Seven Planet

Are you ever slightly baffled at how many plastic bags pop up in the nooks and crannies of your house? Between all the different types of plastic bags we use, the number really adds up fast, even if you’re diligent about taking your reusable grocery bags shopping. One type of bag that I’ve never been able to think of many alternative uses for is the laundry garment bag—they rip when they get stuck on hangers, usually don’t accommodate more than a few garments, and when was the last time you properly recycled one of these bags?

Our friends at Eco Drycleaner have an eco-minded philosophy that extends beyond the non-toxic methods they use to get your stains out. Besides utilizing wind power and recycling all their materials (including hangers!), to name a couple, Eco Drycleaner shows their dedication to sustainable practices by providing customers with a reusable, sturdy laundry bag to use for all future orders.

As this article mentions, who really knows who can truly be credited with the idea. What we do know is good environmentally-friendly ideas should be shared amongst all of us on the planet and utilized in a joint effort to help reduce the amount of plastic entering our landfills. At seven planet, we partner with businesses in the area that share our idea mindful commerce, which is why we serve as a neighborhood drop-off and pick-up location for Eco Drycleaner. Have an office or home near Chinatown? Swing in with your first round of dry cleaning and we’ll get you set up with a discount on your first order.

In 34 years on planet earth I think I have probably owned approximately 15 or so backpacks in my life.  They started as a way to get all of our school materials to class in grade school, then they became fashion items in junior high, and then they moved to definitive statement of who we thought we were in high school.  Once in the working world they often lose their place and make way to laptop bags, messenger bags and briefcases.  Not for me though, I have been utilizing hybrid backpack/laptop bags for about a decade now.

Then about three weeks ago, I purchased an Alchemy Goods (Ag) backpack from seven planet.  It was the 1st of the shipment that Ag had sent to Portland.  We opened the box and we were stunned at how amazing they really were.  We had seen the founder, Eli Reich, carrying a prototype many months earlier and we knew they were the future of backpacks.  Let me just give a simple overview.  It is made primarily of upcycled bicycle inner tubes, upcycled car seat belts and billboard materials.  It is actually made of 82% upcycled/recycled materials.  It is a deep bag with multiple storage compartments and is completely water proof.  It is lined with a new standard backpack material that helps complete its look.

Because each of them is a one of kind and because no one has ever seen a bag like it I have been asked more times about this backpack than any I have ever own.  It inherently leads to a discussion about Alchemy Goods, their work, their products and the difference they are making to save the planet.  It is a walking billboard for change.  It is amazing.  This bag is one that I will keep for life…literally.  I can tell it will outlast me…though I too am willing to be upcycled as well (I am an organ donor).

In 14 years of dating and 9 years of marriage I have never consistently gotten my wife flowers…until now.  botanica: floral design, a local and organic flower shop, moved into seven planet Oregon in April of 2010 and since then my wife finally has flowers in her life.  This is due to a couple of reasons including the convenience of getting the flowers right at the store, knowing that the flowers are truly local and grown by organic farmers and it is Josef, the proprietor of botanica:.  He has a great solution for busy men wanting to provide their spouses with flowers regularly.

Let me focus on this last feature of botanica: as they have a series of “Executive Flower Package” that you can buy in advance that provide you 5 to 7 floral arrangements over the course of a year synched with major holidays (Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, etc.).  It is amazing as you define the holidays that matter to you and your spouse and then the level of floral arrangements you want (“Apprentice” to “Chairman of the Board), and if you want custom cards and local vegan chocolates with them.

Your arrangements are custom designed by botanica: and packaged with your cards and you can either pick up them at seven planet Oregon or that will be delivered to your offices if you are in the greater downtown Portland, Oregon.  It is amazing because even if you tell your spouse that you are utilizing the program they still love the fact that these beautiful bouquets show up on the holidays and that you have some yummy treats and a card that you wrote yourself.  It honestly puts the process around providing flowers.  That may not seem too romantic, but then again never getting flowers anymore is often the alternative.

Three months ago my wife stated that we needed to return our garage into a usable space for the household.  The house we moved into 4 years was a brand new Energy Star home with an insulated and finished garage, so it was a highly valuable living space from day one.  First it was a game room, with the electronic dart board and a ping pong table, then it turned into a fitness room with an elliptical and free weights and then it eventually became the catch all room.

My wife wanted it to be a room that we would use more than just for a year or a season and I wanted the same.  She had just had our 2^nd son and was tired of cleaning up the living room every day after they were done making train tracks, building cars, etc.  So, one day my son and I cleared out the garage, donated the fitness equipment to a local company and turned it into a half playroom, half storage unit.  The playroom half would have all the toys, the circus tent, the artwork, etc. and the storage unit half would have the electric mower, shovels and the bikes.  

The key thing was to easily separate the room into two distinct areas without building any walls and then to also have a ton of storage space so that nearly all of the toys and art supplies could now be in the playroom.  The answer was Way Basics Eco Shelving and specifically the Tribecta Shelves, which are available in a series of colors and were the easiest self-assembly furniture I have every worked with.  The founders of the company have refined their product over the last decade to be an eco-modular furniture that is made of recycled cardboard, but with the look and strength of laminate wood.  Then instead of utilizing names, screws or metal connection systems, they utilize an amazingly strong sticker system that allows for you to simply line up and “glue” the sides and the back of the units together.

My 3 year old son helped assemble four separate Tribecta Shelve units and within 1/20^th the time it would have taken to build a permanent wall.  Instantly we had a colorful, eco-friendly and highly functional room separator that really makes the playroom.  Each unit is customizable so you can make the shelves on each of the levels whatever width you want to store different items (as seen above with the three crazies running in front of the shelves).  This was one of the most valuable parts of the product, that it was completely customizable, and it ended up being an interactive educational opportunity with our son.  He loves the playroom and my wife states, ”we have another room in the house…one that can get messy without any worries”.

You wouldn’t believe how significant our annual budget for our dog is and the environmental impact he has based on our decisions for him.  He is a part of the family and obviously costs us dramatically less than any of us humans in the house, but it is still nothing to balk at.  So, about two months ago we committed to getting 100% of our dog’s food, treats, toys, beds, etc. through seven planet.

In just two months we purchased two beds made of recycled soda bottles from West Paw Design that were badly needed, a 50 lbs. bag of organic and local dog food, and a box of dog treats, from Castor & Pollux as well as a new dog toy for him again from West Paw Design.  When I brought all of this home and made two trips into the house with the products, for the 1st time ever I knew we were making good decisions for the planet on behalf of our dog.

In the end we were simply never thinking about the additional responsibility of owning a pet as a family member in regards to the impact on the planet.

His impact on our floors, on our yard and any stuffed animals he has gotten a hold of was very clear.  However we are now thinking about his impact in regards to his carbon paw print. We are now working to play our part on his behalf and supporting some amazing eco-focused companies in the process.  He name is Blu, but he is now our favorite green pet.