Being ”Green” used to be about choosing paper over plastic...

Now, a couple of fashion forward entrepreneurs are making saving the planet a lot more interesting.

Recently a guest at an FBI board meeting showed off a pillow from his latest children's home collection.  Marked with bold bright colors and a distinctly modern design it looked like something you'd find in a kiddie version of Metropolitan Home.  He passed it around for everyone in the group to touch and feel.  It was obviously soft, adorable and high quality.  But that wasn't all.

"It's stuffed with recycled water bottles," he confessed.   A few raised eyebrows later, the pillow goes around again, getting squeezed a little bit harder just to verify we all weren't imagining things.  Who knew?  It really did feel like a "normal" pillow.

Interestingly enough Chris Svensrud, a former fiber optics exec and his designer wife Shannon want things like super soft pillows, made out of recycled water bottles to become a lot more normal.  

The couple owns Pixel Organics-a domestically produced, environmentally friendly, affordable yet fashion savvy line of children's gifts, sleepwear and bedding.

"Since recycled water bottles are approved for food storage they're extra safe for kids," says Chris.  "They're also naturally fire retardant as well as hypo-allergenic."

Even with their innovative concept, the couple doesn't want customers to buy their product only because it's good for the environment.  Therefore, as the designer Shannon makes sure all of Pixel's products are unique, bold and most of all fun.  Describing the company's style as a combination of "modern sensibilities mixed with the whimsical nature of kids," she believes the line should always represent both style and substance.

As avid environmentalists, Chris and Shannon also want ensure that quality, made in the USA, sustainable organic materials become a cost-effective choice for other clothing manufacturers as well.  Chris actually met Frances Harder, the FBI founder, while speaking about "green" manufacturing at the LA mayor's office.

Frances immediately invited him to be involved with the FBI to help spread the word about how other local companies can find ecologically friendly ways of producing their products.

Maybe then a super soft pillow stuffed with recycled water bottles won't be such a surprise anymore.  Chris and Shannon certainly hope so.

Pixel Organics now sells online at pixelorganics.com, Amazon.com and over 300 boutiques across the U.S, Canada and Australia

    by Ralinda Harvey

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