 |
Locals and visitors alike recognize
Santa Cruz as
an environmentally conscious community active in a growing green consumerism
movement. However many people may not know that Santa Cruz has been home to an innovative
green store for 15 years. The store is called Eco Goods and it was
first opened by local couple Roger and Elaine Berke in 1994. The concept behind
Eco Goods is an environmental general store offering entirely “eco” products
ranging from clothes to house wares, all selected based on their earth friendly
merits. Clothing is made from natural fibers like organic cotton and hemp, mugs
and plates are recycled glass, toys for children are made with natural
materials and vegetable dyes, plus many of the products are fair trade
certified.
The store's
original location opened March 4, 1994 in Capitola, and two years later in June
'96 moved to a larger location at 1130
Pacific Ave. in downtown Santa Cruz. Co-owner Elaine Berke says at
that time Santa Cruz
did not have anything like Eco Goods and this inspired us. Eco-friendly
consumers were still years away from becoming a popular trend but information
about the effects of our choices as consumers clearly pointed to the
environmental degradation hidden in our shopping bags and the need for
alternatives. One eye opening fact for Elaine Berke was the practices of
conventional cotton farmers. Innocuous seeming cotton is the second most highly
sprayed crop in the world, with 1/3 of a pound of pesticides and herbicides
used to grow the amount of cotton required for one t-shirt. “What spurred me
on” Elaine says, “was finding out that the clothes I was wearing were contributing
to pollution.” Because of the harmful effects of chemical cotton farming,
organic cotton has always been an important focus at Eco Goods. Hemp is another
featured fiber because of its fast growing properties it does not require
chemical fertilizers and it is a very versatile crop which can be used to make
cloth and can save trees when used in paper, fiberboard and other products.
Since the
time Eco Goods opened there has been a tremendous development in the variety of
natural and environmental merchandise available. Some products have been at Eco
Goods since the beginning like color-grown organic cotton. This is undyed
cotton which is grown in naturally occurring shades of green and brown.
Color-grown or “Fox fibreŽ” cotton can still be found at Eco Goods in Organic
Threads socks. Other innovations are new arrivals; the past few years have seen
the introduction of new natural fibers like bamboo and soy which both utilize
renewable resources. In the house wares department the next generation of
products is particularly significant. In response to scientific information
about the chemical compound bisphenol-A leaching into water carried in plastic
bottles and including many baby bottles, Eco Goods now carries a wide selection
of food grade stainless steel water bottles and cups, as well as glass bottles
and bisphenol-A free plastic bottle for babies and children.
Eco Goods
is also providing Santa Cruz
with new energy saving fixtures for your home including LED lights (No mercury
like CFL bulbs). The Smart Strip surge protector to power strip are designed to
shut off the “phantom” electricity from computer and DVD players. Americans are
facing an energy crisis which is compounded by high energy consumption in homes
and business. Our next environmental responsibility as individuals is examining
our carbon footprint and trying to reduce our energy consumption.
Next time you are in downtown Santa Cruz, make sure to
visit Eco Goods. We will be happy to assist you with a smile. Let’s save the
earth together. |
 |
