About
Our Mission
The Green Element’s mission is to provide high-quality, comfortable clothing that is produced from eco-friendly materials and sustainable means at a reasonable price.
Our Story
The long story, made short: We are best friends that decided one day that if we were going to be doing something with our time, we should be something that made a difference; something that took our passions and interests and put them to work to make the world a better place. That’s when the Green Element was born.
Just the long story: We (Brittany and Havilah, the owner’s of The Green Element) met in college, became study partners and then best friends, graduated from college with degrees in business (marketing and management), and then backpacked Europe together for a month. After spending that month together, talking about our plans and goals as we explored the better part of western Europe (well, six countries or so), we returned home a bit unkempt with a mixed sense of scepticism/enthusiasm about our post-college career opportunities. When we asked ourselves, “Well, what now?” the only answer that made sense to us was to start our own business. We decided it was time to put our education and passion to work and that’s what we did. We talked about our strengths and weaknesses, our interests, and our intent and after fumbling through a handful of business plans (all involving eco-friendly and/or sustainable business), we got to clothing and it just made sense. We weren’t able to find any eco-attire that we liked (locally or even nationally) so, that was it, we decided to make our own. That’s how the Green Element was born; in the back room of a small rental house in Salt Lake City Utah, in the Spring of 2008.
What it comes down to is this: we’re just two girls that are passionate about what we do and we’re working damn hard at making our dream of owning a successful eco-friendly clothing company a reality. We are trying to make a difference; to give everything we have to create positive change. We believe that education is the key to changing consumer behavior and we’re committed not only to turning people on to organic cotton and other eco-friendly options for clothing, but to spreading the word about why environmentally-friendly clothing is so important (to the planet, to our personal health, and to improving the social and environmental standards in developing countries). We also strive to support local/independent artists, other small businesses, and non-profit community groups.
So, there you have it. That’s us, in a nutshell.
IN Utah Magazine Shoot
Our Team
Havilah M.Co-Founder, environmentalist, artist, avid cyclist, hiker, and lover of all things outdoors. Havilah has an eye for art and design, but she’s also really good at accounting, budgeting, and business relations. Part of her unofficial job description includes, “Making sure that Brittany doesn’t spend all their money on crazy ideas.”
Havilah, biking in Austria
Britt H.Co-Founder, adventure seeker, aspiring mountaineer and a bit of a powder snob. Brittany’s expertise lies in the marketing and social media realm. The best part about owning the Green Element for Brittany is that she gets to share the experience of creating a sustainably-focused company with Havilah. She unofficially carries the responsibility of, “Convincing Havilah that sometimes crazy ideas really do work and that they are worth a try.”
Britt, backpacking in Southeast Alaska
Our Commitment
The Green Element does more than just sell organic cotton clothing that’s printed with water-based ink. We take the necessary steps, in all aspects of our business, to make sure that we are doing everything we can to reduce our environmental impact. We wish we could say that 100% of every single thing that we do is zero-impact, but of course, that’s not possible. We’re committed to sustainability though and we’re always researching new options and better ways to run our business at the lowest impact to personal health and the environment.
We understand that people (and not just planet) make up a large part of promoting sustainability. By supporting domestically-sourced and fair-trade products, The Green Element is working towards a common goal with a progressive approach, protecting the human aspect of the process.
Social Responsibility
While we’re starting small, we hope that this program gets bigger and bigger every year. We are committed to giving back and by donating a percentage of our sales to small, grassroots non-profit organizations, we believe we are helping build stronger communities! We are always looking for new community groups and environmental foundations to support. If you’ve got someone in mind, let us know; we are always up for supporting when our bottom line allows! Some of our current favorites, who are out there hustling to make the world a better place, include:
www.solar-hope.org / Dedicated to providing renewable energy solutions to underdeveloped regions of the world.
www.saveourcanyons.org / Dedicated to protecting the beauty and wildness of the Wasatch canyons, mountains and foothills.
