About Us

We like trees, but we love our green homes.
GreenHomeHugger makes it easy for people to get started making their homes green. 
How do we do that?

• We distribute a full assortment of green home improvement products through our website, www.greenhomehugger.com. 
• Every single item description carries 5 attributes listing hard facts about how much money, energy, water, VOC emissions, and landfill waste is saved in the use the item.  We make it easy for the consumer to understand exactly why an item is green and the benefit it will provide.  This is so important now more than ever as the “green” movement explodes and the terms green, eco-friendly, renewable, carbon off-set, etc. have become diluted.
• We have eliminated the barrier of not knowing where to begin being green by bundling items into green kits that target specific rooms like our Office Kit (with a smart surge strip that limits the energy waste of “phantom load”, etc.), life’s special events like our New Baby Kit (with rechargeable batteries, lead detection kit, etc.), activities like our Gardening Kit (with a digital watering timer and organic fertilizer, etc.) and so many more.

Why?

The market for green products is exploding.  The majority of homes in this country were built before 1990 and are nowhere near as efficient as they could be.  The reality is that very few people are in the position to take dramatic steps like re-outfitting their homes with Energy Star appliances or installing high efficiency windows to get the most bang for their green buck.  So many of these homeowners want to do more than just replace their incandescent light bulbs for CFL’s, but they need to understand how.  GreenHomeHugger provides the information, the assortment, and easy accessibility to make going green for everybody.Social Justice & Environmental Mission
GreenHomeHugger is dedicated to distributing sustainably designed building products that help all consumers run their homes and businesses more efficiently.  We conduct our business responsibly to the main constituencies we serve: our customers, our employees, our community, our vendors, and the environment. 
Customers - For our customers we provide 100% satisfaction.  We stand behind what we sell.  If the product does not meet expectations it is returnable for a refund.  We take our integrity seriously and only sell products that provide savings in at least one of 5 main criteria:  energy saved, water saved, VOC's reduced, landfill waste reduced, and money saved.    
Employees - We provide a safe and fair workplace where all members of the team re treated with dignity and respect.  This means that employees are paid a competitive wage and share in the success of the company through profit sharing.  Employees ideas are integral to our success and are encouraged informally through daily interactions as well as formally in the performance review process.  We have a commitment to increasing the diversity of our workforce as our company grows and we acknowledge the benefit that diverse cultures, races, and ideas provide as we try to do our work better.  
Community - We are committed to acting as a responsible corporate citizen.  In addition to following all local laws and regulations participate in organizations, events, etc. that speak to the issues that impact our environment.
Vendors - We conduct ourselves ethically and with integrity.  We represent our vendors' products with honesty and disclosure.  We acknowledge the value they create in the marketplace and reward vendors that adhere to a similar set of principles as we set forth here.  It is our intention to only do business with vendors that provide a diginified, safe, and equitable working environment according to the following criterion:
- local employment laws adhered to
- a living wage paid to provide basic needs
- a 40 hour work week plus overtime pay for additional hours in a week.
- child or forced labor never utilized
- health and safety programs in place, including performace measurement and continued training.
- protective equipment available and in use
- workers permitted to organize into collective bargaining groups
Currently, due to the small size of our company, we rely on the published statements of our vendors, informal verification (email) and our own research to unearth evidence of vendor policy or infractions.  As our company grows we will utilize a third party consultant and/or reporting from 3rd party verifiers to monitor adherence.  

Environment - Our operations are aligned with our sales mission.  We use the products we sell.  We reduce our energy consumption with CFL's, smart surge strips, vacancy sensors, etc.  We reduce the water we consume with low flow toilets and fixtures.  We reduce the VOC emissions in our workplace with low VOC paint and natural fiber carpets.  We reduce landfill waste by recycling paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, etc. and by using and reusing packing materials, office furniture, etc.  We save money with all of the above.

Employee Voice
We are dedicated to fostering a work experience where we all learn to live and work better.  We listen both informally and formally.  All ideas are welcomed, explored, and when appropriate, acted upon.  Empowering our team members to think creatively and take a stake in our performance leads to enhanced commitment and passion for the company.  When an idea generates additional profit or cost savings the employee shares in the benefit financially.  Additionally, all performance reviews (6 month and annual) are accompanied by employee feedback facilitating a formal communication mechanism.   

Community Education
As a young company our community outreach efforts are in their infancy.  We have begun by donating kits of products to charitable organizations that show how easy it is to begin living more efficiently and "greener".  We have plans to participate in events hosted by local environmental groups like the Chicago Center for Green Technology and the Evergreen Park Environmental Commission as well as national events like Co-Op Amerca's GreenFest.  We will continue to seek out groups where we can show the benefits of "green" products.