SPL LIVING
It’s Easy Being Green Entrepreneurs embrace environmental consciousness In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, we sought out some local business owners who took on the challenge of bringing eco-friendly, sustainable, and healthy living products to our community. From organic hydroponically grown produce to laundry detergents with no toxins, these St. Petersburg entrepreneurs hold strong beliefs that going green is a necessary step to a healthier, more sustainable and environmentally friendly planet. SPL salutes these role models. Now, go forth and go green! BY KAYLA GLEASON Brick Street Farms 2001 2nd Ave. S., St. Petersburg brickstreetfarms.com Started in 2016, Brick Street Farms brings freshly grown produce into the urban jungle. Shannon O’Malley founded Brick Street after moving to Florida from her home in Pennsylvania and finding that the growing season here was short, if not non-existent. She turned to hydroponics because it does not involve any soil, can be done year-round and uses very little water – a major issue in standard agricultural practices both because it leads to a great deal of waste and because it severely limits the locations of farms to where water demands can be met. “We also don’t use any chemical pesticides or fertilizers, which eliminates the risk for contamination,” said General Manager Megan McKenna. “It’s got a much smaller environmental impact than traditional agriculture. We can hold up to two acres worth of produce in each container.” The farm is considered hyper-local because they produce at the point of consumption, rather than contributing to fossil fuel depletion from national and global shipment. “This means our food has a much longer shelf-life and it maintains more of its nutrients,” McKenna said. Brick Street produces everything from leafy greens to herbs and microgreens, but lettuce remains their most popular product, with 10
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different varieties including kale and chard. And currently they are looking to move into a larger warehouse as well as renovate their 2nd Ave. property, which opens the door to growing even more types of food. “We definitely want to expand production here in St. Pete and we’re talking about other cities and maybe even states, too,” McKenna said. Brick Street produce can be bought fresh from their on-location store – along with a pantry filled with other local goods like jams, nut butters and pickled veggies. “Something we’re really excited about is that we’ve just announced a partnership with Publix. We’re starting out at the new Greenwise location in Lakeland, but we’re hoping to work our way into the Tampa Bay area,” McKenna said. And if you eat out a lot, you’ve probably already tried Brick Street Farms without even realizing it. Their produce is found in restaurants from downtown Tampa’s Oxford Exchange and Armature Works to St. Pete’s IL Ritorno and Vinoy Renaissance. Molly’s Suds mollyssuds.com Born at local farmers markets from a desire to create skin- and body-safe cleaning supplies, Molly’s Suds has grown into a heavilydemanded supplier of soaps, sprays and “super powders,” selling both in-person at local shops like The Refillery and Rollin’ Oats, and online through Amazon, Walmart and Target, as well. Inspired by the loss of her stillborn daughter and company’s namesake, Molly, owner Monica Leonard made it her mission to create cleaning products safe for the entire family. “I used to be a pediatric nurse and that side of me worked through the grief by trying to find the ‘why.’ We already ate organic and stayed healthy but we never thought about window cleaner, detergent, things like that,” she said. “It wasn’t until I started researching that I found all these studies on the side-effects of
