Thanksgiving. A time for family, food, and far flung travel. After a year of eco consciousness, the carbon emissions of a single flight for the holidays can make up a large portion of your annual footprint. THIS ISSUE
With all the talk about the federal government trying to encourage "green jobs," a number of Seattle entrepreneurs have quietly created their own green jobs for themselves and a few other folks, by designing and marketing innovative eco-products. Today let's take a look at two of these local businesses: Krebs Recycle and Alchemy Goods.
Krebs Recycle
On the Krebs Recycle website, the Krebs family on Mercer Island describes how they got the idea for their dog leash business when their chocolate lab Reggie was a puppy. They cut up a piece of old climbing rope, tied on a hook and handle, and it worked great for Reggie.
Turning that simple idea into a successful family business run out of their basement, they make leashes in several lengths from recovered climbing rope. These leashes are now sold online and at pet stores in eight states, including 18 stores in the Seattle-Tacoma area.
Because people depend on climbing ropes for their lives, those ropes are usually retired after a season of rock or mountain climbing, or several months in the climbing gym. Krebs Recycle also uses scraps from climbing rope manufacturers. They've taken something that was formerly a waste product and given it new life – and they make a little money in the process.
Alchemy Goods
After Eli Reich's messenger bag was stolen seven years ago, he decided to make his own out of old bicycle inner tubes, and Alchemy Goods was born. His company has steadily grown and now produces various styles of bags, wallets and accessories at its small factory in a warehouse just south of downtown Seattle. Their products are sold online and in stores in 22 states and in Canada, the United Kingdom, South Korea and Japan. You can find them at more than 20 locations in the Seattle area.
I've had the pleasure to visit their cozy factory space, and it's an impressive operation. They still use a lot of inner tubes – Eli estimates that they have gone through more than 20,000 – but they also utilize other recycled materials including old plastic advertising banners and seat belts. The actual making of these products is not glamorous. It's basic manufacturing, in a workshop style that was probably more common 50 years ago than it is today. But it warmed my heart to see it.
The moral of this story for me is that if you have an idea for making a product out of trash, you shouldn't just ignore it. Maybe there's something there. My optimistic view is that green entrepreneurs are absolutely making the world a better place, one idea at a time. And if you want to be one of them, there's plenty of room for more.
For more EcoConsumer resources from King County, visit http://www.KCecoconsumer.com.
For past EcoConsumer articles for the KPLU Around the House website, go to the EcoConsumer Archives.
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