Living sustainably doesn't have to be complicated or daunting, according to the owners of Sustain, an eco-store planning a grand opening March 21 in the Vogue Shopping Center of Louisville. The Sustain store will do more than just provide the products necessary to live more sustainably, they'll also share indispensable information to make sustainable living easy for its customers. Sustain makes sustainable living, attainable.
Housed in the space that was formerly Sustain Kids, the new Sustain store caters to all members of the family, even furry friends. The owners decided to expand the selection of products at the store after seeing too many products being branded as "green" or "eco-friendly" when, in fact, they were not. They hope their Louisville neighbors will think of Sustain as a credible source for sustainable and eco-friendly products, so they set up a rating system that's used on each product sold in their store.
When evaluating products, Sustain looks at the impact of the production and sale of the item on the environment, globally and locally. Products are independently evaluated and verified that their claims of fair trade, sustainable design, low emissions and use of materials that are biodegradable, organic or recycled/recyclable, are true. After a product passes their stringent guidelines, it can be offered in the store.
Among products that have passed the test are kitchen wares, composting supplies, pet products and toys. The store strives to be Louisville's one-stop shop for sustainable living products and free education for how to do it. Since shoppers aren't always familiar with sustainable practices, Sustain also gives them the tools to make their choices a success. For example, they don't just sell compost bins, they also offer pamphlets of information on composting, provide newspaper shreddings as a base for the compost and sell books on vermiculture, worm farms and provide sources for red wiggler worms.
"We want our customers to walk out of Sustain feeling empowered and energized to make meaningful changes and commitments to 'greening' up their lives," said Mark Appleberry, CEO, who runs Sustain together with brother Tim Appleberry, president.
