Sundance resort’s General Store goes green
Whether you are discerning shopper who loves to find unique items or a “green” gift-giver who wants to think outside the compact fluorescent bulb, you have an option that doesn’t involve Internet shopping. The General Store at Sundance is packed with products that are either locally handcrafted, made with organic or reclaimed materials, or promote environmental or social awareness in other ways. In the past, I have always bypassed the General Store on my visits to Sundance because I imagined it contained things that I didn’t particularly need at the time, such as sunscreen, hats, ski jackets, etc. During my last visit to Sundance, what I found when I stepped inside the store was a treasure trove of things to love not only because they were beautiful but because even better, they were environmentally friendly. It made my eco-conscious heart happy to see such a variety of products and gifts, all with a purpose.
“We try to stock products with a story behind them,” said Suzanne Ruhlman, general manager of the store. “We make every effort to purchase items that are organic, created from reclaimed or recycled materials, or whose organizations donate money from each purchase towards a cause.” She told me about a jewelry maker who plants trees for each piece of jewelry purchased, and a printer of stationary who not only uses recycled paper but recycled ink, as well.
One of Ruhlman’s favorite products that the store carries is a line of t-shirts that sport vintage designs from various charitable organizations, such as the Special Olympics or the Red Cross. “A portion of the profit from each sale goes directly back to the organization on the t-shirt,” she said.
I had a hard time choosing a favorite product. With gorgeous handmade jewelry, clothing, lotions, stationary, wooden toys, books, shoes, and art pieces, there is something to appeal to just about everyone.
And if you are someone who loses sleep over the amount of plastic and packaging you contribute to the landfills, you can breathe a little easier shopping here.
“We make every possible effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle the packaging that is involved in the delivery of our products to the store,” said Ruhlman. “We challenge our vendors to use more environmentally friendly packaging, such as cornstarch peanuts instead of Styrofoam.”
One of our t-shirt distributors used to wrap each individual t-shirt in paper and its own plastic bag,” she said. “We asked them to leave out the paper and plastic, and now they just pack the shirts in a box and send them on their way.”
The store re-uses all the boxes that come through to ship purchases to customers. They also pass any extra packaging on to the Art Shack, which ships pottery and other art pieces after the art students have gone home.
“The boxes don’t look pretty, but we let our customers know why we ship things that way,” Ruhlman said. “We’re really trying to be better citizens, is what it boils down to,” she said.
Even if you’re not in the mood to shop, its worth popping in just to see some of the one-of-a-kind artwork on display and for sale. A favorite piece to see is a map of the United States made entirely from recycled license plates from each state, mounted on reclaimed wood.
The General Store is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information on Sundance Resort, visit www.sundanceresort.com .
