Launched in 2006, Green Earth Market is an American online retailer of environmentally friendly goods, offering products that are made locally (North America), of natural, organic, or recycled materials, and/or produced in a fair trade, sustainable, or organic production process or method utilizing energy conservation. The objective is to offer alternative products for everything the "big box" stores offer in forms that have less negative environmental and social costs. With increasing attention on global warming and mankind's possible exacerbation of it through industrial and consumer practices, practices of ecological economics and ethical consumerism are growing and the big box stores are taking environmental initiatives. As many of the makers of environmentally friendly consumer products are small entities, they are typically not marketed or distributed broadly, and incapable of supplying a store the size of a Wal-Mart or Target. The Green Earth Market is one of a number of businesses giving these products wider exposure, but doing it in the manner of a general store, providing for all general goods needs for a community. This new paradigm for the 21st century general store pulls together in one place environmentally responsible products for every need from disparate small companies, working to grow them, distribute their products more broadly, and increase the environmental consumer market.
Though not launched until early 2006, the Green Earth Market was conceived originally in 1991 by Patrick Gibbons of Dallas, Texas, following the birth of his son, which occasioned him learning of and becoming an advocate for organic baby food. That grew into a greater awareness of environmentally responsible products and the fact that they existed for virtually every need, but were typically hard to learn of and find. The interim years between conception and birth of the store were spent by him gaining experience in retail, customer service and IT in order to plan and execute it successfully. After 6 months of live tests the Green Earth Market launched a formal "Grand Opening" November 30, 2006. Press Release
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“the green hells of the sea
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Splashed with a splended sickness, the sickness of the pearl;”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)