I first became aware of Co-op America when someone recycled a National Green Pages book at VALCORE several years ago. I found this book was not just a list of national businesses but a publication of green information.

In the 2003 edition of National Green Pages, I searched for local companies. Unfortunately, none are listed for Solano County. However, local stores could carry green products from nearby companies. The list of organic food companies includes Barbara’s Bakery in Petaluma, Amy’s Kitchen in Santa Rosa and Alvarado Street Bakery in Rohnert Park. Knoll Farms in Brentwood is a family farm committed to sustainability through ecological farming practices and Brown Cow, down the road in Antioch, makes old-fashioned yogurt.

AlterECO is a company in Pt Richmond that sells office furniture featuring bamboo, reclaimed fir and certified wood products. As expected there are a host of companies in Berkeley and Oakland. They range from food manufacturers (ClifBar, Just Desserts) to sellers of home products (Earthsake, EcoTimber) plus a plethora of green financial consultants, environmental consultants, and architects.

Businesses listed in the National Green Pages have retail stores, catalogs, web sites, or sell wholesale. If you want to see some of these products locally, encourage your favorite retailer to check out this publication, then we can make a difference and buy ‘green’ locally.

In addition to their Green Pages, Co-op America tackles issues that influence our lives. Their Woodwise program gives tips for forest-friendly living. The Eco Paper Action program encourages magazines to use recycled paper. The magazine ReadyMade that I recently wrote about is published on New Leaf Legacy paper which is made with 50 percent recycled fiber containing 30 percent post-consumer waste. Check the index of your favorite magazine to see what it’s printed on. My Sierra Club magazine is printed on recycled paper and I was pleasantly surprised that the Farmers’ Insurance magazine was printed on recycled paper.

Co-op America has satellite web sites featuring socially responsible investing, community investing and tips on living better and saving more of your hard earned money. Investors wanting to take an additional green step can get information about being a responsible shareholder or compare companies for their corporate responsibility. They also encourage members to use their consumer power to boycott for change.

You can contact Co-op America by calling (800) 58-GREEN or logging on at www.coopamerica.org. I’ll leave my copy of the Green Pages in the VALCORE office library.

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) also encourages businesses to be environmentally responsible. These green businesses are listed on their web site: www.abag.ca.gov.

APRIL EVENTS
EARTH DAY will be celebrated in Vallejo and Fairfield on April 26 this year. If your group wants to be involved, please contact VALCORE.

The Recycled Products Trade Show returns to Sacramento on April 10th and 11th. Our web site has a link for online registration www.ciwmb.ca.gov/buyrecycled/events/tradeshow/or you can call 916 932-2200. VALCORE has a registration form that you can copy to fax or mail in.