CT Green Scene

Common Good Market Makes Common Sense

by Heather Burns

Have you ever bought something just because it was a good deal? Over the years, I’ve been guilty of “retail therapy,” like buying discounted designer shoes that were a half size too small; plastic, disposable toys made in China because they were 4 for $1; and a new comforter (full of fire retardants) with each new season that fell apart within months.  While these “bargains” may have temporarily quelled my urge to consume, not only did they mean nothing to me 5 minutes after walking out of the store, they came attached to an enormous ecological price tag.

My awareness has grown over time and I've made progress toward becoming a more conscious shopper (mostlly by avoiding places like the mall altogether), but Rick and Elizabeth Conrad, co-founders of Common Good Market have a mantra: buy things made to last by people who live and work in your community. An online marketplace of artisan-crafted home goods sourced and assembled in New England, Common Good Market has a vision of connectivity that inspires.

Quality vs. Quantity

“When we focus on buying items based on quality, beauty and utility – we surround ourselves with things that serve our needs and that we treasure, value and pass on,” Conrad says. “I’ve been married for thirty years and like a lot of people in that situation, we’ve accumulated a lot of stuff that has or will end up in the waste stream. Instead, we can buy things made by people whose story we know and whose work we love.”

Conscious consumer advocates would argue that this type of “conscious consumerism”—that is understanding that value extends beyond price – is more personally rewarding and has far less negative impact on the environment than purchasing disposable or products that suffer from planned obsolescence.

Building a Living Economy

And it’s not just the environment that benefits from products like those featured by Common Good Market – the local economy is also positively impacted by purchasing locally-sourced, handmade or small batch manufactured goods. “When we choose to buy a table made by a local artisan using sustainably harvested woods, we will absolutely spend more money on that table than we would spend for a table at the chain furniture store. The table at the chain may look nice and may even be made from solid, sustainably harvested wood. But if the table is imported, then how did that purchase support our local workforce? How much of what we spent went back to support the people living and working in our own neighborhood,” says Conrad.

“Visit our site (www.commongoodmarket.com) and read artisan profiles about the lives, passion and dedication of the artisans we’ve come to know and love,” Conrad says.

A Blogger For Any Diet

by James Simpkins

Last week I wrote about a pizza place in Avon and no one said a word. Over the holidays I penned two articles expressing my displeasure about shopping at Discount Food Outlet in Canton; and readers are still writing in droves to expressing their displeasure about my perspective, even attacking me personally. More than one comment suggested that I leave town since I didn’t like it. I was both confronted and amused by such responses. The confrontation part is obvious, I hope—no one likes being openly despised, especially by people they are unacquainted with. Unfortunately, humans seem all too willing to express malice towards those people with opinions that do not match their own (see our current political climate). In my mind, this is akin to hating the guy next to you because you don’t like the color of his tie. Ties, like opinions can, and do, get changed. The life that wears that tie or has that opinion, however, is no less precious, and we are all hard-wired to preserve it. Fortunately that is not all us humans are born with. Laughter, they say, is the best medicine.

In another sense, I was very much amused by all the uproar realizing people’s anger was not because of an unpopular stance on abortion or gay marriage, but a grocery store. Now that is funny!!! I had no idea that people were so attached to where they bought their food. Shame on me, though, as food is always chock-full of intimate meaning for people. Lesson learned.

In the wake of the fallout from the DFO articles, this week allow me to offer a more personal piece that I hope will establish a context for what I write, and why I write it; a kind of road map to my inner gastronome.

The first item on the colloquial menu is the term “connoisseur”; this is what I consider myself in the food arena. Think of it as the “who does this guy think he is?” part of my writing. The second proffering is the usefulness of critique and analysis. While criticism nearly always gets a bad rap, I think we need critics and critical understandings of any subject, food included. As subjectivity is common to all of us, being critical can actually help us appreciate even our least favorite ideas by allowing us to see there is always another side to any story. But first, the connoisseur…

None Became Law

by Eileen Weber

Brendan Hanrahan thinks more should be done for the environment in Connecticut. He feels so strongly about it, CT EarthNet, an interactive, web-based network for environmental groups Hanrahan founded, has produced a summary of the 2009 legislation for environmental practices that were not passed this year. The summary also includes visualizations of the legislative session data such as issue heat maps, voting outcomes, and legislator similarity comparisons. The bills touched a variety of environmental topics from toxic chemicals to wetland management to energy efficiency and everything in between.

Thirty-six bills were presented about renewable, clean energy. None became law. Thirty-two bills were presented on various points of energy efficiency. None became law. With thirty-two bills on public transportation, only one became law. Out of the twenty-four bills presented for recycling and waste measures, two passed and became law.

And the list goes on. What this says, at least in Hanrahan’s eyes, is that Connecticut may give lip service to the environment. But when all is said and done, the state may actually fall a little short.

