Aside from my personal blog, I write for two other outlets: the Identity (my employer) blog id tags and Metromix Detroit. I decided I want to avoid sharing the same content on the three outposts, but I will break my own rule occasionally. 🙂
I wrote an Earth Day article for Metromix Detroit and featured two local entrepreneurs who are running eco-friendly businesses. Not only is this a positive story because their products are safe for the environment, but even more importantly, they are entrepreneurs who successfully started businesses in Michigan. WIN! This article originally appears on Metromix Detroit and can be found here – Earth Day 2010. Also check out these photos from Sweet Plum Vintage and Verde Lifestyles.
Thursday, April 22 will mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a day that is meant to inspire appreciation for the Earth’s environment.
It’s clear from all the Earth-friendly companies and products existing today that businesses are very aware of how the eco-revolution has deeply resonated with consumers.
Michigan is home to several green leaders who conduct business and manufacture products with the environment in mind. Some local businesses, like Sweet Plum Vintage and Verde Lifestyles, have incorporated fashion, unique décor and flair into their eco-friendly companies.
Twenty-eight-year-old Cara Rosaen from Ann Arbor owns the handcrafted vintage button jewelry company Sweet Plum Vintage. Rosaen decided to start a green-focused business because she’s always been passionate about treading lightly on the environment. Her jewelry is almost exclusively made from eco-friendly materials. Rosaen gives new life to vintage and antique items like old buttons, ribbon, pieces of costume jewelry, watch parts and buckles and turns them into contemporary jewelry.
“I’m working toward making all aspects of my business green, not just the jewelry,” Rosaen says. “I practice green principles in my studio, and many of my display items at trunk shows are vintage or purchased from a thrift shop. I also package my sold jewelry pieces in brown cocoa boxes made with 100% recycled materials, 75% of which is post-consumer waste.”
The heart of Rosaen’s business is meeting with families who want to design an heirloom button jewelry collection as a way to create pieces that honor a family’s heritage and give renewed purpose to discarded buttons.
“I get to help people play with fashion in a meaningful way that honors older generations and is gentle on the environment,” Rosaen says. “How fun is that!?!”
To remain on the path toward green business success, Rosaen plans to continue building wholesale relationships with companies interested in conducting business greenly and fashionably. She also wants to continue participating in eco-friendly art shows and events that promote a green lifestyle, such as the Green Arts Marketplace taking place August 13-15.
“Owning a company is a constant evolution, and I hope to continue learning about how to green my business even more in the future,” Rosaen says.
After 24-year-old Danielle Brycz graduated from Michigan State University, she realized she couldn’t rely on one source of income and also needed a creative outlet. She and her 23-year-old partner Ryan Forrest wanted to design an online business with their lifestyles in mind that focused on eco-friendly products. Process of elimination resulted in home décor, and the duo from Auburn Hills launched Verde Lifestyles on Oct. 1, 2009.
“When Ryan and I decided to start a business, it just made sense to make it as eco-friendly as possible,” Brycz says. “Even if we had chosen another business model, the one recurring characteristic would have been going green.”
All products sold on the Verde Lifestyles site are produced with the environment in mind. In addition to being organic, recycled or repurposed, all items are of the highest quality material and design. Products range from traditional home décor like bedding and rugs, to stylish and eclectic items like a fireside sphere basket made with recycled steel washers.
“Our rule of thumb is if we wouldn’t purchase the product for our own home, we won’t sell it on our site,” Brycz says. “A product’s impact on the environment, overall quality and style are all key factors in our decision to distribute it.”
Brycz and Forrest have made Verde Lifestyles more than just a business with green products by emphasizing the concept of “urban green living” throughout the site. They define this as putting forth a conscious effort to reduce your carbon footprint in all aspects of your life, from making business decisions to buying cleaning products.
“We focus very heavily on community involvement and interaction to spread the word about preserving and restoring the planet,” Brycz says.
In the future, Brycz and Forrest plan on branching into different products and will likely create separate sites and brands for them. The next project they have in mind is a site dedicated to urban gardening.
“I think we’ll continue to promote the eco-friendly movement for some time,” Brycz says. “I just can’t see starting another project or business that isn’t eco-friendly.”
As a special Earth Day treat, Verde Lifestyles is offering free shipping on all products with the coupon code “earthday.” The promotion ends May 1.
Want to learn more about how to inject some green into your Michigan business? Visit the Michigan Green Business and Southwest Michigan Sustainable Business Forum Web sites.
Photo credit: Metromix Detroit