Innovation

Shelly Green, the founder of The Green Corner Store, believes it is her job as a small business owner to take the initiative for change and to be an innovator. “We try to reduce our use of natural resources, we are always looking for ways to cut down and reduce, such as; asking customers to bring their own containers to fill, working towards being zero waste, and just generally being conscious of the things we consume,” said Shelly. Her concerns for ethical consumption are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal #12 of responsible production and consumption. There are many ways for people and businesses to cut down on consumption and waste from production beyond just changing packaging and using reusable containers. Companies need to be conscious of the waste they generate in their day-to-day functioning and cutting down on operational waste could make a huge impact. The same goes for individuals too, because any small change helps a lot.

Shelly shared, “Trying to maintain a modern lifestyle is hard, and it’s hard to be perfect, but we try to do the best we can to get sustainably sourced products through going to shows and getting referrals from other places. It’s good to promote these products and we have a responsibility to our community to provide them with the best products we can.” She understands the struggles of people wanting convenience rather than going for a slightly more expensive or less convenient yet sustainable option and Shelley wants to help people see sustainable choices as the better choice. For example, she told us, “Big-box stores in the past have decided to reduce packaging and reduce the use of excessive, wasteful containers” and this has had a trickle-down effect for small businesses. Excessive use of packaging is a huge problem and people and businesses alike need to be more educated and challenged to look for alternatives. Other stores have recently started being aware of this issue, but Shelly mentioned she has always been mindful about not being wasteful, both in her personal life and in her company. Her care for being sustainable and living a green lifestyle is what makes her an innovator and makes her business successful.

Inspiration

Shelly's inspiration comes from the people in the community; they appreciate what the store is trying to do, which validates the educational goal of The Green Corner store and mission to help people live sustainable, healthy lifestyles. The connection between Shelley and her customers is important, she loves meeting people, interacting with them, and seeing them grow over the years that they shop at her store. The same could be said about the employee-customer interactions and this helps tie everyone closer to the store. The personal connection and interaction are the best parts about running her store and she loves knowing that her customers truly know that she cares about their individual health and well-being. Her care for her community and individuals is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal #3 of good health and well being. She provides her community with knowledge and products that aid them in living healthier lifestyles.

Overall impact

Shelly has a social, economic, and environmental impact on her community. In addition to educating consumers on healthier, natural, and non-toxic products, The Green Corner Store teaches people the power of a dollar and how the majority of a dollar spent at a local business goes back into the local community. This is not the case when a dollar is spent at a corporate-owned or big box store. Shelly states, “The personal experience is what we have over a bigger store. We work with local organizations and teach about what a dollar means to a smaller local store. About 83% of a dollar continues to circulate through a community and you know when you spend your money at a local store the money is going to benefit your local community. Being involved with a local store like ours gives a more feel-good factor in contrast to big box stores and corporations whose headquarters are based elsewhere.”

This idea of helping improve the local economy aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal #8 of decent work and economic growth. The local economy is important and sustainable small businesses like the Green Corner Store work toward helping its local economy by providing education, services, and bringing money back into local communities. This aligns with Sustainable Development Goal #4 of quality education and lifelong learning. Shelley wants to teach people about living more sustainable healthy lives, and through teaching her customers, even in a small way, it can lead to greater impact because that person now has a little bit more knowledge and that, in turn, can be passed on to other people they might know. Ultimately, education, even at an individual level, can lead to bigger change because every step in the right direction helps.

Business benefit

Shelly believes that everyone in her store, both customers and employees, plays a role in her company’s sustainability. “Everyone can do something to work towards sustainability, even though not everyone is perfect, people do what they can and the employees that work in the store have to understand that to be able to help customers.” Sustainability is one of the core values in her company and both Shelley and her employees are passionate about the cause they are working toward. Living a perfectly 100% sustainable lifestyle is difficult, but every small step that is taken in the right direction helps. Helping customers make small changes, even just changing one habit in their lives to something more sustainable like bringing in their own reusable tea mug instead of buying a paper cup, is a step in the right direction and that is what Shelley is aiming for. Although her business is on a smaller scale, having an influence as an individual locally can help other people understand her cause and spread awareness throughout the community.

Social and environmental benefit

Shelley understands the value of sustainability in making a difference to the local community and she knows it’s something that can eventually lead to a more sustainable society as a whole. “Sustainability is always evolving and being green is always going to be important and something that companies should care about. it’s not just for the money. People sometimes hop on the “green train” just to make money,” she said. When she says “the green train” she is referring to greenwashing, which is a marketing tactic often used by companies to make a product seem “green” and environmentally friendly to attract attention and get people to believe their false claims. It’s important to know that there are businesses out there like The Green Corner Store that actually care about consumers' well being and don’t greenwash. Like other green businesses, her store contributes to improving the community because the products provided help in the battle against pollution and other negative impacts of our current economy and it brings everyone together for a good cause. Green businesses also promote recycling, reusing, reducing of waste, and usage of safe ingredients to keep people healthy. Such principles help protect people and the earth by promoting social, environmental, and economic sustainability.

“We, as a company, believe it is very important to provide choices for people who care about the well being of their community and environment and as a small business, there is a responsibility to lead the way.” She believes that sustainability should be a core value for everyone for many reasons, such as the overuse of resources and population growth. It’s important to be aware of these problems and our society needs to be sustainable in order to provide for future generations, not just for ourselves. Thinking ahead to the future is one of the most important things about living sustainably.

Interview

Shelley Green, Founder