permaculture

[KNat <knat@sprintmail.com>]

Greg wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> In launching our new website 30daystosustainability we are interested 
> in marketing products that emulate to mainstream America just what it 
> means to be sustainable.   So to that end do you or anyone that you 
> know have products that speak sustainability?
>
> As a caveat - any products that we sell need to be uniform and 
> readily available.
>   
Thanks for raising this to discussion. I have been running into this 
frequently. The question, "What products can mainstream people purchase 
to develop a sustainable lifestyle?" certainly demonstrates the double 
edge sword of our goals. It would be nice to funnel money into "worthy" 
endeavors. But to set up cradle to grave product streams takes a leap on 
the consumers part that they will be happy with an old version of 
whatever they buy so it is okay to spend a bit more. And businesses have 
to go back to being geared up for continuing existence on repair parts 
after their initial sales. Very different from todays strategies.
ex. One laundry ball set can eliminate a sector of laundry soap users 
but then those people have a set and are not a market again for 7-10 
years. People watching soap commercials  are trained to want brighter 
and fluffier clothes so can be resold many times. If they lose that 
vulnerability they are no longer "mainstream."
Many of the new products hawked on treehugger or eco seem to instead 
sell a "clean" look to continued consumerism.

Kathyann, who's in the midst of a discussion with some kids on how to 
balance "compostable" dinner plates and cornstarch tableware in a pile.