12/11/2009 Phoenixville's Earth Mart a certified woman-owned business Earth Mart of 235 Bridge Street recently became certified as a woman-owned business. Although always owned and operated by Lisa Longo, with the national certification, Earth Mart is ensured to be private, for-profit company that is truly controlled by a woman. Since many publicly-held corporations, as well as private companies, track and have programs for doing business with women-owned companies, it is to the benefit of female businesses to be certified. Also, with the increase in competition for corporate and government contracts through pioneering economic development strategies for women business owners, Longo's recent awarded certification will be sure to assist in Earth Mart's expansion into sustainable building supply. Earth Mart, Phoenixville's community and eco-friendly department store, provides smart shoppers with all things fair trade, organic, recycled, locally made and also, energy efficient. From sweatshop-free wedding gowns and clothing, to food, dinnerware, and stationery, Longo's Bridge Street shop is a go-to for any consumer who supports sustainable shopping practices. Already a provider of energy-efficient and environment-savvy remodeling home supplies, the local business is now registered to be able to bid on municipal construction jobs.. With the assistance of like-minded, Philadelphia-based government contractors, Longo and her team plan to assist schools and various other government-based buildings in their efforts to be more environment-friendly. "We'd like to help them discover what is truly green by offering a lot of simple, low cost options that will make their structures sustainable," said Longo. From constructing a south-facing building for maximum solar intake to using recycled paper counter tops inside built structures, Longo encourages not only future cost-saving construction, but also supports the handling of only American-made products. "When the economy crashed, we had to change to adjust," she said. "American-made products are a little bit more expensive, but in order to improve America and fix our economy, we must source from within our country." In support that the best materials may not always be the cheapest, but are marketed to have an extremely successful life rate, Longo encourages, both through her store and construction output, people to "understand the reality of their consumerism and what cheap products really cost us as a nation." Fully backing in-country trade, the team at Earth Mart regularly researches nationwide manufactured and reputable products, with Longo personally traveling to uncover the best health and environment-conscious materials for in-house jobs. "There are a wide-range of convenient products out there," said the store owner. "It's important to know what is used to make them and how they are made." The found green products, all of which possess reduced maintenance and replacement costs over the life of a building, save in energy costs, improve occupant health and productivity, as well as emit little to no chemical emissions (like many available house paints), are durable and usually renewable, are regularly made available through consulting with Earth Mart. "We continue to look for reasonably priced items that will make our economy stronger and keep people healthier," she said. "We also always plan to be a smart, low bid for [construction jobs at] schools, hospitals and government buildings. For more information, visit http://www.earthmartonline.com or call 610-935-1793