Maria Onesto Moran,
owner Green Home Experts 

One of the best places to start your green products education is at the Green Home Experts in Oak Park, IL.

Meet Maria Onesto Moran Owner of Green Home Experts. www.GHExperts.com. Maria was raised with a social conscious so the idea of acting responsibly in day to day life is routine to her. She has long been a green advocate. Working as a fundraiser she assisted in the creation of the Wentworth Commons a Chicago Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certified building which provides sustainable supportive low income housing. http://www.designadvisor.org/green/wentworth.htm

Maria’s definition of ‘green’: “Sustainability, living and consuming resources (in a way) that insures a healthy future for people and the planet for years to come.” The term green has come a long way. She laughs as she says, “When I told people I was opening a green store, they thought all my products would be the color green!"

Product greenness is weighed against its carbon footprint, ideally a product will be made from at least 40% recycled materials and be manufactured within 500 miles. This generates a value added product. Maria chooses products that allow her clientele to be cost conscious and environmentally conscious all in one purchase.

How do you know if a product is truly ‘green’? Suppliers of green products use transparency as their tool of education. Their websites will spell out how their product is green. For example Safecoat, a no VOC (volatile organic compound) paint, has their specification sheets on line for you to see http://www.safecoatpaint.com/. Let’s talk Gilasi countertops http://www.gilasi.com/ . They use 85% recycled content by weight, are manufactured in Chicago, and will garner you LEED points. Green Home Experts carries both of these products. A quick search on line can give you the information you want to make product comparisons.

Green Home Experts, Oak Park, IL 60304

Maria is always happy to answer questions. She sometimes uses ‘product indicators,’ a note card that gives an explanation of a products eco-friendliness. As environmental awareness grows, so does her customer demographics. Moms are frequent customers as well as people with sensitivities who are looking for natural non-chemically compounded products.

Thankfully a new awareness has raised the consciousness of our nation inviting us to reexamine the products we use every day. Customers now search for refillable catnip toys and Charlie’s environmentally safe soap and laundry detergent http://www.charliesoap.com/ . Here’s a useful product, biodegradable poop bags to use for picking up after your dog. The bags serve the same purpose as plastic bags but don’t hang around like an unwanted guest after the party!
You can visit Maria at Green Home Experts, 823 S. Oak Park Ave. Oak Park, IL 60304
phone: 708-660-1GHE (1443)
fax: 866-556-9621
www.GHExperts.com

In this article we’ve covered a large spectrum. In the coming weeks I’ll focus on individual Interior Design products giving priority to those with a Chicago connection. 

For more info:

U.S. Green Building Council-Chicago Chapter  http://www.usgbc-chicago.org/

Chicago Center for Green Technology egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalEntityHomeAction.do

West Suburban Women Entrepreneurs www.wswe.org/

Local Farmers www.localharvest.org/