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July 28, 2009

Businesses make environmentalism part of the job

By Stacie N. Galang

Midge Lyon rides the streets of Salem year-round on a recycled bicycle, hauling a trailer full of biodegradable cleaning products she uses to clean some 40 to 50 homes.

"I made serious life-choice changes in my early 20s," the 26-year-old Rockport native said. "When I went organic in my own life, I took it out on my clients."

The owner of Green Clean is one of many local business owners who are making their beliefs about the environment part of their business models.

Most of her cleaning products are 100 percent biodegradable, plant-based and not tested on animals. She shuns dyes of any sort. Her spray bottles are recycled milk jugs, and sponges are made of recycled material.

"A lot of green products are animal-tested," Lyon said. "That, I won't touch."

This spring, real estate agent Joyce Herman of J Barrett & Co. Realty in Beverly completed a two-day seminar from the National Association of Realtors that gives her a "Green Designation."

Herman said she was committed to the environment long before it was popular.

"I would be schlepping myself all over the place to recycle," she said.

Herman installed solar panels in June, has a high-tech lawn irrigation system, and uses a rain barrel to water her indoor and outdoor potted plants.

As soon as she heard about the association's class, she signed up.

"It's a personal decision, but it's blended into my business because it's me," Herman said. "It's what I do, and it's what I've always done."

Herman said the seminar introduced her to products like nontoxic paints and environmentally friendly insulation as well as green contractors.

The green designation is a way for her to better relate to her customers, who increasingly ask questions about pollutants and water supply.

"I think it will help because now people are very aware of the environment," Herman said. "It's just going to grow more and more."

These days, clients ask about making changes to their homes a year before they put it on the market.

"In my own way, I have probably saved a lot of energy for people," Herman said.

Here to stay

Green consumerism is a trend with staying power, said Linda Jane Coleman from Salem State's Bertolon School of Business.

The professor of marketing and decision sciences said many people have adjusted their lifestyle to help the environment, and business owners are wise to adapt.

"Jumping on the green bandwagon is the place to be," Coleman said.

The movement was initially slow-moving but seemed to take hold after Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."

"I think that was really mind-opening to a lot of people," Coleman said.

The professor said people are continuing to convert to the idea of a more natural lifestyle that eschews synthetic products and pollutants.

Many people recycle and take their own bags to the market rather than choosing paper or plastic.

"It's more natural to do some of these things," the professor said. "It's going to become a habit."

About 18 months ago, Lifestyles Hair Studio and Day Spa in Peabody went all organic with its hair products, owner Susan Rambis said.

"We've had no problem converting people," she said.

Rambis decided to move to less harsh product lines when she was considering a renovation. She had also been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, which made her seriously rethink what she was exposing herself to at work.

"I thought it would be a great thing to come in and not be exposed to chemicals," Rambis said. "It's nice to know you can come in and be safe, for my clients, as well as my staff."

The salon owner said some of her 17 employees were reluctant to change but eventually came around.

"You have to believe in it," she said. "If you believe something is good for you and the client, it's easier to sell."

Rambis said her salon sells four lines of organic hair products, including the primary brand Onesta.

"It actually doesn't compromise the integrity of the hair," she said. "It's great coverage. It's not drying."

These days, she said, the salon is getting more calls simply because of the organic lines for hair care.

Coleman, the Salem State professor, said business owners, no matter the change, need to do their homework and research.

With factors like President Obama's tax breaks to both businesses that embrace environmental pursuits and consumers who swap out their old cars for fuel-efficient, reduced-emissions vehicles, she expects the trend to continue.

"I think it's going to increase in terms of significance, awareness and behavior," she said.

While Lyon, the house cleaner, is excited about others becoming more green, she hopes they will scrutinize potential businesses and product labels to be sure they're living up to claims of organic and environmentally friendly.

The term is "greenwashing," or misleading people that a product is green when it's not, Lyon said.

"People want to make the right choice," she said. "It's not regulated. There are not laws keeping people honest."

She also suggested consumers ask plenty of questions about products and research them online if possible. Lyon also suggested seeking advice from people who are green-savvy.

"Green is a very broad word; it's a buzz word," she said.

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