Businesses find 'green' practices can help their bottom line

Grace Beahm
The Post and Courier

Owners of Evergreen Concepts Suzie Webster and husband Drew Franyo at the Mt. Pleasant business that supplies builders with recycled and "green" building materials including Structural Insulated Wall panels.

Three years ago, the Sustainability Institute in North Charleston organized a program to teach builders how to integrate earth-friendly materials and techniques into their projects. Almost no one showed up.

At a similar session this year, attendance swelled to about 80 people.

The program's surge in participation is just one example of the local business community's burgeoning interest in environmental responsibility, said Bryan Cordell, executive director of the nonprofit institute, which aims to educate the public about building healthy, "green" communities.

Increased consumer demand for ecologically friendly products and services is one force behind the trend. Companies also are realizing they can reduce their mark on the planet without spending loads of extra cash, and can save money in the long run, Cordell said.

"I think there are some real business opportunities," he said.

While the green business movement took hold years ago, it has made headlines in recent months as retail powerhouses such as Wal-Mart have launched promotional campaigns touting their earth-friendly policies and products.

But there's a similar push brewing at the grass-roots level, too, with a growing number of local entrepreneurs peddling green products — from building materials to beer — and trying to minimize their impact on the environment.

Outdoor gear retailer Half-Moon Outfitters, for one, recently built a new, energy-efficient corporate headquarters and distribution center in North Charleston. The building uses solar power and collects rainwater for flushing commodes, among other eco-friendly touches.

The company followed a voluntary set of construction guidelines that earned the project the highest rating available from the U.S. Green Building Council, which recognizes environmentally responsible, health-conscious building ventures.

One of the project's biggest challenges, however, was finding local sources for building materials and fixtures, owner Beezer Molten said.

A new Mount Pleasant company aims to fill that gap.

Building momentum

EverGreen Concepts works to link green building-materials suppliers with interested builders and consumers, among other services. The company promotes products from local and regional manufacturers, with a goal of sourcing everything from within a 500-mile radius.

"There are just so many benefits of using local products," said Suzie Webster, who launched the company with husband Drew Franyo last year. Besides pumping money back into the community, buying local also cuts down on transportation costs, pollution and packaging waste, she said.

Among the product samples on display at the company's Coleman Boulevard showroom are colorful recycled-glass countertops made by Fisher Recycling of Charleston, energy-saving insulated wall panels from Global Building Solutions of Charleston and heart of pine flooring reclaimed from historic buildings such as schoolhouses and tobacco barns.

The owners, who both have real estate backgrounds, hope to dispel the notion that green building and design has to break the bank.

"We promote clean, healthy, eco-friendly homes that will fit into any budget," Franyo said.

He pointed to products such as low-flow, high-pressure shower valves that conserve water and cost less than $5. The company also offers real-estate and interior-design services, hosts educational seminars for consumers and businesses, and runs a Web site, www.yourgreentoolbox.com.

Green building products also will be featured at a new Mount Pleasant retail store called DwellSmart.

Expected to open this fall in the Plaza at East Cooper on U.S. Highway 17, the shop will specialize in "healthy and environmentally friendly products for the home," said owner Mary Gatch, who formerly worked in business and technology fields.

Like EverGreen Concepts, Gatch said her plan is to carry as many local products as possible. Merchandise will include energy conservation and recycling aids, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs; products to help minimize symptoms of allergy and asthma, like organic towels and bed linens; air and water filtration systems; and products for building, remodeling and furnishing homes, such as paints free from unhealthy chemicals.

Gatch said she has seen increased demand for such products in the Charleston area.

"It seems the building community is leading the way," she said.

Tapping in to demand

It's not just in the building industry that's riding the green wave.

Husband and wife David Merritt and Jaime Tenny recently launched Coast Brewing Co., a microbrewery in North Charleston that will produce beers made with organic grains. It also will use recycled equipment and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.

The company's boiler, for instance, will run on cleaner-burning biodiesel fuel from Southeast BioDiesel, also of North Charleston. The alternative fuel, made from waste vegetable oil from area restaurants, is significantly less polluting than traditional diesel.

Tenny works for Southeast BioDiesel company, while Merritt, a graduate of the American Brewers Guild, now works for local beer maker Palmetto Brewing Co.

Coast's specialty will be "craft" beers, including a German-style Kolsch called 32/50 and an India pale ale called HopArt — a "high-gravity" beer with higher alcohol content than traditional brews. Craft beer, as defined by the Brewers Association trade group, is beer made by small, independent, traditional brewers.

Demand for the product "is just exploding," Tenny said.

With plans to start brewing in a few weeks, the couple will first introduce their beverages in local restaurants, including Evo Pizza in North Charleston and The Daily Dose on James Island, and later in retail shops.

The brewery is located in the Navy Yard at Noisette, a 340-acre urban renewal project on the former Navy base in North Charleston. Coast will join a number of other green businesses on site, including Southeast BioDiesel; Flexi-Pave, which makes eco-friendly pavement with materials such as recycled tires; and Verdi, a design, development and construction company that is helping develop a new, earth-friendly neighborhood in North Charleston called Oak Terrace Preserve.

Raw talent

Also catering to local taste buds is The Sprout, a new Mount Pleasant cafe and juice bar that's green on several levels. Located in the Plaza at East Cooper, the cafe serves organic, vegetarian and vegan fare, with a focus on "raw" foods, which are heated at no more than 115 degrees to preserve enzymes that aid digestion.

The owners are husband and wife Mickey and Caroline Brennan, Ohio natives who recently settled in Charleston after several years in California.

So far, the couple said, locals have been receptive to the concept and cuisine, such as "live" granola, sandwiches loaded with seasonal vegetables.

"There are a lot of progressive ideas and forward-thinking people" in the community, Caroline Brennan said.

Aiming to source ingredients from as close to home as possible, the couple is trying to cultivate relationships with local farmers who use organic practices.

"The more local we could have, the better," she said. "We're always considering our (environmental) footprint."

To that end, the Brennans also set up their business using environmentally friendly practices and products, such as biodegradeable packaging and utensils, energy-efficient appliances and countertops made from recycled materials.

"I think this area has a ton of potential, and just the right mind-set," she said.

Reach Caroline Fossi at 937-5524 or cfossi@postandcourier.com.