YES Green Living is your source for all things Conservation. It's a store, museum, and learning facility where you can go to answer "How do I do that?" and "Where can I buy that?"
Owner and Founder Mitchell Furlett A. said it all started because of a drought in Georgia. When he and his family stopped at a hotel in Georgia in 2008 he noticed the water tanks in the toilets were filling up all the way wasting precious water. Funny thing to notice - unless your family business is plumbing. After talking with the hotel manager he realized most people didn't know about toilet retrofits and other products that Conserve water (and save money).
When Mitch returned home he stepped down from the family plumping business to start YES Water Conservation, a company that sells and installs water saving devices. In doing this he realized the need for Conservation education and the need to bring consumers, distributors and manufacturers together to learn, shop and live green.
Museum
When you walk into YGL you see a little house. It's the YGL Museum. The roof has solar panels, inside you'll find a toilet with a sink on top, upcycled light fixtures, renewable flooring, a compost container, upcycled kids furniture, and outside is a rain barrel. You can see how these items work in your home, touch them, try them out, purchase them, and YGL has a short list of local installers if you need them.
Store
As you walk through YGL you will find many Conservation products for your home including:
What really ties all this together is the classes YGL offers so you don't have to figure out how to be green all by yourself. The most popular class is Conservation Investing which teaches you how to save money through conservation and greening your life. The class also highlights the additional benefits of health and safety when you invest in Conservation. YGL also has an education program for kids, "YES Eco-Heroes" and story time for preschoolers. Most classes are free and you can find out more by calling or visiting online.
YES Green Living is located in Evanston, IL at 2814 Central St., 60201, 847.834.YES3 (9373) YESGreenLiving.com. The store is open Monday through Saturday, 9-4 M, 9-5 T-F, and 10-3 S.
Owner and Founder Mitchell Furlett A. said it all started because of a drought in Georgia. When he and his family stopped at a hotel in Georgia in 2008 he noticed the water tanks in the toilets were filling up all the way wasting precious water. Funny thing to notice - unless your family business is plumbing. After talking with the hotel manager he realized most people didn't know about toilet retrofits and other products that Conserve water (and save money).
When Mitch returned home he stepped down from the family plumping business to start YES Water Conservation, a company that sells and installs water saving devices. In doing this he realized the need for Conservation education and the need to bring consumers, distributors and manufacturers together to learn, shop and live green.
Museum
When you walk into YGL you see a little house. It's the YGL Museum. The roof has solar panels, inside you'll find a toilet with a sink on top, upcycled light fixtures, renewable flooring, a compost container, upcycled kids furniture, and outside is a rain barrel. You can see how these items work in your home, touch them, try them out, purchase them, and YGL has a short list of local installers if you need them.
Store
As you walk through YGL you will find many Conservation products for your home including:
- Conservation Kits (gas, electric or water) that are a perfect house warming gift
- Recycled, Bamboo, and Cork flooring
- Water Conservation products
- Wind Turbines
- Solar Panels
- Accessories, bags, and other neat nick nacks from It's Our Earth based in Wheaton
- "Ferniture" Upcycled Kids in Evanston
- Funky upcycled light fixtures by Lighting Lease from Evanston
- Rain barrels beautifully painted by local artists
What really ties all this together is the classes YGL offers so you don't have to figure out how to be green all by yourself. The most popular class is Conservation Investing which teaches you how to save money through conservation and greening your life. The class also highlights the additional benefits of health and safety when you invest in Conservation. YGL also has an education program for kids, "YES Eco-Heroes" and story time for preschoolers. Most classes are free and you can find out more by calling or visiting online.
YES Green Living is located in Evanston, IL at 2814 Central St., 60201, 847.834.YES3 (9373) YESGreenLiving.com. The store is open Monday through Saturday, 9-4 M, 9-5 T-F, and 10-3 S.
Alexandra Gnoske is an Environmental Expert, the Founder and President of RECYCLE ME, and the author of "Loui Saves the Earth."
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR MINDFUL BUSINESS MATTERS, FEBRUARY 2011