BY SARAH K. TOHL
In a world that is progressively becoming environmentally conscious, it is important to have outlets that allow for us to seek knowledge and practice our awareness. All Green Things, an eco-friendly boutique and online company, and its space partner, Green Graphics and Printing, offers just that – and more.
All Green Things owner, Tanya Peel with her dog Otis. Photos: Sarah K. Tohl
All Green Things, located on Topanga Canyon Blvd., in Woodland Hills, was founded by Tanya Peel in 2009 with the goal of educating the public and bettering the environment Her space-partner, Renee Delgado, who owns Green Graphics and Printing, found that she and Tanya shared a vision, and thought, why not share a store too.
Both Peel and Delgado had successful web-based businesses before looking into opening locations. After a little feng-shui guided reorganizing of Peel’s shop, the synergy of Delgado’s Green Graphics and Printing and Peel’s All Green Things was born. Peel and Delgado are two determined women with a mission to educate the public and better our environment.
For Peel, her inspiration came about after viewing Al Gore’s 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which focuses on the effects of global warming.
Resource Revival bottle openers made from reclaimed bike chains, (from $10.99 - $14).
“It was a pivotal moment for me,” says Peel. “I thought about how I lived my life and how my actions affected the environment negatively, and I wanted to provide that inspiration to other people through education and resources.”
It was only a matter of time before her website launched in 2008, and the store opened in February of 2009. According to Peel, All Green Things offers a number of different categories in products: reusable bags, reusable bottles, waste free products, biodegradable cleaning products, healthy organic baby products, and personal products.
“I think its important to go green for many reasons,” says Peel. “As our population continues to grow we are putting a strain on our natural resources. We need to be conscious of what we’re doing and how we’re living.”
Left: Reusable Bamboo Utensils Set ($11.95). Right: Flip and Tumble Bags, designed in California, ($9).
In addition to Peel’s supply of eco-friendly products, Renee Delgado’s Green Graphics and Printing services complements the space at the back of the store.
Delgado’s inspiration for launching her eco-friendly printng business came from the daily headaches she had from working at a printshop .
Green Graphics and Printing owner, Renee Delgado with her dog Maggy.
“I used to go home everyday with headaches from the fumes in the room,” says Delgado. “Then I started doing a lot of research on alternatives for the chemicals and products that were being used.”
From there, Delgado wanted to start a movement to allow companies to go green with their marketing materials at an economically feasable price. Delgado’s Green Graphics and Printing services offers all types of percentages in recycled paper from 30% to 100%, all of which is FSC certified (Forest Stewardship Council). Colored business cards run around $65, postcards start at $90, and brochures start at $150, all depending on the amount you choose to purchase.
As for printing, Delgado uses soy ink as opposed to regular ink, which is petroleum based, and contains up to six different metals.
“Kenana Knitter Critters” dolls (from $26 - $32). According to Peel, each doll is hand-made, and includes the name of each woman on the doll which they crafted. “I like products that tell a story,”says Peel.
“Soy ink is made from a soy oil base and contains no metals,” says Delgado. “It also has very little to zero VOC’S (Volatile Organic Compound), which is a combination of toxic fumes.”
On top of all eco-friendly products and services provided by Peel and Delgado, All Green Things is a national drop-off point for cell-phones and ink cartridges, where the cell phones are donated to “Cell Phones For Soliders.” And most importantly, All Green Things helps our community by generating Green Power in the building through the city of Los Angeles.
All Green Things (818) 346-7763. Green Graphics and Printing (818) 818-854-6551 5321 Topanga Canyon Blvd Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Sarah K. Tohl is a life-long Valley resident. She graduated Pitzer College in 2009 with a special major that combined the fields of writing and media studies, titled: “Verbal and Visual Languages.”
Left: BioBag ($5.25 for 50 bags). Right: English Retreads bags, made from the inner tube of an 18” wheel tire, (fom $85 - $148).
About Karen Young
