For decades, Americans have prioritized price, utility and style when shopping, whether it be for a new school clothes, a toaster oven or family vehicle. No longer. Many Americans now want to make sure they don't consume more natural resources than they need to in an age of increasing concern over energy prices and environmental degradation. Studies have also shown that many of the products we've taken for granted all these years cause health problems by releasing toxic chemicals into the air or contaminating the soil upon their disposal.
This guide represents a starting point for people who want to support businesses that consume less fossil fuels, natural resources and toxins both in their manufacture and use. Green products typically cost more upfront but pay for themselves in the long run.
In some cases, going green may require you to choose between buying a product from a regional or national distributor instead of a locally-owned store because of its limited availability. Encourage local retailers to stock environmentally-friendly products. As always, shop around and ask questions of retailers to make sure the item is a perfect fit for you.
Cookprint: A term used by food writer Kate Heyhoe to describe the entire chain of resources used to prepare meals, along with its resulting waste.
Seeks to transform greater Greensboro area into into a more bicycle-friendly community.
Bicycle recycling project that promotes bicycling as a means of alternative transportation, a healthy lifestyle choice and a way to build community.
This network of locally owned and independent businesses in the North Carolina Triad formed in the summer of 2009 and aims to share ideas and network to promote locally owned brick and mortar retail businesses, to educate the consumers on the importance of shopping locally, and to encourage investment in our community be keeping our dollars at home.
"How you define an eco-friendly frame product, depending on your perspective, comes in a hundred shades of gray." - Robyn Feinsod, manager of marketing and merchandising for Graphik Dimensions Ltd in High Point.
