Environmentalism is trendy. In an era of global warming, we Americans have managed to do what we do best: trivialize our problems. What could be more fitting than to exploit our current environmental crises for monetary gain? Corporate department stores and overpriced teen boutiques stock stylish t-shirts and bags with cutesy environmental adages, and major food companies offer “organic” and “natural” products on the supermarket shelves, all in the name of capitalism. Consumers mindlessly lap it all up without considering the true ramifications of what it means to be eco-friendly. Truly being “green” isn’t participating in an ephemeral fad or scene; it’s making a lifestyle choice that requires discipline and resourcefulness. Ryan and Tina North, the owners of the Twin Cities Green store, know this, and they are committed to advancing green living long after the mainstream hype has died down.

Twin Cities Green is located on 24th and Hennepin in Uptown. Their mission is to have “Recycled, Reclaimed, Organic or Natural” products, and they also incorporate fair-trade and sustainable products. Creative examples of this mission are everywhere in the store, from furniture made of wine barrels and reclaimed wood to bags made of recycled fibers and plastic grocery sacks. All of the books in the store are printed on recycled paper. The store contains more than just giftwares; kitchen items, like glassware made from wine bottles and utensils made from salvaged wood and steel are also available. Peruvian fair-trade pottery and handmade dishes, organic cotton towels and sheets and buckwheat pillows are stocked in-store. Twin Cities Green is set apart from other green stores by their selection of furniture. “There’s not really anybody doing green furniture, and that’s… why we pushed on the furniture edge,” Tina says. Beds, tables and chairs are all on display in store, handmade from recycled and organic materials. They even have a green baby section.

A large portion of the merchandise and art pieces that Twin Cities Green offers are made by Minnesota artists. “We’re trying to create a positive business model,” Tina explains. Being socially conscious is as important to the Norths as being environmentally conscious. Twin Cities Green works with artists directly, and as a result, the artists receive the profit from their craftsmanship. The Twin Cities Green website www.twincitiesgreen.com has information for artists interested in contacting the store about selling their work. The “Recycled, Reclaimed, Organic or Natural” mantra carries over to the business side of the Norths’ store as well. Their business cards, store tags, and press releases are all made on recycled cardboard from their daily living, their computers, light fixtures, and checkout counter are all secondhand, and their floor is made from recycled tire rubber.

At the back of the store, an area has been set aside for a Do It Green! Minnesota resource center. “We want to give people information…about fair wages, the fair trade certification…sustainable energy and renewable energies,” Tina says. The resource center has books, brochures and materials containing information for people interested in the green movement and how to get involved at any level. “There are shades of green,” Ryan explains, “You don’t have to do everything…Every little bit helps.” Tina adds, “Start incorporating things.…Set a weekly goal for yourself.”

Do It Green! Minnesota will start conducting green workshops in the Twin Cities Green resource center in the spring of 2008. Twin Cities Green is just one part of a larger green community in Minneapolis. “[The twin cities green community] is growing by leaps and bounds,” says Tina. Twin Cities Green participates in many events with the local green community, and a full events calendar can be found on their website. The grand opening celebration of Twin Cities Green is going to be held on November 29, 2007 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the store location in Uptown. All are welcome.

“We’re sort of an odd thing,” Tina admits. “Ultimately if you’re green, you don’t really do retail…My goal is to get people in here who maybe aren’t green or who maybe aren’t interested in being green, but if we get them in here, my hope is that when they’re looking for a gift…that we can get them to shop here instead of at another store that doesn’t participate in fair trade, that isn’t eco-friendly, and is putting toxins into the earth and not paying fair wages.” Twin Cities Green represents the economic side of a new, sustainable way of living, and aims to spread the gospel of green to the Minneapolis area.