Spilling Out

Sure, we see cars spill out from our neighborhoods and places of business and worship onto our streets, but there's another thing spilling out here in Dunwoody and nearby. Entrepreneurialism. I can't swing a dead cat, as they say, without hitting another small business owner! This week alone, I have had the immense pleasure of talking with, and meeting, the following local entrepreneurs:

* Debbie and Sarah of Idbids. This team designed and produce organic cotton plush toys related to the weather cycle that they then package in an Eco-Friendly Starter Kit targeted toward young children (but apparently a hit with teenagers as well!) that teaches environmental sustainability as a fundamental concept. See my FoodShed Planet post about it here. Idbids can be found at Urban Outfitters' 60 green stores nationwide, plus Eco Emporium (the new place about which everyone is raving in Atlanta), Beanhead Toys in Sandy Springs, Fernbank, and the Chattahoochee Nature Center.

* Connie and Heather of Jack's Harvest. This team developed a line of organic baby food that they are now distributing at all Atlanta-area Whole Foods. Peas with mint, carrots with ginger, anyone? Do you have to be a baby to eat them?!

* Brandon and Jeremy of Baby Nation. These dads create baby apparel that can now be found throughout the Southeast and in Texas and California. Organic apparel (including the always popular yoga wear--for the moms, I assume!) is apparently coming by next fall.

And, finally, after all those little ones grow up . . .

* Iris and Lynn of Mama Says No More Frozen Pizza. This team created a collection of 24 laminated recipe cards cleverly packaged in a pizza box that offers delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes for main dishes, sides, and salads for emerging independent cooks (that would be your teenagers!) Here's yet another FoodShed Planet post to check out. This great gift idea, hot-off-the-presses, can be in your tomato-sauce-stained hands next week from a display at the Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta at Zaban Park November 2-22 (no charge to peruse the tables of books for sale) or you can order it online.

Supporting local businesses keeps money circulating in the local economy. Supporting local businesses that help the environment or help teach sustainability skills makes even greater strides in helping create a more sustainable community.