GREEN DWELLERS TO OPEN “GREEN”HOME GOODS BOUTIQUE IN PLANTATION

Shop is First of its Kind in South Florida, Offering Exclusively Healthier, More Sustainable Products

PLANTATION, FL (June 28, 2008) – Green Dwellers, a contemporary retail boutique providing exclusively “Green” home goods, is opening its doors in Plantation at 5215 West Broward Boulevard in the Plantation Village Shops. The first of its kind in South Florida, Green Dwellers will offer a wide variety of home goods for dining, bed and bath, together with baby, pet and other products, that provide a safer, more environmentally sustainable option to those seeking products that are healthier for themselves, their families and the planet – without compromising style. Green Dwellers will also offer Green consulting and decorating services.

As a resource for anything Green for the home, Green Dwellers’ primary goal is to educate the consumer and provide tasteful alternatives to existing toxic and environmentally harmful products. In addition to offering beautiful products made from organic, recycled, renewable or sustainably harvested materials including linens, baby clothes, décor and gift items and dishware, Green Dwellers will showcase several select home improvement/remodeling products including: furniture made with FSC certified wood containing no formaldehyde, bamboo flooring, bamboo and coco palm cabinetry, and beautiful stone floors and countertops by Sea Stone made with recycled glass and seashells to show shoppers that sustainable products are new, fresh and can be high-quality, beautiful and chic.

Owner and entrepreneur Mylene D’Arelli, whose husband is the first attorney in Florida accredited by the US Green Building Council as a LEED accredited professional and who works with developers to incorporate green design principles into their buildings, came up with the concept after many dinner table conversations with her husband about the benefits of sustainable building. With a background in interior decorating and fashion merchandising, Mylene thought there was an opportunity to help people incorporate “green living” principles to the inside of their homes where people spend a significant amount of time exposed to toxins, allergens, and the like. At the same time, she felt that if alternative products were to be accepted by mainstream consumers like herself, they needed to be so stylish and interesting that you would want to own them even if they weren’t Green. Thus the idea for Green Dwellers was born. “As I began my research, I learned more and more about the harmful effects of everyday products we all use in our homes.

As a wife and mother, this greatly concerned me so I looked into finding ways to improve my home environment and the indoor air quality by incorporating healthier, more environmentally sustainable home goods into our lifestyle,” said Mylene. “I then realized there was something missing in the local market; a place where consumers could learn about what they can do to begin to live more environmentally responsible in small ways as well as see and touch these products to discover that living Green can be comfortable and stylish,” she added.

Green Dwellers’ departments include: Bedding, Bath, Baby, Décor, Dining, Pet and Toys. The boutique also offers miscellaneous “fun” items and a wide variety of never-seen-before gift items. There will also be a Kid’s Lounge featuring a play area with non-toxic toys, a chalkboard and educational videos where the kids can be entertained as mom shops. In addition, a Resource Center will offer a community resource where a wide variety of books, pamphlets and promotional material from community partners offering eco-friendly products and services, will be available to browse to educate patrons on sustainability topics and options to “Green” their homes and lifestyles.

Mylene plans to conduct regular educational workshops where the community will be invited to the store to learn about sustainability, products and services in the Green marketplace, and the social cause where even small decisions made by consumers can have global impacts. She is also launching “Green Parties” where local residents can invite their friends and families to their homes for a fun and informative time where the products and easy alternatives for living “light green” will be showcased and people will have a chance to learn interesting facts that are bound to make them more educated consumers.

Mylene wanted her first store to be in Plantation, where she resides, so she could make a difference in her own community first, but she has plans to franchise into other markets in the near future.

Select products carried by Green Dwellers are made from recycled and environmentally friendly materials such as recycled glass, 100% organic cotton, bamboo and coco palm. Additional products include: soy and beeswax candles, light fixtures made from recycled traffic lights, trendy shopping bags, organic and chemical free mattresses, natural soaps and organic shampoos, non-toxic children’s toys and furniture, dishware, organic cotton and bamboo towels, and much more. For more information on Green Dwellers, call 954-533-2295 or visit www.greendwellers.com.

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