One-stop eco shop

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by WAYNE HILTZ

If you're short on time and desperately in need of a one-stop option for all of your green needs, you're in luck. A general store dedicated to selling eco-friendly household products is opening its doors in NDG. According to Co-op la maison verte coordinator Jason Hughes, it will be the first of its kind to operate in Montreal. "We feel that it's a great idea to have products with less of an impact on the environment all in one place," says Hughes.

Besides selling items such as natural cleaning products and energy-saving devices, local craftspeople and home-based eco-businesses will also sell their goods there. "It's a space where people can be creative in terms of both products and ideas," says Hughes. "What this place becomes will depend on what people bring to it." That includes workshops and speakers on various topics and practical eco-tips, selling fair-trade coffee, and serving as a drop-off point for a farm-to-table program.

Keeping speeches to a minimum, the co-op's open house this Saturday will feature kids' activities, music from the Raging Grannies and the Celtic group Swift Years, and offerings of organic bread with pesto or cheese and honey-based wine.

Located at 5785 Sherbrooke W. (corner Melrose), the co-op opens November 25 at 1 p.m. For more information call 489-8000 or visit their Web site at www.geocities.com/maison_verte.

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