Blog- Thoughts from the English Retreads pit crew on life, being green and eco-friendly and on our products

An online reporter just sent a couple of questions our way for an article she’s writing about doing business the Eco way. I wanted to share with you my favorite question and Heather’s response.

Q: English retreads is conscious all across the board—cruelty-free materials, recycling and membership in the Green America Business Network. Why is it important that the company commits fully, not just partially to these standards? It seems like many other businesses out there are just halfway with programs like this, so it’s nice to see a full commitment.

Thanks!

A: It is important for us to commit fully to being a socially and environmentally responsible company because we simply feel there is no other way to do it. There are companies out there wanting to jump on the green bandwagon solely to profit from it, but they’re just greenwashing. This lack of forward thinking seems to be the mentality that got us into the environmental and socially predicament we’re in now. We want to make sure we are providing a completely beneficial product so consumers can feel good about their purchases.

At last! The traveling street food phenom has arrived in Boulder and Heather and I have been going digital to figure out where to get our lunch.  Because lunch is on the move, and we hope, coming to a neighborhood near our office.

Two new additions to the Boulder foodie scene are Comida and StrEat Chefs. Both Use Facebook pages and Twitter feeds to provide their hungry fans with the daily skinny on where to find their trucks, which as of this posting do not have committed or scheduled locations.  Each are supplying our neck of the woods with delicious, fresh, ethnic treats that can’t be found anywhere else in Boulder for such terrific prices.

Comida is the reigning queen of mobile “traditional Mexican food using the freshest ingredients and artisanal preparation methods.”  Who would have guessed that the slow food movement could be taken on the road. It’s genius!  Plus, the truck is hot pink which makes it more fun that toting a cool retro lunch box.

Their flavor combinations are out of this world.  Heather is still raving about a meal she had the other day that she blew her away. She thinks that Comida is making the cleanest, most delicious food in town.

Become a Fan of Comida on Facebook, or follow their twitter stream, to see what’s cooking today.

Boulder’s Top Chef Hosea Rosenberg, (winner of Top Chef Season 5) has crafted a menu “inspired by street food found across the globe, from alleyways in Bangkok to sand pits on the beaches of Mexico.” And boy has he delivered! Using local ingredients (such as mint from my very own garden), he is turning out tater tots that will quickly become habit forming, roasted corn on the cob that I have more than once made a meal of, and my favorite: a watermelon gazpacho that can be recreated at home and has totally changed my relationship with cold tomato soup.

Find StrEat Chefs on Facebook, or follow their twitter stream, to get the 411 on what they’ll be serving where.

Trust us, this delicious bandwagon is worth getting on board. If you are not eating in the Boulder area any time soon, Google street food in your town and see if there is some thing delicious being cooked up near you.

In spite of our best efforts, some of our customers manage to purchase our products without knowing about one of the best things about them: our retreads are built to last and we will guarantee it.

With every bag, wallet, and belt that we make, a bit of rubber is prevented from getting stuck in a local landfill. We feel good about this magic trick and have designed our bags to last, remain useful, and have classic timeless designs that you won’t tire of.  Unlike some of the less green manufacturers out there, we have not designed any kind of obsolescence into our products (perceived or actual) because we want our bags to be part of the solution to the waste problem.  Our retreads don’t ever have to end up in the landfill.

To make sure of it, we offer a FREE repair and tune-up service for all our products.  If your Retread suffers a break down, let us know, we’ll give you the skinny on how to get it back into our garage to be repaired. We are experts at working with this material and can make cleaner and stronger fixes than the local repair guy that you might use for all of your tailoring needs.

Who would have guessed that this kind of “roadside assistance” was available without membership?

Father’s Day is coming up this weekend and I can’t help but think about my Dad today. Many of my current interests and convictions were started or fostered by him. He taught me to do what I love. As a result, I really enjoy my work and live in a beautiful place surrounded by ridiculously fun hiking trails.  My Dad carried both my sister and me around the Sierras on his shoulders when we were kids and inspired in us a deep love of taking long walks in beautiful spaces.

In honor of the holiday this weekend and the gratitude I feel towards my Dad, I’ll hit the trails. How will you celebrate?