I started this post over a week ago — and didn’t get very far.  Life interupted. 

Which was a good thing actually.  Let me explain.  Its a long post, but stick with me.  You might see yourself at the end.

I decided to start this blog as the result of looking for start-up or early stage green or socially responsible (SR) businesses that might be hiring.  When I started looking I found quite a few green and SR businesses that I was unaware up.  I also told people that I was looking to finally use my environmental studies degree.  That opened up a lot of conversations with people about what they were thinking about with regards to their own products or services. 

One of those companies was EZ Paint Tools, Inc.  This company manufactures a plastic handled paint brush that is cleaned by connecting it to a hose and blasting water through it.  For those of you who paint with latex paint, you know that you clean brushes with water.  Usually lots of water, because lots of paint gets up into the bristles and you have to work the paint back down the bristles (essentially pulling the paint out).  The EZ Clean paint brush is designed to push the paint out.

So far so good.  Using less water is good, both from a supply stand point and from a disposal stand point.

My first thought was “Does the water savings balance out the plastic handle?”  Then Michael Pinkowski, the President and COO, mentioned that the handle was recyclable.  He also said that there was no reason the handle had to be “iPod white” and that he wanted to start making the handle out of recycled plastic.  He then told me that he wanted to do away with the little black rubber gasket between the cap on the end of the handle and the handle itself.  Its only real purpose (as I recall) was to allow the caps to be adjusted so that the brushes hung straight on the display rack.  And it didn’t really work.  Plus the resulting look lead people to think that they were supposed to put paint in the handle.  Whoops.

Michael said that with a little more precision manufacturing the black rubber gasket could be eliminated.  Viola, one less part. 

While not yet a “green” product (another future topic), the Ez Clean paint brush could boast of its environmental benefits in its marketing.  And probably should, because here is where life interupts.

As conscientious as I try to be, I don’t always have (make) time to research or think about every product that I purchase.  My first thoughts on seeing a big, plastic handled paint brush would be — what an environmental waste.  Only with a little prodding from Michael and further reflection did I realize that first impressions might be wrong. 

My first impressions would have been my only impressions, and that was when I even thought about the impacts of a product.  Let’s face it, most people want to do the right thing but “life” gets in the way — is this you?  I believe that companies can gain an advantage in the market by making it easy for me (and you) to choose their product for environmental reasons.  (I think I mentioned in another post that I am lazy).

Michael’s discussion about product design and manufacturing also reinforced the idea that good business decisions can also have good environmental impacts. 

I had also come across two other intriging businesses (not yet launched so I can’t name them) that have social and environmental components to them. 

As an entrepreneur I was excited to see that people were finding ways to do well while doing something good or at least “better”.   I think those companies should be celebrated and encouraged, and other companies shown how they can do well while doing good.  I hope that this blog can help in that process.