemicals from fertilizers or pesticides.
A Bag Lady sells vests made from recycled ties and sweaters made from recycled fabrics.
Women and Kids on Division sells a 100 percent certified organic cotton baby clothing line called Kushie Baby.
ACCESSORIES
A Bag Lady sells interesting bags — one of which is made from recycled inner tubes. It’s on clearance for $20.
Glass Garden Beads sells buttons and charms of cut, tumbled and recycled wine bottles from a price range of $3 to $12. Owner Cathy Collison tumbles and cuts the glass by hand. They also sell charms made of recycled bottle caps for $2 to $5. The owner always welcomes more recycled bottle caps.
Jessica Prill, owner of Oolala, remakes old or broken jewelry and sells it in her store.
“We do a lot of remaking jewelry, taking older jewelry that is broken or no longer in fashion and remaking it — making it into something beautiful,” said shopkeeper Morgan Livesay.
Present Perfect has tote bags made of various recycled items from newspapers, to juice boxes to fabric scraps. Millions of these types of things get thrown away, but merchandise at offers an alternative — wear it. The totes are available in different styles and sizes and are on sale for $17.95 and $14.95 marked down from $35 and $34.
“We love recycling! We recycle all the packaging material we can, we reuse packaging material — rewrap things in it. I’ve tried to encourage people not to take a bag, in fact I will give them a nickel if they don’t — instant gratification,” said Mary Rossing, owner of Present Perfect.
Ragstock downtown gently used clothing and sells unusual wallets made from recycled milk cartons for $19.99.
“It’s a good idea to use recycled products whenever you can and use green products as often as you can. The idea of buying recycled clothing is a good option too. Anything you can do to create less waste is a good thing,” said Emilie Parker, manager at the Northfield Ragstock.
HOME/GARDEN
Monarch sells hand-made wind chimes from recycled tin and copper.
According to copper.org, copper has in infinite recyclable life and can be used over and over again.
Oolala sells a line of detergents, recycled dryer sheets and fragrances that are completely natural from The Good Home Company. Detergents sell for $25 while sheet sprays sell for $18.
Most of The Good Home Company’s ingredients are made fromvegetable compounds. Its products are biodegradable and not tested on animals.
BEAUTY
Monarch’s scented beauty products are all made naturally, and are glycerin free with essential oils.
Most of the time, said Lovestrand, manager at Monarch, natural products come with Eco-friendly packaging, which is an added bonus. “We do a lot of research before we carry a new line to make sure it is up to our standards.”
Oolala also carries all-natural beauty products.
GIFTS
Monarch sells Aroma scented pillar candles. Aroma candles use 100 percent pure plant ingredients and all-cotton, lead-free wicks. These candles start at $13.
Completely biodegradable party napkins are also available at Monarch.
Positively Green Greeting Cards are also sold at Monarch. They are printed on recycled paper and they also donate part of their profits to green causes.
Paper Petalum sells a greeting card kit called “Re-greet.” The kit allows you to reuse a greeting card you liked, cover up the sender’s writing and resend with a new envelope. You can even track where your card is and how many people have used it.
“It’s a wonderful product,” said Eleanor Croone, owner of Paper Petalum. “It’s what they want people to do — recycle, reuse.” Croone added that the lady who started Re-greet is from the Twin Cities area.
Present Perfect has a collection of books on cleaning and eating naturally. One such book is entitled “Naturally Clean Home” by Karyn Siegel-Maier.
TOYS
Women and Kids on Division sells a variety of eco-friendly toys for children. It carries stuffed animals made from recycled plastic bottles (in the shape of cats, dogs and owls — from $8 to $22) and bamboo (in the shape of various birds — $8). It also sells wooden rattles made from rubber wood that is completely biodegradable and recyclable.
“I try and find green products, but a lot of times the green products get to be so costly. The stuffed animals were something that did well and we continue to sell it very well,” said Joyce Hoogenakker, owner of Women and Kids on Division.
Rachel Torgerson is an intern for the Northfield News. Reach her at 645-1115. |
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And that's not all!
Eco Gardens across from Econofoods, Econofoods and Just Food, and the Sketchy Artist, to name just a few more, all carry "green" products as part of their product lines. Green is becoming mainstream, in a good way, no longer a trendly alternative choice. If you look, you can see it everywhere!