Lighter-on-the-Land Service Options

Listen, no one wants to complicate your lives. Really. This whole "going green" thing doesn't need to be some big huge hassle or expense. For some folks (like me), it's fun and it feels right. But if you have more than enough to handle on your plate right now (two jobs, new baby, infirmed parent, whatever) and think putting in a vegetable garden or starting to recycle will just about do you in, don't beat yourself up. Your life may require a number of service companies for support, and that's a perfect place to start.

More and more lighter-on-the-land service options are popping up every day, and, although Atlanta is slower to embrace this movement than many other cities, local options are emerging. I'll tell you about them when I find them and I'll include links to them under "Pattie's List" in the right sidebar. Here are four to get us going:

* If you're going to get your house painted anyway, why not consider Atlanta's first green painting contractor, GreenWave Solutions? Owned by a smart, hard-working 29-year-old guy named Daniel Macris, GreenWave Solutions uses high-quality low and no-VOC paints that meet or exceed criteria for use in LEED-certified buildings (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and represents a rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council). Low or no-VOC paints emit little to no odor, do not negatively impact those with developing or compromised respiratory systems, and minimize environmental effects.

Daniel tells me that it costs only about 5% more for his service, which would add about $100 to an average exterior house painting.

I recently bought a gallon of no-VOC paint at Home Depot to paint a wall in my home and the employee in the Pint Department told me that the greatest number of people buying this paint are pregnant women to paint their baby's nurseries. Makes sense, but why stop there?

* If you want to go pesticide-free on your lawn but don't want to really go for a complete "freedom lawn," then you might want to consider a company like Earth Balance Organics (and, frankly, it's the only company I have found in Atlanta that offers completely natural lawn care).

The owner, Greg, is a horticulturist, married to a naturopath, and has been offering both an "earth steward" and a completely organic program for five years now. He says about 80% of his customers go with earth steward (which does include some chemicals, only when they are the most effective choice for a targeted problem) and about 20% go with completely organic. He says of the 20%, the majority are parents with children with disabilities or environmental issues, many with autism. If that doesn't get you thinking . . .

(*Okay, full disclosure, these options are going to cost more than Lawn Doctor. Period. If money is an issue, click here to see one way to manage it, but it would involve a bit more work on your part.)

* One of the most beloved stores in Dunwoody, specifically for its service department, appears to be Performance Bicycle. I can't count the number of people who have raved to me about it, specifically the fact that they offer lifetime free adjustments for any bike you buy at their shop. I brought in a bike we got elsewhere, one which was unusable and I was desperately trying not to have end up in the landfill. Twenty bucks later and that bike is back on the road.

* Not looking to harvest and prepare your own food for that event you're hosting? Consider Dunwoody-based Parsley's Catering. Owner Marc Sommers, a very nice guy whom I've known for a couple years, tells me that they source up to 70% of their menu ingredients locally and sustainably. What's more, their event facility in Marietta just went solar and is one step closer to zero-impact. It already has low-flow sinks, waterless urinals, dual flush toilets, Energy Star appliances, LED lighting and compact fluorescent bulbs.

Let me know if you've found a service company that offers services that help us live lighter on the land, such as a house or carpet cleaning company that uses nontoxic supplies, a landscaper that installs and maintains organic gardens, a pet groomer who uses all-natural shampoos, and so on. The more we support these options, the more this segment of the service industry will grow, and the faster we will create healthier homes, healthier neighborhoods, and a healthier city.