I want to share something with you.
I know a woman who is, by all accounts, the very definition of an idealist. A dreamer. She is also exceptionally smart, creative, and dedicated. I could go on and on about her great qualities, but then this would be about our friendship, and not about the amazing new business venture she's embarked on. Or the fantastically creative, unique product she sells. Or her dedication to something bigger than herself.
About a year or so ago, my good friend told me about a business idea she had. I'll admit now that I wasn't wholly on-board when she first told me. I mean, it sounded fun, and cute, and interesting. But I couldn't imagine translating that idea into an actual business that would produce a product, sell it, distribute it, and earn money. Therein lies one of the big differences between my friend and me: she has that vision-- and the confidence to give it a shot. That's why she is the entrepreneur and not me. And you know what? She's making it. Her business is slowly growing. She's getting great recognition, including a shout-out in this month's Utne Reader.
So what was this idea of hers? A cardboard box.
That's right; you heard me. My friend, April, saw an ad for a competition challenging readers to create toys that inspire creative play. Being the witty yet humble chick she is, she quips something about how the most creative thing she ever played with was a cardboard box. And suddenly a light bulb went on in that pretty, idealistic, big-dreaming, deep-thinking, ever-striving head of hers.
What's one toy that pretty much every one of has played with in some form or another? The giant cardboard box, of course. Maybe your parents bought a new refrigerator or TV when you were a kid. You spent hours playing with the box until mom & dad got tired of moving it from one room to the next. Or maybe it was some scavenged, salvaged, box from a neighbors' or from the neighborhood construction site. You cut holes, made windows, decorated it with crayons. You made tunnels with other boxes and "No Grownups Allowed" signs for the front door of your fort/spaceship/pirate ship.
It was your world. Your imagination. And it was all your own creation. Well, ok, you and whatever appliance company made the box.
So how does an enterprising, young, green-dreamer turn childhood memories into a viable business? Like this: http://www.fridgeboxworld.com/ and this: http://www.fridgeblog.net/
Fridge Box is a creative play structure made of cardboard that children (with a little help from their parents) can fashion into a spaceship, race car, flower shop, cottage, pirate ship, or anything else their heart desires. Putting Fridge Box together is quick and simple: one mom said it took her about 5 second to set it up. The set comes with stickers of your choice to create one of the above mentioned play toys. She's also got several other sticker sets and more in development, including a surf shack with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the Surf Rider Foundation and lots more.
So what's so green about her product? Well, I'll quote from her web site (because I'm too lazy to come up with it all myself, dontchaknow).
What Makes Fridge Box Eco-Friendly? Anytime you are designing something with
eco-friendliness in mind, it's best to start with the "Three Rs": Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle. While Recycling is the R that frequently gets the most attention,
Reducing actually has the most impact. Fridge Box reduces the amount of raw
materials used in its production by incorporating recycled content. It reduces
petroleum consumed because it is manufactured in the U.S. (instead of overseas)
and has very little plastic content (there are some plastics used in the sticker
production, which is unavoidable). Fridge Box also reduces the need for constant
replacement, because it can be re-used over and over again by turning it inside
out, peeling off stickers, or re-painting the outside. When your Fridge Box has
outlived its useful life, it reduces the amount of trash that ends up in a
landfill because it can be recycled or composted. While Fridge Box is not a
perfect product, I have made every effort to incorporate the Three Rs in its
design and production.
So, there you have it. I can't tell you how proud I feel to know that this person is not only my friend, but is totally committed to making her living doing something that is good for my kids-- all kids-- and good for their futures as well. She's a pretty inspiring gal. And I hope you will all run straight over to her Fridge Box Store and buy your kids one of these awesome toys.
Here's EB, the Pirate Queen, playing in our Fridge Box. Nathan opted for the Pirate Ship when we put ours together. I wish we had taken better pictures, because it really was cute. He made a mast out of paper towel tubes, and lookout deck out of a pie tin, and added his own Jolly Roger flag in addition to lots of drawing on the outside.
