Months after what President Obama has deemed “the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced,” we have yet to see the end of the problems caused by the BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast.

President Obama has urged action on an energy bill to change the way the nation consumes and generates energy, saying the expanding oil spill is “the most painful and powerful reminder that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now.”

The disaster has been a nationwide wakeup call.

In Los Angeles, local environmental groups are pushing for stronger legislation to protect California beaches, while some L.A. residents have voiced their concerns through weekly protests.

But what about the Angelenos who foresaw this disaster long before it struck? Many have long known that inspiring great change is derived from individual efforts.

Join Neon Tommy in a weekly series to find L.A. residents, businesses and organizations dedicated to living greener, cleaner and more sustainable lifestyles.

These local movers and shakers show us that living a “greener” lifestyle may be the first step we need to take in order to solve our environmental woes.

Week 2:

NT speaks with Patrick Pettay, founder of Neerg, an online marketplace and community where merchants of green goods sell directly to consumers.

NT: Tell us more about neerg and how it got started.
PP: The idea of Neerg (green spelled backward) developed about a year and a half ago out of frustration of not being able to buy eco-friendly products online. I typed in "organic veggies" into Google and found it virtually impossible to find what I was looking for.

Neerg is a one-stop green shop. A majority of our merchants are middle-sized companies that sell eco-friendly, sustainable products. We have one company that sells paper made out of elephant poo - I know it sounds gross, but the proceeds from their sales go toward feeding the elephants.

Neerg is a platform to connect merchants to consumers, for consumers to be exposed to every kind of environmentally friendly product and to let their friends know they support living green. We started building the initial site in October and launched in April.

The current site is just an inkling of where we want to take it. We're always looking to bringing in more merchants. We now sell over 1,000 products. For a green marketplace, that's pretty decent for only being up three months.

NT: How would you define living 'green,' and what does it mean to buy a green product?
PP: The biggest thing to living green is to consume less. There are many ways to be eco-friendly, like not eating red meat or driving a hybrid car. Another fact that people don't realize is that for every pound of cotton grown, a quarter pound of pesticides is used - so buying more natural clothing like organic cotton and hemp helps too. I think a lot of people want to lessen their impact. They just need to know how.

As for defining a product as green, that was a problem we came across when we first started up. What is green? There are so many variables. My advice is to buy local if you can. As we gain more merchants from all over, it'll be more beneficial to our consumers. The easiest is to think about what you're buying and if there's an alternative that's more eco-friendly.

NT: What would you say to people who argue that living green is too expensive?
PP: Setting out to buy every single product that is eco-friendly would definitely be more expensive and lend itself to having a higher income.

Buying products locally in itself is living more sustainably. We just want people to think about making small changes. Our goal is not to completely change every habit in a person's lifestyle. If you consume less, it all evens out.

NT: What kind of products do you sell?
PP: We have 20 broad categories, and the two biggest ones are bath and beauty and clothing. We sell paper products and even have a kids and toys section. We have this one woman who makes stuffed animals from recycled clothing from the 70s, which is pretty cool. Our food section is popular, too. We sell things like organic coffee, nuts and teas. Our products are wide-ranging.

NT: I also see on your website that you are engaging with the online community through green articles.
PP: We currently partner with 10 content sites. Our goal is to bring in and aggregate the best green content in one space. We want to help educate our consumers with fun articles.

NT: What's the most rewarding aspect of your job?
PP: The people I've been able to meet, hearing their stories and learning about their products. We've gotten a lot of support from people who love the idea and want to see it grow. I hope [Neerg] grows into a social enterprise that leaves an impact,  inspires individuals and facilitates growth in the green community in the L.A. area.

 

Interested in buying some eco-friendly products? Are you a local, eco-friendly merchant looking for another place to sell? Check out Neerg.com.

Reach reporter Amanda Tran here.
Follow her on Twitter: @amandajtran