Larissa’s Plaza Tailor Shop is now offering environmentally safe dry cleaning and laundry.  The process is easier on your clothes, easier on your nose (odor free) and, most importantly, easier on the planet.  Now there’s a more earth-friendly option in Midtown for those in need of dry cleaning services. 

www.GreenSolutionsKC.com
Brad Grabs
2225 Troup Ave.
Kansas City, KS  66104
913.244.5838

This tree maintenance service offers a full line of services done with an environmental conscience.  Because they value humans as well as trees, they pay a living wage to their workers and stress worker safety above all.  Their services include pruning for health and optimal growth, pruning of hazardous limbs, new tree selection and planting, and tree removal.  They are very conscientious about thorough clean-up and proper disposal.  Green Solutions is a small, local business with full liability insurance.  You can visit their website or call the number above for a free consulation and estimate, and they will gladly supply a list of references upon request.

When Jen Carlson and Josh Shear built their straw bail house in 2000, they had a difficult time finding green building materials in the Midwest. In 2001 they opened Straw Sticks & Bricks, both to provide those materials for other builders and to educate people on green construction. They even offer installation services in some areas. Their website includes a glossary of terms related to the subject that’s an education in itself, as well as a great place to get ideas for going green. Before you head to their store, check their website for seasonal hours.

Yes, this is a restaurant! It’s a restaurant Jonathan Justus and his wife, Camille Eklof, opened in the space where his family ran a drugstore for decades. They used green construction in their renovation and are tirelessly proactive about the impact of their business on their rural community and the environment. They work with dozens of local sustainable farms, taking in raw materials (producing less packaging waste by making everything from scratch) and giving back to the farmers their compostable scraps and used cooking oil. The fish they serve is freshwater, caught or raised in environmentally sustainable ways. They are also “actively developing local sustainable small farm agribusiness based on cultivating and foraging wild indigenous edible plants.” But wait, there’s more! Many people come away from this leisurely dining experience saying it was one of the best meals they’ve ever had. (The Kansas City Star’s Lauren Chapin recently gave it 3 1/2 stars and named it her favorite restaurant of 2007.) This won’t be a best kept secret for long!

www.marillaccenter.org
4200 S. 4th St.
Leavenworth, KS 66048
913.758.6552

This new retreat center, built in 2003 on a beautiful 240-acre campus, is a ministry of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. Guests can attend directed retreats (a schedule is on their website) or make arrangements for an individual retreat with the option for private spiritual direction. Overnight accommodations, meals and many other facilities and services are available in an “environment of prayer, peace, hope and transformation.”

www.urbanmininghomewares.com
3924 Walnut
Kansas City, MO 64111

This locally owned market in Westport operates with a philosophy of reusing and recycling as an art form. They open their doors the weekend of the first Friday of each month after “a dozen hunter-gatherer-artists have spent the month combing the urban core for wonderful finds” including vintage furniture and textiles and architectural salvage. If you like the idea of reusing rather than buying new but don’t have time to do the “combing” yourself, you might give this market a try.

www.tenthousandvillages.com
7947 Santa Fe Drive
Overland Park, KS 66204
913.642.8368

Ten Thousand Villages speaks well for itself: “Ten Thousand Villages is a founding member of the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) and a member of the Fair Trade Federation (FTF), both of which aim to improve the livelihood of disadvantaged people in developing countries and to change unfair structures of international trade.”

Peter Stauffacher’s commitment to peace and justice throughout the years is best expressed in his coffee company. Not only does he pay a just price for the coffee he purchases from the Chiapas region of Mexico, he also sends $1 back to the same community for each bag of coffee he sells. And it’s terrific coffee.

7921 Santa Fe Drive
Overland Park, KS 66204
913.642.9090

Farm to Market bread is already a treasure in Kansas City, both for its delicious variety and for its commitment to all-natural, low-impact company outlook. Now the bread company has teamed with restaurateurs who are deeply committed to peace and justice issues. They’ve already hosted fund raising events for groups like Migrant Farmworkers Project and they commit much of their personal time to Shalom Catholic Worker House.

Kafe Kiskeya is the store front of Cherith Brook, the new Catholic Worker community in Kansas City’s historic Northeast neighborhood. It strives to “help create a more just and peaceful world, by offering fairly traded art and coffee made in countries that have experienced oppression and strife.” The Kafe’s space is available for “all of us who live here, regardless of race, ethnicity or social class” in a “spirit of reconciliation.” Their days and hours of operation can change from season to season; you can click on the link above to get an update.