A Busy Day in Chico

Hi friends,

Our day in Chico, CA was one packed day! We filmed four interviews and were interviewed as well, plus our hosts threw a great party with friends from the green community in Chico.

Our first stop for the day was at Chico Bag, a company that makes reusable shopping bags. Their unique twist is to make durable bags that stuff down into a tiny pouch that is easy to carry, making them very convenient. Carrick interviewed Andy Keller, president and inventor of Chico Bag - Andy was inspired to create the Chico Bag after a visit to the landfill, where he saw disposable plastic bags everywhere. Part of the Chico Bag fun is the Plastic Bag Monster, a crazy costume of 500 plastic bags, which is the amount of plastic bags an American uses each year on average. The Plastic Bag Monster made an appearance in our video, in a face-off with the world debut of the Paper Bag Monster! We got the exclusive!

Carrick and I then went over to visit Dori and Val of the podcast 'More Hip Than Hippie', which is a great weekly eco-funny show. I've been listening to their podcast for the last 3 years and have always had fun listening to their interviews and green discussions - they have a great time and are two funny ladies! They always encourage listeners to do what they can, making baby steps to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. They invited us to be on their fourth anniversary show, which was a big honor! Once our interview was done we turned the tables and interviewed them for our project. You can visit their website at www.MoreHipThanHippie.com, or look for them on ITunes.

Val is also the founder and president of Greenfeet, an online green retailer that was recently voted in the Top 10 green businesses in the U.S. Val and her husband Rob started Greenfeet 10 years ago and they've built a model green business from the products they sell to all the info on their website, and their packaging and shipping. We interviewed Val about running a green business and about some of the products they sell. Greenfeet is one of the sponsors for our eco-video series, and we appreciate their support for our work! Check out Greenfeet's website at www.Greenfeet.com.

From Greenfeet we went over to visit Klean Kanteen, a company in Chico that makes stainless steel water bottles. Billions of plastic water bottles are thrown out every year and only a small number of those are recycled. We've been using Klean Kanteens for the last 2 years, filling them up at home and taking them with us wherever we go (including cross-country). Klean Kanteens were originally created as an alternative to reusable plastic water bottles on the market, many of which were found to have dangerous chemicals in the plastic. Stainless steel bottles like Klean Kanteens are safe and durable, a great alternative! We visited Klean Kanteen HQ, to find out about how the company got started and get some stats on disposable plastic water bottles. Check them out at www.KleanKanteen.com.

After all-day interviews, we had a great time at a party put on by our hosts, who invited some of Chico's green notables. Dori and Val were there, plus other friends! It was a fun way to end a busy day!

Be well,
Colin
www.OurRenewableNation.org