Elizabeth Fletcher from EnviroVogue took some time to answer questions about her reusable bags, charitable connections, and going green.

Leave a comment on this post with your favorite EnviroVogue bag design for another chance to win one of three EnviroVogue bags.  See Monday’s post for details.

1. Why did you start making EnviroVogue bags?

I have always been a reusable bag person…even before it was fashionable to be green! My family is very outdoorsy. We camp, and swim and ski and hike every chance we get, so we are very in tune with our natural surroundings, and very aware of the damage caused by filling landfills and oceans with unnecessary plastic and paper.  So, I was looking for another small business to launch, and I saw the need, and it resonated with me personally… it was just a perfect fit!

I made the decision to use recycled materials right from the start. It was a requirement. But it had to be the kind of material that would accept detail. Coming up with the designs is a part of the job I really love, but I obsess over it too – every detail.  It has to be just right, and I’ve been known to change my mind when I see the prototypes! At the end of each day, I usually have another dozen pictures in my head of designs I’d like to try, and I’m always interested in hearing what my customers say, and I’d love to hear what your readers think would be a good design. They can email me at Elizabeth@envirovogue.com.

3. You’ve done a great job of choosing organizations to support through your work.  Can you tell us a little more about why you chose to work with The Maasai Association and Susan G. Komen for the Cure?

Giving back is a core value that is important to me on a personal level. I knew that I had to incorporate it into my business. Every women has been touched by breast cancer, albeit a sister, mother, friend, neighbor or co-worker. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure is an incredible organization dedicated to fight against breast cancer. I chose the Massai Association because of the organizations dedication aimed at humanitarian and relief work which is aimed at education, and supporting sustainable economic development in the Maasai region.

Plastic bottles are everywhere. I’m proud to have a product that is able to recycle plastic materials into something functional instead of having them sit in a land-fill.

First of all, think twice about what you bring into your home. When you get out of your car and walk in the front door, are you carrying a lot of things wrapped in excess packaging? I make the most of the food I buy, which isn’t hard with two growing boys who eat almost anything, and a Beagle that eats what’s left! Seriously, I go out of my way to buy organically as well as take advantage of my local farmer’s market.  We’ve replaced all our lighting with energy saving light bulbs. I’m fanatical about turning off the lights in a room that isn’t used and taking 3 minute showers. The hard part is getting my boys to take a shower in the first place!

Consume less. My family lived in New Zealand for about three years, and let me tell you, it opens your eyes to live abroad. I love America, but we are so obsessed with buying expensive toys, and wasteful spending. Sometimes the things we buy are more of a burden, and don’t really deliver the joy of ownership that the advertisement promised. Over there I used a clothesline to dry clothes. A clothesline! But everyone did it.

CONTEST CLOSED