By Jim Cavan

Take a stroll down any aisle of any big retailer, pick up a small box a package, look somewhere on the bottom – it’s always pretty much the same story: Made in China, Made in Bangladesh, Made in Taiwan.

And that’s really just the opening salvo of a much deeper – and darker -- story. Indeed, if you knew the conditions under which many of those products were made, chances are you’d probably walk out after the first few pages.

But take just a short jaunt through Portsmouth’s 1 World Trading Co., and you might discover that, for at least one local business, every tag ought to have its own, unique, and decidedly green tale to tell – and a happy one at that.

1 World Trading has a motto: “Purveyors of goods that benefit the planet and the people who live on it”. The catch-all retail store, which opened its doors on Congress Street this past November, offers a wide range of products and accessories that truly run the green gamut.

Owners Karen and Paul Keegan, who run another 1 World Trading Co. in Nashua along with their flagship Mother and Child Clothing Store, take great pride in offering organic, fair-trade, and locally made products that are as unique as they are sustainable.

Whether you’re looking for organic clothing, jewelry, home décor, hemp shoes, biodegradable cups and plates, New Hampshire-made maple syrup and chocolate, or books and CDs from local writers and musicians – 1 World Trading offers socially-responsible products that keeps the money where it belongs: in the local economy, or in the hands of those who made them.

In short, the Keegans go to great lengths to make sure that everything on their shelves tells a story – one that is as empowering as it is occasionally whimsical.

Here are just a few of those stories:

Casabella eclipse Cleaning System: Made in the U.S.A, this household cleaning tool features a handle made of 30% recycled aluminum, as well as plastic components made from 100 percent recycled bottles. The product is also Cradle-to-Cradle certified, one of the most prestigious green rankings in America.

Eco Touch Car Washing System: Manufactured in Dover, these unique car-wash products are devoid of harmful chemicals, require only a quart of water to apply and wash, and are bottled in 100% recycled plastic. Even their full ingredient disclosure separates themselves from larger manufacturers, who would just assume hide what’s really in their products.

Just Soap: This self-proclaimed “Pedal-Powered Natural Soap”, produced in Ashfield, Massachusetts, requires exactly zero electricity to produce. Instead, a bicycle – that’s right, a bicycle – drives a belt that turns a blade in a large steel vat, where only the purest, completely all-natural ingredients are mixed to create this truly “carbon-neutral” product.

Aire Trashion Recycled Banner Bags: Ever wonder what happens to movie and other promotional banners that have run their course? Chances are you might be seeing them slung across a shoulder the next time you walk down the streets of Portsmouth. That’s because the Air Company has taken it upon itself to turn these would-be landfill fodder into colorful, vibrant satchels and bags that are as durable as they acre creatively rendered.

J.R. Liggitt Soap: Boasting perhaps the most interesting back story of any of 1 World’s unique products, Liggitt’s Soaps were created when their founder retired from a lucrative advertising career on Madison Avenue, moving to the tiny Cornish, New Hampshire to produce his all-natural soaps. To say Liggitt was an advertising wizard would be an understatement: he literally created the famous and iconic Owens Corning Pink Panther ad campaign, for which he won several awards.

Green Toys: California-based Green Toys offers a whole host of child’s fare – everything from dump trucks to shovels and pails to tugboats and stackers – all of which is made from 100 percent recycled plastic. According to the company’s website, on average, every pound of recycled plastic used to make their toys saves enough energy to power a TV for 3 weeks! The best part: all Green Toys are from curbside recycled milk jugs, and are BPA, PVC, and phthalate-free.

BioKleen: A store staple and huge selling point for 1 World Trading, these highly concentrated – they use half as much packaging as similar products from green standard-bearer Seventh Generation – and non-toxic household cleaners are offered in bottles that customers can bring back and refill out back, where Keegan houses four enormous drums of the products. The BioKleen refill station is the first of its kind anywhere on the Seacoast, and provides a way for consumers to not only green their cleaning products, but reuse the bottles as well.

And those are just the products’ stories. Indeed, the Keegan’s themselves boast narratives that have mimicked that of the overall green movement since the 70s.

For Paul Keegan, the next chapter in the green story will take place from September 25th through the 30th, when he – along with hundreds of other riders from all over the world – will participate in the 3rd Annual Brita Climate Ride. The near 300-mile journey will take the riders from Eureka, California south through variably taxing terrain to San Francisco, where thousands more will wait to cross the Golden Gate Bridge en mass.

The purpose, as with the last two Brita Climate Rides, will be to raise awareness on a national level about the importance of climate change legislation. Each rider will be tasked with raising $2500, with the proceeds going to three organizations: Green America, 1 Sky, and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

Like labeling him an “environmentalist”, to say that Keegan is a bike enthusiast would be an understatement: Far and away his most prized product, Paul recently launched a custom line of recycled, refurbished vintage bicycles, which have all been cleaned up with fresh rubber and grease – all without eliminating the original stickers and chrome. Or, as the website described them, with no shortage of alliteration: “Recycled, refurbished and re-invented relaxed retro rides radically reducing reliance upon reprocessed rotting Rexes”.

And Paul is not alone in his ever-growing sense of green advocacy: like many business owners in the new green economy, Karen Keegan’s inspiration for offering her unique line of products came from a familiar source: her children. “When you have kids, you really start noticing what’s really in your home,” says Keegan. “So our kids have really grown up with an environmental consciousness about what they eat and what’s around them.”

When not purveying green on Main Street, the Keegans are busy practicing what they preach at home: recycling and composting extensively, using all biodegradable cleaners, hand-washing dishes and drying their clothes on an outdoor line.

The couple even went so far as to publish their own “Simple Steps to Green Living” PowerPoint presentation on their website, giving advice on everything from recycling to conscious shopping and the importance of buying locally.

Immediately after opening their Portsmouth storefront, and in an effort to further bolster their green credentials and products, the Keegans joined the Seacoast-based Green Alliance, a sort of “green business union” which helps raise the profile of sustainability-minded businesses throughout the region.

For more information about 1 World Trading Co., go to www.1worldtradingco.com
To learn more about the Green Alliance, go to www.greenalliance.biz