Oregon Manufacturing Goes Green and Stays Local

EcNow Tech announces the start of local manufacturing of environmentally friendly compostable products in Corvallis, Oregon. Plant based polymers sourced in the U.S. are formed by EcNow Tech into useful products (food service and other) and provided to area restaurants and businesses. Local manufacturing is a key component to EcNow Tech’s vision for creating environmentally friendly closed loop systems for consumable products and improving local economies.
EcNow Tech believes local manufacturing is more conducive to sustainable and healthy communities. Trends in the United States have been to outsource US based manufacturing jobs to lower cost labor regions of the world. This has led to loss of vital skills, jobs and income needed to sustain healthy communities and economies.
A local Corvallis company, EcNow Tech has a vision for changing the outsourcing trend and improving their community’s carbon footprint. EcNow Tech believes local manufacturing makes good business sense and is better for the environment and the community.
When a product is manufactured, transported, consumed and composted locally it creates less waste and has a smaller carbon footprint. In sharp contrast, large distribution networks operate out of large hubs, use lots of energy and have significantly larger carbon footprints. Petroleum based plastic products have an inefficient life cycle as shown in the graphic below. The life cycle consists of sourcing crude oil, refining the oil, polymerizing the refined oil and creating pellets, manufacturing plastic products then disposing of them in the landfill where they sit for thousands of years. EcNow Tech’s goal is to break the cycle and create a locally sourced, closed loop, life cycle.

April 30, 2010

Lowering our dependence on petroleum based products makes good business sense and improves our community by reducing our carbon footprint and eliminating waste. Less than two years ago a barrel of crude oil approached $150 per barrel. As the world economy and standard of living continues to improve the price of oil will continue to rise. Oil is not a renewable resource and the basic principles of supply and demand will make petroleum based products very expensive in the future. Plant based products which are based on renewable resources are less likely to fluctuate over time.
When global warming and the environment are considered it is clearly better to manufacture, use a product and compost it locally versus expending energy and outputting carbon into the atmosphere when products are shipped long distances. Consumers and business owners have the power to make a sustainable choice and choose an alternative which supports their local community and reduces their carbon footprint.
EcNow Tech was started in 2008 and has a mission to eliminate our dependence on petroleum based products. The company’s goal is to steadily increase its ratio of locally manufactured products to those purchased overseas. To learn more about EcNow Tech visit our website at www.econwtech.com or stop by the Earth Smart Store located at 160 NW Jackson Ave, Corvalllis, Oregon.
Contact: chris.vitello@ecnowtech.com

Clear Tip of the Week

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from A Clear Place

Getting rid of stuff that no longer serves a purpose is only one part of having a clear place. Another, equally important part, is being mindful about your purchases. I love finding fun and useful items that are eco friendly and multi-purpose. And last weekend, I discovered a place that is clearly a wonderful resource for just those kinds of things!

The Earth Smart Store is dedicated to green home products, compostable foodservice items and sustainable building products. Located in Corvalis, OR, the storefront provides retail items to take home and serves as a showroom for green building needs and wholesale restaurant products. Paul Nash, VP Engineering, gave me an impromptu tour of the warehouse and explained the company’s mission and purpose. Paul and his partner and their wives run the business with an eye on the community. “We are very much about being in touch with the locals. We listen to their needs and design accordingly.” EcNow Tech is the design side of the business providing, for example, compostable clam shell “take out” boxes to all the area restaurants. “It’s not about being the biggest,” states Paul. “We believe that the future of business is in keeping a small footprint. Serving the community and knowing your customers first hand. Once the template is operational, then you can take it to any town and apply the same standard of service and quality to that local community.” If you are fortunate to live within drive time to Corvalis, stop in and check out the great energy and green products. If not, visit their website to view the vast array of items. They happily ship anywhere!

Show below are just a few of the cool things I found at the store. Thanks for sharing, Paul, and thanks to all of you at Earth Smart for your efforts in making our earth home a clearer place for everyone!

The Dish Dumpling
Don’t you just love that name? This is a 100% biodegradable scrubber for pots and pans. The inner sponge is wrapped with tough agave twine so it holds up forever. 3.4″ square. Retails for $3.99.
Another scouring pad, the Loofah Scrubby is the same size as the dumpling but this time the sponge is wrapped with loofah. It, too, is biodegradable and dye free.

The Mabu Multi Cloth is made from 100% wood fibre and is naturally bacteria resistant. It’s super soft and absorbent and machine washable. Paul says his customers love how it feels SO much they even use it to remove make-up.
The 12″ square cloth retails for $2.25.

You might remember reading a recent Clear Tip where I talked about the importance of knowing the source of your candles and essential oils. I noted that even soy candles only have to have 1% of soy in them to wear that label (which means 99% can still be parafin). Earth Smart carries the real deal called Naked Soy. Handmade here in Portland. A great gift idea, I got a large square pillar in a beautiful lime green glass holder made in Spain by Ecoglass. Retail price for both candle and holder is $12.00.

I spied these large sacks of clay in the warehouse - believe it or not their contents can transform your space with heavenly wall colors. Take a look at the options below - imagine having these lush textures and serene tones wrapped around you. Paul explained what a perfect choice clay is for the shower walls. The clay absorbs the moisture and then naturally dries out again. Brilliant!

The clay goes on with a trowel and the finish can be silky smooth or rough like stucco depending on the look you want to create for your room. Doesn’t this just call out to the artist in you?

Speaking of art, the folks at Earth Smart collaborate with a local craftsman who fashions everything from frames to furniture out of recycled barn wood. The products are amazing and VERY affordable. Unique, sturdy, beautiful and earth friendly … doesn’t get any better than that. And if you don’t see what you are looking for, you can order a custom made piece.

Last, but not least, I have to mention the beautiful green flooring options - like the cork shown on the right. I was standing on this and thought it was wood. The rich hues and depth of color make it a perfect choice for enhancing your home or business. How does it hold up? The store has had it in their heavy traffic area for over three years - and it still looks brand new.

Learn more about these and so many other green products and building options at
The Earth Smart Store - or you can email Paul directly with your questions at PaulNash@EcNowTech.com. Here’s to mindful choices and clear living!

Did you miss last week’s Clear Tip?

Click below to read about another wonderful office transformation!

The doctor will see you now … in a clear place.