So are we just becoming a bit too complacent about the environment? Has “going green” become so mainstream that we’re not taking it as seriously as we should?

Treehugger: Not Just An Environmental Web Site

by Eileen Weber

For David Johnston, nature and wildlife are more than just a backdrop for portraits and weddings. There is a serene beauty in all of it that needs to be captured. That’s what he tries to do with much of his business, Treehugger Photography.

But why Treehugger? “I’m really environmental,” said Johnston. “Our family is green. I’m all about conservation and sustainable energy. And I really like being outside. I like to highlight natural scenes.”

Johnston’s early career runs the gamut of sales, business development, media advertising and technical web consulting. Offering to help with brand promotion, he ended up doing a lot of photography. He found he liked it more than as just a passing hobby.

Camouflague Green: The Unknown Gardener

by: James Simpkins

I like to think of myself as someone who doesn’t miss much. Not about everything, mind you, but specifically around food related issues. Of course, this doesn’t mean there is no room for improvement. On the contrary, the more I look for foodishness around Connecticut, the more I find--the more I realize how much I’ve been missing. While this week was no exception to that rule, the folks I came across are birds of a different feather. Usually, when people talk about the players in food world they are recognizable entities like Whole Foods, ideas like fair trade or organic, and brand names like Kashi, Silk or Stonyfield Farms. Others are also well-known but reside outside the realm of mass distribution, like “farmers’ markets”, “sustainable and responsible agriculture”, and “compost.” This week, I added “The Unknown Gardener” to my list of those making a difference in American gastronomy thanks to two households near North Canton. As I’ve mentioned before, this summer I’ve been driving quite a bit and have found myself looking for short-cuts wherever I can find them. Heading north from Canton, Case Street cuts off some distance between route 179 and route 219 on the way towards Granby and the airport. This wasn’t a new discovery as I’ve driven this way many times during my tenure in the Farmington River Valley. What was new to me was a certain table with fresh cut flowers that I saw a few weeks back. At first I thought this was someone who was trying to make some money by selling unsuspecting drivers whatever they could pull out of their backyard. In some ways, I was right. When I stopped being cynical about it, I realized I was looking at the front line of sustainability, the effort of individuals homes----and driving right by. So I stopped.

What I saw were four gorgeous bouquets of cut flowers, protected from the heat by the (now charming) pink umbrella overhead and sitting in fresh water from which they were certainly drinking deep. These were not only generic “flowers”, but a lovely mixture of daisies and black-eyed susans and at least five other types of blooms that I don’t know (I’m not very knowledgeable about flowers). The result is in an almost wild aesthetic that brings to mind idyllic, windless, locust-filled meadows of summer that seem to delight in their efforts in growing under the still, even encouragement of the midday sun. And they are five dollars. I am nearly sick with appreciation.

What kind of person tends their flock of flowers throughout this strange Connecticut  summer then shares them with the rest of us for pennies on the effort? I don’t know. Somewhat romantically, I don’t want to. It is enough to stop the car, leave my money on the saw-horse table and look forward to the next time I drive by. My wait isn’t long. A mile later I see another umbrella---and more flowers. I pull over again, incredulous. This time, however, the scenery is not as beautiful, but more delicious. Underneath this second umbrella I found a pile of green peppers, as well as a half-dozen or so cucumbers both proffered for fifty cents each. I don’t care for green peppers, so I left the pile undisturbed. However, the dollar I had left in my wallet proved useful and I took two cucumbers for the road. Slicing them for dinner later that evening I found them as fresh and crisp as my imagination wanted them to be. The small, white thorns (that’s what the little bumps are) were still intact on the startlingly unwaxed skin—a perfect cucumber indeed. I put my dollar in the metal box on the table and yelled a quick “thank you” to the man working up near the house. He waved and said I was welcome.  I certainly felt that way…and for a dollar. I have spent thousands and not felt the wave of satisfaction that came from eating those two cucumbers that evening.   I started to think that I was supporting these folks by putting my six dollars in their respective pots. Thinking about them again, I realize it is quite the opposite. Gardeners who will sell their wares to the rest of us are supporting others, their bodies, their health and their families just by setting up a table and an umbrella and using the honor system. How many of us can say we do that…and on the honor system?! What I like thinking about this is that the individuals and families who set up these tables, these “Unknown Gardeners”, do not think about it like this at all. The poetry of the offerings demands that the proprietors owners simply be offering unused blooms and produce on the cheap, unaware of the gift they really are. Even if they are aware, I still hope they’re making a couple hundred tax-free dollars on the side. In any case, they can have my money, and my gratitude along with it.

