Kimberly Stern

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Sustainable and eco-friendly products are now part of a vigorous worldwide dialogue in the wake of long-simmering global warming debates. Designers, manufacturers and marketers are clamoring to sell consumers the green — products ranging from food and clothing to housing and transportation. The barrage of information and availability of environmentally friendly options is welcome, to be sure; but the sheer mass of items claiming to be “green” can be confusing and overwhelming when it comes to a purchasing decision.

So, how green is green? 

A group of long-time Kansas City eco-activists agrees that a combination of research, homework and curiosity is a consumer’s best friend when differentiating between products heralded as “green.” Because there’s not yet a universal measure for the carbon (environmental) footprint a specific product has, they suggest utilizing the myriad Internet sources for comprehensive details to demystify buying.

Chris DeVolder, an architect at Kansas City firm 360 Architecture, has always been interested in products to preserve the planet, but he became passionate in 1993 after designing a suburban school. His team had interviewed administration, teachers and students about what they wanted in a new facility, but when the school opened, a handful of trailers-as-classrooms had to be brought in to accommodate the student population appeared. “We hadn’t accounted for area growth,” he remembers. “The school was outdated when it opened.”

Chris initiated the green debate at 360 Architecture, and today there’s a Green Action Committee consisting of 20 architects that scrutinizes every project and promotes environmental sustainability to clients. In educating himself on green products for commercial and residential design, Chris quickly learned there’s no central standard bearer for the industry. “However, one absolute way to know you’re choosing something that’s genuinely green is if it’s third-party certified, which means the product goes up against a preset criteria/filter,” he notes.

For example, when buying major appliances or computers, opt for those bearing the top-of-the-line Energy Star rating, which means it has superior energy efficiency. Energy Star, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, reported that during 2006, Americans purchased “smart” products that avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 25 million cars and saved billions on utility bills.

If a company touts a particular product as green, Chris suggests further examining other products it sells. If that green product is one of only a handful, it might be more of a marketing ploy than a true effort to sell consumers across-the-board, environmentally healthy goods. 

Chris points to several Kansas City companies that sell recycled products: Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore stocks things like refurbished cabinets, doors and windows homeowners donate when remodeling; Elmwood Reclaimed Timber mills and cuts salvaged wood for resale. Chris stresses that shoppers should be flexible when combing through merchandise at stores like these because they don’t carry traditional inventories. 

Genuine Green: An Online Resource Guide Here are some terrific online resources to develop green self-knowledge and to help discern green products from the imposters: Building/Remodeling 360º Architects www.360architects.com A Kansas City-based firm that offers services for commercial and high-end residential projects Ware Consulting, LLC 913.449.8123 A local “sustainability and green building consultant” for residential and commercial projects BuildingGreen www.buildinggreen.com Environmental building news Elmwood Reclaimed Timber www.elmwoodreclaimedtimber.com Kansas City-based showroom that sells reclaimed antique wood and stone products for interior and exterior projects Energy Star www.energystar.gov Includes information on products, home improvement and new homes ReStore www.restorekc.org A surplus and salvaged building material center in Kansas City U.S. Green Building Council www.usgbc.org Includes information on LEED™ for Homes Clothing It’s Only Natural www.itsonlynaturalonline.com Kansas City’s source for fabulous eco-friendly clothing and accessories Organic Exchange www.organicexchange.org Learn about organic cotton and the growing worldwide market Food Green Dirt Farm www.greendirtfarm.com Information on philosophy and products for this small community-based farm in Weston FoodRoutes Network www.foodroutes.org Learn about buying locally Eat Wild www.eatwild.com Information on grass-fed food and facts with state-by-state listing of farmers Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture www.kccua.org Promotes urban agriculture in the Kansas City metro area Local Harvest www.localharvest.org Maintains a public, nationwide directory of small farms, farmer’s market and other local/regional food sources The Stockman Grass Farmer www.stockmangrassfarmer.com Read up on the environmental benefits of grassland farming General Information Co-op America’s Responsible Shopper www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/ Learn about hundreds of companies on a range of issues Green Seal www.greenseal.org An independent, non-profit organization that helps identify certified eco-friendly products Grist www.grist.org Environmental news and advice Ideal Bite www.idealbite.com Small tips for green living; includes a blog The Green Guide www.thegreenguide.com An online magazine featuring green living tips, product reviews and environmental health news

Courtney Fuchs, owner of It’s Only Natural, in Waldo, sells certifiable organic clothing and accessories to a growing clientele. “I started my green quest wanting to create a pure environment,” she explains. “It began with a desire to eat healthy food and progressed to eliminating other toxins like household cleaners and chemicals. I’m a perpetual student (she was a French major and has a law degree) and constantly conduct research.”

