Nashville + Going Green = A Really Happy Eco-Prep!

I love Nashville like I've never loved another city. As I've mentioned a couple of times, I recently spent a couple of months working in Nashville and will be moving back in the not too distant future. It's just such a charming city! But now, it's getting even better! I was so excited when I opened my inbox this morning and found the following information in an email from a friend:

Nashville's First Green General Store to Open in January

Two years ago in Tucson Arizona, Jen Casale found herself driving all over the city (in her 1982 Mercedes station wagon that runs on waste vegetable oil) to shop at different stores to gather eco-friendly products she could use at home. One night after one too many red lights, she realized that a one stop earth friendly shop was desperately needed. Several years of planning later, Jen's vision of a "green" general store evolved into what will soon be The Green Wagon, a cozy yet comprehensive retail collection of environmentally friendly home necessities. Scheduled to open on Friday, January 16, 2009, The Green Wagon is nestled in the heart of historic Sylvan Park in Nashville at 4429 Murphy Road and will be open 7 days a week from 10am – 7pm. Jen Casale is passionate about making "green" shopping easy and practical for customers. The Green Wagon's mission is "To assist communities in reducing our collective carbon footprint by making environmentally friendly products accessible and affordable."

The Green Wagon will house a classic collection of general store merchandise, with everything from cleaning supplies to clothing to shampoo to mattresses. The store will feature a "refilling station" where customers can refill their bottles with certain products at a discounted price, instead of buying new containers. A large portion of the products in The Green Wagon inventory are made locally, therefore reducing the business' and customers' carbon footprint that would normally occur during the shipping process. Since the notion of "green" is relatively new and somewhat undefined, Jen uses a standardized assessment that will evaluate products based on their environmental footprint across the product's lifecycle stages. This standard purchasing process will give The Green Wagon customers peace of mind and allow them the freedom to walk in and feel good about any item they purchase. The Green Wagon hopes that defining its standards of "green" will simplify and enhance the shopping experience for customers.

For more information, click here. Next time you're in Nashville, stop by and pick up some green goodies for yourself!