Thursday, April 17, 2008

Daniel Velez opened Greater Goods because he dreamed of an Earth-friendly neighborhood store where someone might recycle a printer cartridge, sign up for a class with an eco-coach or pick up a water-saving showerhead.

Velez, 33, grew up in Columbia Heights and now lives near his business in Adams Morgan. He opened Greater Goods in November to complement the other green businesses in the community: Eco-Green Living (1469 Church St. NW), for home remodeling and organic bedding and fashion; Green Pets (1722 14th St. NW), for eco-friendly pet food and toys; and Hoopla (2314 18th St. NW), for artisan fashion and home accessories.

"I wanted to sell practical things and things that sometimes were only available online," says Velez, who specializes in merchandise that helps reduce energy and water consumption and recycling. He stocks programmable vent covers, compost bins and dimmable compact fluorescent light bulbs. Compact German-made drying racks fit over doors or radiators. Top sellers so far include green cleaning products and biodegradable trash bags.

On a recent afternoon, paralegal Deborah Bone, 24, stopped in for biodegradable European sponge cloths. "I'm on a budget, so sometimes it's hard to be environmentally friendly," Bone said. "But having this here in the neighborhood will make it easier."

For more information, visit the store at 1626 U St. NW, call 202-449-6070 or click on http://www.greatergoods.com.

Jura Koncius