by Royce Amy Morales

During this economic rough patch, I find myself pondering what it truly means to be an environmentalist. To me it has always meant caring more about the planet than I care about my bottom line. (Yeah, I hear you. I’m crazy. But who isn’t at least slightly nuts to be a retailer?) Even with the economic pressures, I haven’t changed my mind completely, but I must admit I’m taking a closer look at the balance of a greener planet vs. a greener bottom line. More and more, I’m realizing they are not as far apart as they may seem.

Eco-nomics
History can be a great teacher. We may think of our generation as being the movement for conservation and sustainability, but that would ignore the lessons learned and taught by the “Greatest Generation.”

My mother, raised during the Great Depression, claimed the self-professed title of The Original Environmentalist. She instilled the importance of being frugal (I had more colorful words for it, growing up), always reusing whatever you can for as long as you can. I don’t think she ever bought a new roll of wrapping paper until it had seen at least six birthdays and was covered with so much tape, not an inch was salvageable! Throw away a plastic bag? Not on her watch. Toss two bites of leftover food? She should have owned stock in Tupperware.
However these lessons in “waste not, want not” appeared to me as a kid, the truth is that they offer invaluable wisdom—not only for us as individuals or business owners, but as stewards of the planet. One box reused instead of thrown away. One customer who, when asked the question, “Would you like a bag today?” replies, “No, thanks.” Each small thing saves pennies, but it also saves energy, waste, and potential pollution.

A penny saved…
A good example from my own experience started with something every gift shop has dealt with: gift wrap. Gift wrap can be a daunting thing for those concerned about paper waste and other “earthly” matters. But I found by being a little creative, I was able to add a great deal of style and character to my gift wrapping while also being kinder to the planet.

Since the store my husband and I own is a craft gallery as well as a gift shop, we felt it important to create something that was both artistic and eco-friendly. One day we were kidding around and took some recycled scraps of paper (trash) and tied them on top of a present. From that humble beginning, our bows evolved into little works of art made of all our shredded, bright-colored waste paper. These fun and fluffy bows are meticulously made, one at a time in various sizes, mixed with natural fibers and bits and pieces of seasonal ephemera. We are always on the prowl for things to add to our bows, and each employee that makes them has his or her own style and “look.”

Our small efforts may not save the planet, but this one creative solution at least prevents a bin full of paper every month from being dumped in a landfill or taken to the recycling plant. The bows have become our shop signature and our customers never forget the unique wrapping. I am told that our bows are often saved and reused again and again (someone actually made them into a holiday wreath!). Even the community has become involved, with local businesses and teachers bringing us their used colored paper to shred.

So we must ask ourselves, how green do we need to be as retailers to make an environmental impact and frugally save some almighty greenbacks? The answer may lie less in what we use and more in what we conserve. That’s not to say earth-friendly products aren’t important, because they are, and committed retailers should continue to encourage suppliers to meet the growing demand for earth-friendly goods. The positive news is that, as awareness about how we impact the planet becomes more mainstream, the cost to make more eco-friendly choices will shrink significantly—this trend has already begun. Some environmentally sound products are beginning to reach price par with traditional products, making them easier to buy and sell.

My mother would be proud to know that all my modern-day green efforts are not just impractical, pie-in-the-sky idealism, but could actually be an environmental win-win (or should I say “green-green”) situation. And that feels good, even in tough times.

Royce Amy Morales and her husband Michael own Harmony Works (www.harmony-works.com), a green gift shop and craft gallery in Redondo Beach, Calif. They also offer personal consultations through Harmony Greenworks (www.harmonygreenworks.com) to assist other retail stores in becoming more earth-friendly.