Earth Alley , located off the Avenue in Hampden, offers a wide varity of home, garden and personal accessories. Fairly traded and often made with recycled materials, you’ll find bowls made from telephone wire, angels crafted from discarded tin roofing, and handbags fashioned from inner tubes. Earth Alley also offers rolling worksops in household composting, gardening and much more.
Three Stone Steps offers fairly traded accessory items like laptop bags, scarves and necklaces handcrafted in small workshops or from peoples homes. Although selling imports may not seem very eco-friendly chief executive, Ellen Reich is committed to minimizing each trip when possible and using recycled materials in the work place. Reich doesn’t just look to ‘fair trade’ and being "green" as devices for clever marketing. Having worked in the U.S. labor movement for 15 years, and holding a masters degree in Labor Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she is keenly aware of the issues involved with justice in the workplace.
Read their press release……
Sun Mar specializes in self-contained waterless garden and toilet composing units. Baltimore has a Sun Mar dealer located off the Avenue in Hamden at 3313 Elm Ave. As fresh water becomes more scarce due to over-consumption, our treatment facilities will not be able to support the amount of water we flush everyday. Our waste is 90% water and becomes a health hazard because bacteria grows in water. By relieving that moisture through ventilation it can be returned to the earth as much needed fertilizer.
August Moon Organics sells organic, ecological, fair trade, and sustainable hand-crafted products. Their mission is to care for the world we live in and rid it of harmful chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides that pollute our planet and quality of life. August Moon is devoted to learning more about our planet as a living entity and apart from offering products they offer their knowledge of “living green.” Check out the organic cotton yoga mat.
Part of the Buy Local Baltimore guide, Bediboo offers clothing and accessory options for mommy and baby from 18 different brands selling products made mostly from soy fiber, recycled bottles, and chemical free plastics that also include handmade items. BumGenius! a one-size cloth diapers offers an industry first, stretch- to-fit tabs, cloth baby carriers, nursing tea, and much more.
Melaleuca was originally founded in 1985 and now has a line of over 350 different environmentally safe consumer products. They believe that “the products we use everyday should make a significant difference for our health, our families and the earth. The name Melaleuca comes from a plant of the same name which is used as an essential oil for most all of their products.
The Baltimore Free Store is a non-for-profit all volunteer organization founded on principles of social justice. It encourages recycling and reuse in hopes of decreasing poverty and fostering cooperation in achieving a community’s needs. They ask "take what you want, and give what you can" with the goal of empowering communities to organize and meet their needs independently. Beyond this wonderful community oriented concept of recycling and reuse, The Free Store is beginning an initiative to encourage residents to go greener. So take what you want and be sure to give what you can.
View the dynamic, moving GOforChange: Greening Baltimore video