Friedman’s Home Improvement and Plan-It Hardware are making it easy for both builders and do-it-yourselfers to go green.
Dubbed “eco-tecture” by a recent New York Times Magazine issue, ecological building design is generating a lot of buzz. And while much of the recent attention has centered around LEED-certified (the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design designation) commercial buildings, there’s a growing trend among residential builders to create green communities—housing developments or condominiums designed for minimal environmental impact. This means recreational and retail destinations are within easy walking distance, low-water landscaping beautifies the premises and homes are built with environmentally friendly building supplies and energy-efficient appliances.
Sounds good, right? As a society we seem to be coming to a consensus that yes, the environment does matter, and yes, it’s good to be green.
But if you’re not in the market for a new green residence, how can you get on board with the green movement (besides filling the blue bin every couple of weeks and contemplating the purchase of a Toyota Prius)? The answer might be found in your everyday shopping choices. Many consumers find comfort in choosing more eco-friendly (aka “greener”) home improvement products, including items that are manufactured with minimal environmental impact, packaged in recycled materials and are healthier to use—but these greener products aren’t always available or easy to find.
Enter Friedman’s Home Improvement stores. Friedman’s has teamed up with Plan-It Hardware, a distributor of green home improvement products, to market a plethora of greener wares: tools, household cleaning products, hardware, lawn and garden supplies, plumbing and electrical items and wall and wood finishes. If you’re an eco-conscious do-it-yourselfer (or a professional with a green mission), chances are Friedman’s has what you want.
Friedman’s is the largest locally owned home improvement retailer in the North Bay. In business for more than 60 years and with locations in Santa Rosa, Sonoma and Ukiah, it’s a popular alternative to the ubiquitous big box stores. In January 2007, the company launched the “Greener Choice” campaign, which identifies and provides education about home improvement products that “meet green building guidelines, are safe for the environment, safer to use and safer for your family.”
Barry Friedman, area sales manager and son of current owner Bill Friedman, says the green movement is about “being aware of what kind of impact we have on our community.” Barry continues, “As a local business, we can tailor our product selection to the specific needs of our customers, and green alternatives are important to residents of the North Bay.”
Tony Corsberg, vice president of merchandise and marketing at Friedman’s, has been with the retailer 31 years. Explaining the decision to undertake the sometimes daunting task of green merchandising, he says, “The green movement was becoming more important to our customers. So about two years ago, we put out a search to find green products or to find out what products we already carried that were considered green. We really struggled, because there was no list to compare against, and we were concerned we would mistakenly call something green. We decided to pull back and do more research. That’s when we connected with Jay Tompt of Plan-It Hardware.”
Jay Tompt is Plan-It Hardware’s vice president of green business development. Plan-It Hardware researches the authenticity of green products and only carries those that pass inspection. “We’re green project experts and distributors,” explains Tompt. “In a nutshell, we’re trying to make green products mainstream and easily available. The Green It Yourself program is designed for any retailer to bring in loads of products that are green alternatives.”
A unique partnership
Friedman’s isn’t just another retailer Plan-It Hardware supplies with green products; this partnership is considered a benchmark for evaluating the success of future relationships. Says Tompt, “The idea is to make Friedman’s a model in the industry. It’s our joint goal.”
Likewise, Plan-It Hardware doesn’t fit the bill of a “normal” distributor. That’s what makes the partnership so unique. In addition to supplying eco-friendly products to the buyers at Friedman’s, Plan-It does much more. For instance, the company provides “greener choice” tags (called shelf-talkers in the merchandising world) that make it easy for consumers to spot greener choices. It also provides literature that educates consumers about the benefits of using these products. Plan-It even trains Friedman’s employees, so they can knowledgably answer consumers’ questions about the green products. And here’s the real kicker: Plan-It doesn’t only tag its own products, but also those supplied by other distributors.
Regarding this unusual and refreshing practice, Tompt says, “Our mission is to help our retailers go green. Part of that is to help identify all of the green products, even if they don’t come from us—we feel that helps everyone. For example, one of our retailers carries formaldehyde-free insulation. We don’t currently carry insulation, but it’s a product that would qualify as a greener alternative, so we identify it as such.”
Friedman’s points to this practice as evidence of a strong partnership. “For Jay to spend his time to validate items that he doesn’t sell us really shows a loyalty to Friedman’s. So we’re going to support Jay—and the green products we don’t stock yet—to see what we can do to get them in our mix,” says Corsberg.
A walk down the aisles of Friedman’s in Santa Rosa confirms the effectiveness of the program. Faced with multiple shelves of pest control products, for example, the “greener choices” pop out immediately thanks to their high-visibility tags. It makes what could be a difficult task of label reading and decision making a breeze for the green-conscious customer. And yes, the employees seem to know what they’re talking about. When asked about paint with zero VOCs (volatile organic compounds, which contribute to indoor air pollution), an employee behind the paint counter explained that there weren’t any as of yet, but one would be available soon (it’s called Horizon paint by Rodda and should be on the shelves by the time you’re reading this).
It’s true that the big box stores carry your run-of-the-mill green products like organic fertilizer and compact fluorescent light bulbs, but you might have a harder time finding specialty items like low-toxicity paint and deck sealers. “Some of the big box stores are trying to change,” acknowledges Tompt, “but they’ve put a lot of local retailers out of business—and focus on cheap products that are made in China. Our focus is on the local retailers, which are often family-based businesses that understand the idea of leaving a positive legacy.”
Why buy green?
Buying green isn’t just about the health of the planet; it’s also about the health of your home. Research provided by Plan-It Hardware suggests that common household products can have a negative impact on your health:
• Of the 2.4 million human toxic exposures reported in 2004, 93 percent occurred at a residence involving generic household products.
