Sharon Rowe is one lucky woman. She is the CEO and Founder of ECOBAGS®, a company that aims to reduce the use of plastic by creating stylish and sustainable bags for daily use. In the past few years, ECOBAGS® has gained national recognition as an environmentally conscious business endeavor, even being named one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. by Inc. magazine. But Rowe didn't just recently hop on the green bandwagon; she founded ECOBAGS® back in 1989 before the rest of us were toting canvas bags and driving hybrids.

 

So with a company that has nearly quadrupled its sales in the past three years, recognition among some of the most well-known and respected entrepreneurs in the U.S. and a husband who loves to cook fresh, organic meals, one has to wonder, what more could Rowe ask for? After hearing how Rowe got ECOBAGS® off the ground, I have to say that I admire her contributions. I had the chance to ask her what makes her tick, how she found success in the eco-world and how she thinks we can all do our part to reduce, reuse and recycle. Here's what she had to say:

 

Rowe: My inspiration came from my own desire to stop bringing home "single use" bags. It just didn't make any sense to me. The stores in my NYC neighborhood gave out thin plastic bags that would always rip by the time I got home so I couldn't even use them a second time to line my garbage. Plus, the garbage in the parks and streets was always run-away plastic bags.

 

The original ECOBAGS® reusable shopping bag was based on the traditional French "filet" bag -- used for generations in Europe before plastic bags were introduced. The bag continues to be made of a sturdy net cotton (we offer the bag in natural or certified organic cotton) that looks small and unassuming when bunched up (can fit in a pocket or purse) but can expand to hold 25+ pounds. That was our first ECOBAGS® product. We then expanded our offerings to include reusable cloth produce and bulk bags (we introduced these about 15 years ago!) and many sizes of canvas and cloth totes in all sorts of durable and eco-minded fabrics for different functions -- shopping, lunches, snacks, etc.

 

Not really. I went to Camp Woodstock in CT as a kid and swam in lots of lakes and spent time at the beach but we were a pretty standard suburban family. I think we went camping, as a family, one time ... in a pop-up thing, not even a tent.

 

My home life gets greener every day because my husband is very focused on this.

 

For the big things ... we have solar panels, heat with a wood pellet stove, compost almost everything and have a home garden. You should know we live 40 minutes north of NYC, along the Hudson River, and our backyard is only 30x100 feet or so. We also purchase our foods from our local farmers market (whatever we don't grow ourselves) and buy in bulk for basics. Blake, my husband, loves to cook and prides himself on his homemade granola, soy milk, ice cream and so much more.

 

We bring our own ECOBAGS® when we shop (of course) and are very mindful about buying products with very little, if any, packaging.

 

ECOBAGS.com is going to grow into a full service green lifestyle store for both consumers and resellers. It's what we've been doing all along but we're carefully adding products (we like to call them green "tools") that will add real value to this conversation. ECOBAGS®, our line of branded bags and products will continue to develop as basic and designed lines. We are always talking to our customers and taking direction from them. We also see a future in recycled materials and compostable products and are closely following developments in these new areas.

 

We grew 300 percent from 2006-2007 and then another 30 percent in '08. We made the Inc. magazine 500/5000 list of fastest growing companies in the U.S. (#708) and were in the top 100 for our region and category.

 

It is always wonderful to receive recognition from your community. We do so much work around the U.S.; it was great to hang out and be with neighbors and friends to celebrate not only ECOBAGS® success but the growth of green business in our community and nation.

 

My biggest suggestion is to be "thoughtful" about your actions and take time to consider every action. Always be asking -- can I reuse it, recycle it or is it (will it become) just trash?

 

Challenge yourself to do things differently and watch how doing small things (like bringing your own bag or turning off your computer at night) can lead to much bigger mind shifts. Challenge yourself but make your challenges fun and informative.  

 

Question everything -- there is so much noise out there right now about what to do, what's the best thing or things to do, what's natural or organic or recycled, etc. Keep asking questions ...

 

Please feel free to share any other information you would like my readers to know. 

We have just launched a new eco-friendly fundraising program called ECOBAGS® For GOOD™. We are encouraging schools, groups, non-profits, sports teams and so forth to do their fundraising with products that won't end up as trash. They can do their part by raising money for their cause with select, high-quality, sustainable items from ECOBAGS.com.

 

For more information, please visit http://www.ecobags.com/Resources/Fundraising.