Sustainability in Your Home, Your Environment, Your Community

I am always on the search for new trends that match my passion for greening our environment, and that means our homes. As a Realtor®, I try my best to point out the features of a home that make it energy efficient and what a Buyer can consider upgrading in the future. In my own community, I am a member of the USGBC Idaho chapter which has given me many resources in my day to day business.

Recently I discovered a B corp business called Uncommon Goods which strives to make a positive impact on not only the world but in the communities we live in by featuring products that are handmade, recycled and organic products. What is a B Corp you ask?

B Corps are certified by the non-profit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. Find our more at B Lab https://www.bcorporation.net/

Let’s get back to Uncommon Goods! This internet and catalog company even gives back to non-profits through their Better to Give program which a customer can select a non-profit to give at checkout, courtesy of Uncommon Goods. Who wouldn’t want to shop here?

With permission, I am sharing a recent blog post featuring two such entrepreneurs! This blog post Uncommon Impact: Practical Design Meets Practicing Better Business interviews a couple that strives to make the natural environment benefit the customers that purchase the crafts they sell. Using efficiency and sustainability as a model, the products they look for incorporate durability as well. The items I have seen that are handmade speak the most to me. Because it was made by a real person. Maybe that is why I am so drawn to art?

Lishu and Leonardo Rodriguez, founder of El Dot Designs, help make an impact on the lives of the people that make handmade items in in the U.S. and developing countries by providing unique economic opportunities. How many of us can say we do this in our own communities, help others to make a living providing handmade goods? How can we make a difference in our day to day environment as Lishu and Leonardo do?

I try to always purchase locally, but when I find a resource available that makes a difference for a country with economic hardships, I am honored to do my part. Especially if the products are a part of the B corp philosophy, changing the way we do business. I shop at the smaller stores, the boutiques, the Capital City Market on Saturdays, the local produce stands throughout the Valley. For that matter, the food trucks that catch my eye!

If this interests you, please also check out http://www.uncommongoods.com/home-garden/home-decor and tell me what you want for Christmas. Personally, I am eyeing the fire escape shelf, pictured above! My problem is that I want the House Under the Stars art piece http://www.uncommongoods.com/art/style-or-medium because of my travel plans for 2016. Decisions, decisions!

We have to help others in order to help our world. I challenge all of you to shop responsibly this Holiday season. Buy local, look for sustainable products, and if you want to make a difference in other people’s lives, shop at Uncommon Goods. I am.

Here is an example of the impact of El Dot’s commitment:

Sustainably Harvesting Bamboo 

Much of the impact El Dot seeks is centered around one amazing plant-bamboo. Bamboo is well situated to help El Dot achieve it’s dual aim of alleviating socioeconomic disparity and fostering better ecological stewardship in the furnishing industry.

Bamboo is perhaps the most potent renewable alternative to wood in the furniture. Not only does it capture 30% more carbon dioxide than trees, but it is the fastest growing plant on the planet, growing up to 35 inches in a day under the right conditions. Bamboo thus reaches maturity in only 3 to 5 years, meaning that harvesting cycles are shorter and far less damaging to local ecology

It’s also incredibly abundant, growing particularly well in tropical and sub-tropical areas, most of which are located in developing countries throughout Asia, South America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. This means that under-served communities there are potentially sitting on a vast, renewable natural resource, which – shaped by local craft traditions – can be tapped for the economic benefit of the community. For more on the ways El Dot is using bamboo, check out their B Corp profile and their blog.

#gifts #giving #sustainability #green #Bcorp