- By Staff
- Business & Technology
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"We're lucky to have so many stores in Ithaca that carry products and gifts that aren't harmful to the planet," said Newell. She and her partner JoJo Alpern recently opened Tuff Soul, which sells organic, vintage, and refashioned clothing. Other stores on the Shop Green list carry locally made, reused, recycled, fairly traded, and organic products, and local foods.
The Shop Green campaign starts on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year. Shoppers can pick up a Shop Green passport and map at the participating stores, most of which are clustered in the downtown area or are on a bus route. The passport can be used to win prizes donated by the businesses.
Last year, Newell organized a "local business crawl" on Black Friday, as an alternative to the hectic scenes at malls and chain stores. Newell thinks the event helped change the way some shoppers regard consumption.
"People appreciate being able to buy things that aren't contributing to the problems of climate change, using up fossil fuel, or adding toxins to the environment," said Newell. "They are starting to think about the consequences of their purchases."
The businesses participating in the Shop Green campaign are Autumn Leaves Used Books, Everything Wellness Raw Foods Eatery, Greenstar Cooperative Market, Greenstar Oasis, Home Green Home, Ithaca Hemp Company, Mama Goose Used Children's Clothing, Moosewood Restaurant, No Radio Records, Pastimes, Petrune, Significant Elements, Smart Monkey Café, Ten Thousand Villages, Tree of Life Health and Wellness, and Tuff Soul.
Partnering with Newell on the Shop Green effort are Bob Proehl, of No Radio Records, and Wendy Skinner, owner of Green PR Services, a local public relations firm that works with businesses and organizations that have a green slant.
"The growth of green businesses in Ithaca is encouraging," said Skinner. "We are seeing a wider range of earth-friendly consumer choices. The products are truly beautiful and you can feel good about buying and using them."
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