Online Shopping Site Showcases Innovative Products that Deliver an Environmental Advantage
From Making Ideas Happen
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
When Mimi Kennedy, actress and recipient of the prestigious Environmental Media Award, shops she makes a point of making purchases that make a difference. So what's her newest choice of stores for selecting merchandise that delivers an environmental advantage? Recyclestore.com, an online shopping mall hosted by the State of California that showcases innovative products made of recycled materials.
"This should be a first-look for all us shoppers who love pretty things, but not at the expense of a healthy planet," said Kennedy, who plays the earth mother character "Abby" on Dharma & Greg. (Kennedy accepted the Environmental Media Award alongside Dharma & Greg co-star Alan Rachins for a bicycle-riding episode.)
Recylestore.com, an online collaborative of businesses and artist-entrepreneurs, offers consumers and businesses the opportunity to make purchases that make a difference. Behind these "green" products are the inspired stories of American entrepreneurs and artists who have taken their creative ideas using recycled materials and introduced them into the marketplace. They are entrepreneurs who have developed a distinctive, high quality collection of new products such as Fire and Light's colorful hand-poured glass tableware and gifts made from recycled glass bottles. Or TerraMai with its premium siding and wall paneling made from the reclaimed redwood staves of century-old wine casks. Or The Wooden Duck's classically crafted furniture hand-made in Berkeley from wood reclaimed from the deconstruction of 19th century warehouses and old factory buildings. "The furniture from producers like The Wooden Duck, made out of reclaimed barn wood, among other things, is stuff I've been searching for, but didn't know where to look!" Kennedy noted.
RecycleStore.com is part of a nationwide effort to increase awareness of the availability in the marketplace of innovative recycled-content products. Currently more than 300 products, manufactured by 60 companies, are showcased on the website. The online selection covers not only high-end furniture and giftware, but also building materials, gardening, kitchen, apparel, industrial innovations, promotional products and products for pet lovers.
Everyone is offered the opportunity to become a green buyer at Recyclestore.com. The cardboard you placed on the curb for recycling pickup becomes surprisingly elegant corrugated mosaic wall clocks and frames handcrafted by artist-entrepreneur Luci Lytle. The bottle that contained your favorite brand of organic wine is transformed by artisans at Oceanside Glasstile into delicately designed hand-cut mosaic tiles decorating your kitchen counter-top. The shards of broken plate glass window you discarded find new life as a set of high-end tableware crafted with a signature spiral and starburst design by artist-entrepreneur Lauren Becker. The old tires from your car, the worn-out inner tubes from your bicycle plus a little hemp fabric become flashy, fashionable footwear handcrafted and marketed by the surfer-entrepreneurs at Ocean Beach-based Splaff Flopps.
Recyclestore.com serves as a free online public resource made available to anyone with access to the Internet -- online shoppers, specialty retail buyers, mass merchandiser buyers, and government buyers. Customers have the opportunity to view products and prices, click through to the manufacturers or artisans' websites and email or call them directly to make online purchases or be directed to the closest retail outlet.
RecycleStore.com is available for use as a hyperlink on the "links pages" of related websites.
For more information, log on at www.recyclestore.com.
For more information, contact:
Burnet D Brown
Communications
Making Ideas Happen
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
greenproducts@mindspring.com
|