• Indoor air quality is the number one environmental health problem in the United States. It aggravates or causes 50 percent of all illnesses.
• According to the EPA, six out of 10 homes and buildings are “sick,” meaning they’re hazardous to your health due to airborne pollutants. The allergen level in super-insulated homes can be 200 percent higher than in ordinary homes.
• Indoor air quality is typically two to five times more toxic than outdoor air, and most people spend almost 90 percent of their time indoors.
Tompt, who’s clearly passionate about his job, advises consumers to seriously consider the health benefits of using greener products. “A lot of conventional products contain chemicals that pose health risks to people who make and use them. So, especially if you have a family, you should care,” he says. Yes, latex paint is safer than oil-based, but there are still a lot of nasty chemicals in latex paint that end up in your home, and they stay in the air and react with other chemicals. Cleaning products evaporate into the air. Consider that dizzy feeling you get when you clean your tub. Not good!
Tompt says a lot of people still use bleach to kill mold, but chlorine bleach creates dioxin, a proven carcinogen and reproductive toxin. To kill mold, give Mold Avenger a try. It contains enzymes that effectively consume the proteins that molds use to attach to a surface. “Baking soda and vinegar water can meet 99 percent of household cleaning needs. We’ve been brainwashed to think we need different products for different purposes. Green cleaners offer convenience if you don’t want to mix your own,” he says.
Going green also means doing your part to make a difference in the global environment, not just in your home. Says Tompt, “One of the reasons our planet’s health is so stressed is our individual lifestyles. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently stated that everyday lifestyle choices play a very important role in combating climate change. Climate change is, of course, the big issue of the day, but there are also a lot of other issues that are just as important to talk about. Part of the flooding that resulted from Hurricane Katrina happened because the surrounding wetlands had been previously destroyed by development and the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, among other hazards. These areas are now considered a dead zone, meaning an area of water that won’t support life. Buying organic food and cotton, changing light bulbs, driving less and buying less toxic products would make a huge difference if everyone made an effort.”
Corsberg is excited about the role Friedman’s is playing in getting the word—and the products—out to the general public. The retailer adopted the program for two reasons: to contribute to a cleaner environment and to meet the market’s demands.
Does green sell?
When asked how sales of green products are going, Corsberg says it’s still too early to tell. Friedman’s Green It Yourself program is still in its early stages, and it takes time to implement everything. “We have about 300 items on the floor now that have been validated by Jay, and more on the way to being tagged as greener choices,” explains Corsberg. “We officially launched the campaign at the beginning of the year and we only have a few hundred items so far. It takes time.” Although more green products are on the way, Friedman’s doesn’t have a timeline for the campaign being completely in place, because it will continue to evolve as new products are introduced. “I think it’s just going to grow. We’re surprised at the number of manufacturers that are still so far behind the curve,” Corsberg muses.
It can be difficult for a retailer such as Friedman’s to ascertain whether or not green product placement benefits the bottom line. Many of the recently tagged items at Friedman’s were already big sellers. Also, merchandise managers have to consider that some green products are pricier than their conventional counterparts. Just as organic food typically costs more, consumers must decide if the touted benefits of green home improvement products are worth the extra cost. Corsberg says, “The greener, non-VOC paint we’re introducing retails for the low $30s per gallon. Well, that’s expensive paint. Most of our paint is between $16 and $29. How is the greener paint going to sell when we already have brand names on the shelves at cheaper prices? There’s also a soy-based deck sealer that retails for approximately $39. You can buy the Thomson’s water sealer for $12. Will the market respond to this new, higher-priced product because it’s better for the environment? These are things we just don’t know.”
Tompt points out that not all green products are more expensive: “The infrared paint stripper we offer [the Speedheater Paint Removal System] actually costs less than using regular chemicals.” But even the green products with a higher sticker price can turn out to be the more economical choice. “Consider compact fluorescent lights, which everyone likes to pick on due to the higher cost,” Tompt says. “Yes, they’re initially more expensive, but they actually save money in their operation because they consume less energy than a standard bulb, saving you money on your utility bill.
“Also, think about this: Who pays for the environmental cleanup and some of the health effects caused by toxic products? Not the company that manufactures the products, but society at large. You might pay a little bit less at the register for a conventional product, but that doesn’t take into account the waste and potential health and environmental cost in the long run.”
They practice what they preach
Friedman’s and Plan-It Hardware both practice what they preach—they’re not just supporters of the green movement, they’re participants, making them truly a green team.
Friedman’s recycles paper, plastic and yard waste, compacts its cardboard and tries to conserve energy as much as possible. Plan-It is installing a new lighting system in its main distribution center that will reduce energy use by 50 percent, and is currently evaluating installing a green roof and shifting to biodiesel fuel. It’s not always easy, though, according to Tompt. “Some things are easy, some things are more difficult,” he says. “For example, installing our new lighting system is relatively easy. The project mainly consists of switching to compact fluorescent lights and a reflector design that increases the available light and reduces energy consumption. Using biodiesel fuel isn’t as easy—you have to figure out where and how to store it and where to obtain it. These things don’t always have simple answers.”
Corsberg agrees. “We actually tried to go solar here,” he explains. “We’re adding solar panels to the Sonoma store. We’d love to do it here [in the Santa Rosa store], but we found out well into the planning phase it wasn’t possible. We got the whole thing designed—solar panels were going to go on the roof—but then we found out the roof wouldn’t support the structure.”
Solar panels or not, it’s clear that Friedman’s is a different sort of home improvement retailer. Its collaboration with Plan-It Hardware proves it’s serious about making a difference.
