just goods

After the Earth Day Celebration at Howard Park, we stopped by just goods nearby. I was very impressed with this shop dedicated to its mission. The store focuses on sustainable products, with a variety of clothes, knick knacks, jewelry, household items, toys, and more!

When we entered, we were immediately welcomed. There was a bunch of banging going on upstairs for a jewelry making class! Pretty cool to make your own jewelry and it added to our shopping experience. There are more upcoming classes on making soap.

There are a fair amount of essential oils and other personal care items. The cards and notes had lovely nature themes. I really liked the bike pouches, like the one up on the wall. It made me wish I lived closer to a town where bicycle riding might be more feasible as the pouches just hook on and off very easily.

While not primarily focused only on nature (though by being sustainable, they certainly help nature!), there were natural elements throughout. There were cute felted wool birds!

Organic clothing is for sale. My boys liked the toys and kept talking about them for several days after our visit, seeing how far their allowance would stretch.

There were all sorts of felted wool items, as well as different reusable dishes and household items.

The store carries several lunch container options. We've actually been looking for a good fit for our family. I've read about many of the options for sale here on various blogs. The prices were comparable or LESS than what I've been finding online. The money stays in the community and no shipping is charged. After our time in Japan, bento boxes are just cool! It was nice to have someone explain what she personally liked about the different options, too.

I loved seeing this quote on the doorway! What we do makes a difference! The store follows this inspiration, aligned with its mission, on a daily basis. What have you done recently to be the change you wish to see in the world?

Just down the street was a Unity Gardens plot, which is another group being the change they wish to be in the world.

Elkhart Green Drinks

Tonight I stopped in at Elkhart Green Drinks at Lucchese's. This video shows an interview with Burne Miller, one of the founders of the local group, as he explains the concept behind Green Drinks and how it is applied locally. I went to one in the past and enjoyed the experience.

Eric Weigold was there to talk about gardening, underground watering systems, rain gardens, and rain barrels. He knew the restaurant well and offered good suggestions for eating and had good information on the topic. I recently did a post on Rain Gardens which includes links to many of the resources Eric mentioned. Did you know there are reimbursement opportunities for rain barrels and rain gardens? There are also rain barrel auctions coming up (see my post on Rain Gardens for details)--I've seen pics of the artists in progress. Looks like they will be beautiful! It's amazing how much a rain garden or barrel really can make a difference!

While it's always nice to learn about the topic of choice, it's also nice to meet others interested in sustainability. There are opportunities to talk and discuss areas of interest. I also put faces to different names, such as Michiana Cork and Fork, to faces. It is a Facebook group which helps encourage and promote local food businesses.

Green Drinks is a good way to learn informally of area resources, events coming up of interest, and what is working for individuals in our community in their efforts to go green. I talked about gardening to someone sitting near me and "green" smoothies with another. This is a good way to learn informally of area resources, events coming up of interest, and what is working for individuals in our community in their efforts to go green. Now I'm thirsty and ready to get out the Vitamix !

See another post of mine about Green Drinks in the greater area.

Green Drinks

Have you ever been to one of the Green Drinks meetings? While this is an international movement, there are Green Drinks groups in several areas nearby, such as Goshen, Elkhart, and South Bend. It's a great way to get together with others who are interested in different types of "green" initiatives. Each month, there is a different topic. People do brief introductions and a speaker generally talks about a topic of local interest. I wasn't sure what to expect . . . supposedly, you ask, "Are you green?" and if they answer in the affirmative, you know you're in the right place. When I walked into Fat Tomatoes, I actually already knew several people there and others trickled in through the evening that I'd met other places as well. Green Drinks is an "organizing, self-sustaining network."  And network, we did! I've mentioned several times that I enjoy meeting others with similar interests with the local groups.

For the February Green Drinks, Denny Correll, Brownfield Coordinator for the City of Elkhart, shared the journey of transforming the old Labour Pump Site into a nice park for the area. Mr. Correll shared pictures of the process and documented how materials were salvaged from the old Miles Laboratory. Materials and money were donated from several local businesses and groupas. Many volunteers, including children, helped with the finishing touches. Plans are to add a wind turbine and solar panels for lighting this next summer. The park also includes a community garden. The garden plots are 4' by 8' and only cost $5 to use.  There are also paved walking paths on the 5 acre property. Here is one article reporting on the park.

I must say I was completely mesmerized listening to the transformation of this property. It's neat to see community resources pulling together to make it a better place to live.

Local Green Drinks groups: 

Elkhart--Find it on Facebook!

Goshen--Find it on Facebook!

South Bend--Find it on Facebook!

There is even a special Green Drinks for the Midwest coming up March 16th at Fernwood Botanical Gardens and Nature Preserve.