Non-toxic techniques a plus for dry cleaner.WHEN Deborah Davis Deborah Davis is also the author of Katharine the Great : Katharine Graham and Her Washington Post Empire. See Operation Mockingbird. Deborah Davis is an American citizen who refused to show her identification papers on September 26, 2005 to federal police was director of marketing for San Diego-based Price Club, which merged into Costco in 1993, she got the itch to control her own fate. Reading a report about the growth of environmentally friendly Environmentally friendly, also referred to as nature friendly, is a term used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.[1] dry cleaning dry cleaning, process of cleaning fabrics without water. Special solvents and soaps are used so as not to harm fabrics and dyes that will not withstand the effects of ordinary soap and water. Dry cleaning began in France about the middle of the 19th cent. services gaining ground in Europe, "a light bulb went off," she said. She left the corporate world and with about $125,000 of her own money started Cleaner By Nature, which uses non-toxic cleaning alternatives, in Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. in 1996. She now employs 19 in four stores. "I was frustrated with the smell of the dry cleaning chemicals, so when I learned there was a non-toxic option available, I decided to start the business. As I was researching the business, 1 became aware of some researchers at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX . Together we got grant money from the South Coast Air Quality Management District The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), formed in 1976, is the air pollution agency responsible mainly for regulating stationary sources of air pollution for most of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside County, and all of Orange county. and the EPA EPA eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA abbr. eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, n.pr See acid, eicosapentaenoic. EPA, n. to do a demonstration project. "I started the business and agreed to be put under the microscope for a year. I started the business in Los Angeles because I needed to be in their jurisdiction. "Wet cleaning was the only eco-friendly option in 1996. Now we're using GreenEarth, a silicone solvent that is non-toxic, biodegradable and chlorine-free. We've looked at the CO2 method, but it's still expensive because it hasn't been perfected. "It is an industry of small businesses and most don't have the resources to do the research and invest in the technology to be eco-friendly. Sometimes they don't have the education to be on the cutting edge. "The $50,000 dry cleaning machine is the single most expensive thing the dry cleaner buys so most can't just toss it out and buy a new one. Many are reluctant to admit the problem since that's what they used to make a living. But I think the attitudes have changed. "One of the criticisms was that customers don't really care how their clothes are cleaned, they just want them cleaned. That's really not the case. I was surprised by how many people are aware of the problem. You smell the clothes and you know there's just something not kosher about dry cleaning. "Running a business has been a character-building experience. When everything stops with you, you develop a tremendous amount of strength and flexibility. You are dependent on the people who work for you. I'm more of a team player than I was at the big corporation." |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion