Interview with an Eco Entrepreneur

As some of you know, I'm enrolled in a small business class at a local community college. One of our assignments is to interview someone in an industry of interest. I was lucky to find Maureen O'Connor, queen bee at AlternativeConsumer.com, who generously fielded some questions via email about her business and the state of green commerce in general.

The AlternativeConsumer.com home page features all kinds of interesting green services and products, like a furry, huggable, lamp, mixed with the day's grab bag of environmental headlines. The best part is that each story has a big attractive picture so you can see exactly what they're talking about. I'm not much of a sales guy but this site is really easy to pimp because they have such cool stuff.

Without further ado...

Why did you decide to start a business of this kind?
I've always had an interest in environmental issues, and healthy lifestyle choices. I’m a devout recycler, as well as organic food and yoga junkie. After seeing "An Inconvenient Truth," I was inspired to actually act on my instincts and issues that I feel passionate about.

I dabbled in blogging, believe it or not, while my husband was healing from an operation. His temporary physical set-back forced us both to slow down a bit. So I started to seriously research sustainable fabrics and materials for clothing and home furnishings. Then the blog's content mix branched out to include green cleaning products, green gadgets, eco friendly beauty and healthcare products, eco travel, alternative energy and construction info.

Starting the biz was a "natural" process in its own way. Prior to doing this, I was an executive producer of corporate business meetings -- producing film, video and computer graphics for special events. Our first online video for The Alternative Consumer will launch during "Earth Day week," April 22. The topic of the video is "Replacing Plastic Shopping Bags."

What are the major reasons people are buying green?

• Al Gore’s film and book made global warming suddenly more "real" to the population at large.



• More of a general awareness of "green issues and initiatives" -- There's been a proliferation of books, radio (ecoTalk), tv & cable programs (Discovery, The Green Sundance Channel and PBS especially), films (Who Killed the Electric Car?), magazines, daily newspapers and internet content. So the environment and the awareness of Earth's limited natural resources are more top of mind today. People are discussing topics like sustainable manufacturing and fair trade labor/socially responsible business practices with each other more frequently.



• Health & well-being. People are seeing the connection between how they live -- what they put in and on their bodies -- directly affects both their personal well being as well as the "health/condition" of the planet. Organic farming and biodynamic practices are so much better for the environment; organic food and personal care products are so much better for one's body -- both inside and out.



• The desire to live a "cleaner" existence -- a modern lifestyle that incorporates cutting-edge design and "best/purest" technologies available.

What do you see as some trends in green and green
e-commerce?

• The greater the number of consumers who invest in "eco-conscious options," the less these green goods will eventually cost.



• Local and federal government tax incentives (i.e. Prius owners) will encourage many consumers to head in a "green" direction when making purchases.



• Tax penalties will also encourage folks to make personal sacrifices or change (i.e. if Portland decides to tax consumers who use plastic shopping bags at certain retail establishments, this will encourage more folks to bring a reusable shopping bag when they shop).



• Going in a green, alternative direction will "force" big business to make positive changes in their big biz practices (Wal-Mart, IKEA, Whole Foods, Toyota, Honda, BP).



• The more "consumer demand" for eco friendly goods and services there is, the more "green" biz development will result.
  
  
• Home construction -- smaller homes, and more energy-efficient homes are being built.



• People are looking at all the green characteristics of a product, its sustainability, its environmental impact, manufacturing and fair trade issues, packaging and shipping and overall carbon footprint are all becoming buying criteria.

What do you project for the future of green e-commerce?
Lots of room to grow, it will be positive in many ways. People who are just starting out -- in their 20's and 30's are very active, open, and willing to "do the right thing."

But going in the green direction won't happen overnight. Many people in the 45-55 age range seem to sort-of stuck in their "I don't want to change" mentality, or they've already invested a ton of money in "old technology". So for this segment of the population, going green is a little more difficult.

Some folks in the 55-65 yr range seem more receptive, oddly enough, because they have the wisdom from experience, disposable income, and desire to "make a change for the sake of the next generation." They've reached their "I want to give back" stage of their life, and realize the long-term impact their "footprint has on Mother Earth."

What do you think your customers want and can't find right now in the market?
Solid information about where to go to get the best green goods.

What do you consider the biggest obstacles for the green industry right now?

• There's still mis-information on the facts regarding the global warming issue, causing confusion in paralysis in many folks who are not sure of what to believe, and in which direction they should head.



• In the U.S - the Bush administration is a huge impediment. Their less than stellar record on the environment.



• They way people are hard-wired, they're not pre-disposed to embrace change. People can be reticent to change their behaviors (i.e. bringing a reusable shopping bag with them when they shop in a retail store; buying an eco-friendly car requires extra research; recycling is an inconvenience -- there's that word) and cutting back and cutting down on resource use can require a certain amount of personal sacrifice. So large segments of the population will simply ignore the situation, and exist as though "nothing's wrong."

One final note from Maureen: "I’d just like to say, Thanks, Dave, for being so interested in what The Alternative Consumer is all about."