It's a nice day for a 'green' wedding: Eco-chic wedding show debuts in Stamford

Stamford Times

Posted on 05/06/2009

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<a href="http://www.thehour.com/story/468965/">It's a nice day for a 'green' wedding: Eco-chic wedding show debuts in Stamford</a>

By A.J. O'CONNELL

Times Staff Writer

STAMFORD -- Kate L. Harrison and Heather Burns Demelo are hoping more brides will make green part of their wedding color scheme.

The two women hosted the Eco-Chic Wedding & Home Show Event at The Hotel Chesterfield in Stamford last Saturday. The show -- which hosted earth-friendly businesses ranging from caterers to spas to jewelers specializing in rough-cut diamonds --

featured an "eco-chic" fashion show by "green" designers and seminars for the eco-savvy bride and groom.

According to Mia Schipani, spokeswoman for the Hotel Chesterfield, it is Connecticut's first such bridal show.

"It's not just another wedding show," said Harrison, author of "The Green Bride Guide" (http://www.thegreenbrideguide.com).

Harrison wrote the book after she married her husband Barry in 2007. She wants brides to know it is possible for them to go green on their wedding day and save $10,000 at the same time.

"This is the thing about going green today," exclaimed Harrison. "It's not hard!"

Burns DeMelo started her Web site, http://www.ctgreenscene.com, after seeing Al Gore's film, "An Inconvenient Truth." She had her first Green Scene event in Westport in early 2007. This is her first foray, however, into the wedding industry.

"There is an immense amount of waste produced (at weddings). It's a throw-away event. But weddings are also a $70 billion a year industry," she said. "If you can imagine shifting even one percent of that over to green businesses."

Burns DeMelo says that finding green companies for weddings was more challenging than she anticipated. She was surprised at how easy it was to find eco-friendly caterers, while green florists were nearly impossible to find.

"Florists were really tough," she said. "Most flowers come from South America. It's tough to be green when you're shipping thousands of miles in refrigeration."

A Green Woman

by Eileen Weber

Have you heard of Victoria Everman? If you haven’t, you need to look her up. She’s done everything from writing to modeling to photography to hosting her own web site about the environment. She’s even gotten into green weddings, which is very fitting as she and her fiancé are soon to be married. And she manages to juggle all that while practicing yoga in her spare time.

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, Founder and Editor of Sustainablog, a site providing information about the environment, the economy, business and politics since the summer of 2003, said Everman is an incredibly creative person with cool and different ideas. “For somebody involved in fashion and modeling to be this down to earth, you don’t really expect to see that,” he said.

McIntire-Strasburg has known Everman for over two years. They worked together when she was a writer for Green Options Media, a conglomerate of green blogs launched in February 2007. He said she did a lot of fashion articles and took the lead on the site’s crafting blog.

“She’s not afraid of digging in and finding the great stories. I’m impressed with how well she promotes green living. She puts her ideas out there and makes them user-friendly.”

Emily Dodge, Founder of SustainabiliTee, an environmentally-friendly online clothing store, said Everman was easy to work with as a fashion model. Dodge originally met her through her web site, Victoria-E, when she bought ad space. They developed a professional relationship when Dodge did a photo shoot. Everman was one of the models.

“For her age she's very mature and very thoughtful. She has good advice and is actually willing to share it,” said Dodge. “I think she does wonderfully at letting people know what alternatives are out there, and to explore the "green" realm of every aspect of life. She activates people and gives them good information via her written work.”

Glenn Croston: A Blueprint for Business Success

by Tracey Finch

Some of the most successful businesses today grew out of the Great Depression. That's right. Fortune magazine is one, and there are many more. For where there's a meltdown, there is space for innovation and determination to grab a foot hold and climb out of the rubble.

So go ahead, put your thinking cap on and grab a copy of "75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make a Difference," by Glenn Croston, Ph.D.

It outlines opportunities, describes current and projected market need, what you need to know to get started, what kind of capital is required, and some of the special challenges you can expect along the way.

Glenn was kind enough to spend some time with CT GreenScene to give us some insight into where he thinks things in the green business arena are heading.

GS: What specific industry is leading the way in the green revolution?

GC: Renewable energy is poised to make a bigger impact than ever on the economy and the health of the planet.  Solar, wind, and other forms of renewable energy have a number of factors that will support their continued rapid growth, even in the face of the current economic turmoil.  Providing cost effective clean energy will help our national security, fight climate change, create jobs, and get our economy back on track. 

GS: What are your favorite big name companies with bold initiatives?

GC: Green leaders like Gary Hirshberg at Stoneyfield Farms and Ray Anderson at Interface have shown that they can grow a successful business while still doing the right thing for the planet.  They have been taking the lead and providing it can be done, which is pretty bold. 

The many car makers poised to transform our automotive industry are bold players.  If the big automakers like GM can't do it, it will leave the opportunity open to small companies like Aptera.  When the auto industry emerges from its current trials with a new variety of electric cars and plug-ins coming to market, it may look very different than it does today. 

GS: What's a promising green product or service?