Courtney, alarmed to learn that cotton is a major polluter (it accounts for approximately 3 percent of the world’s cropland but almost 25 percent of global pesticide usage), gradually switched her closet to eco-fabrics and organic cotton. “Tencel and hemp, for instance, are sustainable and don’t dramatically compromise the environment,” she says.

Her store celebrates its sixth anniversary in November; she has seen customers become more sophisticated over the years on buying green. “In the beginning, about 70 percent purchased from me because they thought the fabrics were beautiful and 30 percent sought me out because they knew I was eco-friendly,” she says. “Those percentages have flip-flopped.”

She encourages people to ask questions when shopping for clothes: Were chemicals used in the growing and processing of the fabric? Is the dye low-impact? Sustainably raised? A fair-trade product? Courtney also refers to the transparency of the product chain, such as where it was grown and bought. “Ideally, you can trace it all the way back to Farmer Joe,” she notes.

Sarah Hoffman, owner of Green Dirt Farm LLC in Weston, has considered herself an environmentalist since the energy crisis of the 1970s. Deeply affected by the situation, she became concerned with how toxic and consumer waste would be handled effectively and ecologically; Hoffman went on to become involved in the 1980s with the Sierra Club. Educated as a medical doctor, Sarah quit practicing in 1998 and started a small-scale sheep farm/dairy venture in 2000 with her business partner Jacque.

The name “Green Dirt” comes from their recognition that a foundation of healthy, living soil is essential for safeguarding water, growing nutritious grass and raising contented animals. The farm’s primary product — 100 percent grass-fed lamb — is sold to consumers at a grass-roots level: Brookside’s and Parkville’s farmers’ markets. Sarah hopes to begin selling artisan, handcrafted cheeses next spring to chefs, small grocers and eager buyers at the markets.

Sarah (who lives in the region’s greenest home) strongly suggests that people investigate when buying organic food: Has something labeled as “organic” been co-opted by big industry? Is the so-called organic milk on grocer’s shelves being produced by confinement dairies?  “When purchasing from the local farmer, get to know them and ask how they raise their product,” she suggests. “Be aware that a pear or peach from Chile that bears an ‘organic’ designation isn’t grown with the same standards as ones in the U.S.”

John Ware, a former architect, owns Ware Consulting, LLC and describes himself as a “sustainability and green-building consultant.” He works with builders, contractors, architects and homeowners to achieve high green standards in commercial and residential projects. Sustainability caught his interest as a University of Kansas student in the1970s. Upon graduation, he started a company that did home solar additions. His green conscience prevailed in a 25-year career as an architect, where he encouraged an ongoing conversation of and action toward planet-friendly commercial projects.

John notes that almost every activity humans perform has some type of negative consumption connotation. “If people today had any idea of carbon emissions associated with lifestyles or purchases, they’d naturally choose to limit them,” he says. And while there isn’t a label on products (similar to a nutrition label) to alert consumers to its green factor, he says today there’s substantial science behind the green movement. “We’re gradually defining on a measurable, objective basis what is environmentally acceptable.”

Homeowners who build or remodel can be vigilant in their decisions, John maintains, including lumber, paint, carpet, flooring and other materials involved in the process. Low-VOC paints and finishes don’t release significant pollutants and are virtually odor free; bamboo flooring is often more desirable than hardwood because it’s a rapidly renewable material (short cycle between planting and harvesting); minimization of air leakage in a home and appropriate insulation helps reduce energy consumption; and selecting Kansas limestone over Italian marble reduces transportation ramifications.

“There’s also a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings that’s being translated to the residential level,” John says.  Called LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Homes, it offers certification and ratings for new builds and remodeling projects.

Chris, Courtney, Sarah and John agree that the first simple step toward buying green is to care — care enough to research, ask questions and get answers. Luckily, that gray area of “How green is green?” is becoming more black-and-white as consumers do their homework.