we know how to be green . . . in full color!
All of our letterhead and envelopes are manufactured from recycled wood or fiber. 30% recycled post-consumer content. And they are certified with the Forest Stewardship Council.
Our gift wrap boxes are composed of 100% recycled content. 80% is post-consumer, and 50% of that is loose waste collected through curbside recycling. The last 20% is pre-consumer industrial trimmings. They are also 100% recyclable.
Our shopping bags are 100% recycled, 95% post-consumer and 5% pre-consumer industrial waste. They are made in Tulsa, Oklahoma, following EPA guidelines.
Every box that is delivered to us via a shipping company is re-used in shipping items back out, or it's recycled in our cardboard-only dumpster.
Every packing peanut that arrives is re-used one of two ways: several of our local artists pick them up for re-use in their studios OR we deliver them to our local UPS store for them to re-use.
Every sheet of bubble wrap is re-used in the store.
Our store is lit with compact fluorescent bulbs; 72 in the ceiling and 50+ in lamps.
The ceiling bulbs are from GE and put out 1100 lumens for only 23 watts. We place a date on them with a Sharpie when we install them, and we've had bulbs last 5 years!!
The light bulbs in our table lamps are 60-watt-equivalent bulbs, but they pull only 11 to 13 watts in actual usage.
Our compact fluorescent bulbs, aluminum foil and glass are driven to the local recycling center in our "company car" - a Mercury Mariner Hybrid.
Our paperboard, paper, and steel & aluminum cans are stored in bins in the basement, and then they're sent home for curbside recycling.
Our scrap paper is walked across the street to the recycling bin at an elementary school. The school makes money based upon the weight of the bin.
All of this pales in comparison to the green artists we represent who "re-purpose" items in their art. Artists we represent use a variety of items in their handcrafted art: plastic shopping bags, game pieces, reclaimed furniture, reclaimed wood, vintage metal containers, broken pottery, broken glass, vintage beads, vintage watch pieces, etc.
At stuff parties, we use "Greenware". Greenware drinking cups and lids are made from annually renewable corn that's grown in the USA. The bonus? They biodegrade completely.
We top it all off by using forks and spoons made from potato starch to pop delicious party foods into your body! The utensils are fully biodegradable in 6 months. We partner with Hoop Dog Studios, local artists that we represent, and in 6 months they are dirt again - in their organic gardens in mid-town Kansas City.
Being "green" at stuff is full color . . . and full time.
