Washington, D.C. - January 04, 2006

Green Party

Future Green Opens

Us: Let’s play a game of word association. Start with “Washington, D.C.”

You: The West Wing. Monuments. Life, liberty, pandas, blah, blah, blah.

Us: Now try “Future Green.”

You: Oooh, the new Nader-esque techno-eco political party?

Us: No. A new ecofriendly store in Logan Circle.

You: Oh, I get it. Organic. Nontoxic. Fair-trade. Tell me more.

Us: It’s one-stop shopping for earth-friendly clothing, gifts, and home furnishings. Alpaca sweaters, baby clothes, cosmetics, tea, coffee, and chocolates; VOC-free paints, bamboo floor boards, and organic bedding. Even the store itself was built with nontoxic primer and recycled flooring.

The products are imported from all over — Thailand, Peru, Haiti, the Philippines — and many of the suppliers (Marketplace, Worldfind, and Alaffia) support community enhancement programs, from teaching gender equality in Togo to helping women in India develop business skills.

You: Sounds like I can fill up my house without weighing down my conscience.

Us: Wow, nice turn of catchy, socially conscious rhetoric. You must be from Washington, D.C.

Future Green, 1469 Church Street NW, between 14th and 15th Streets (202-234-7110 or futuregreen.net).