Mothers make green

Ecostore founder Malcolm Rands has been touring American hypermarket chain Meijer promoting his environmentally friendly household cleaning products, the stores the exclusive retailer of his products. A well-known environmentalist in New Zealand, Rands is working hard to gain a foothold in America’s rapidly growing eco-friendly market. His spiel of “making a difference in a small way” seems to resonate the strongest with mothers. Ashley Riedstra, mother of 1-year-old Wyatt Shellenbarger, stopped to talk to Rands at the Meijer in Cascade this week. She left with a bottle of laundry liquid and whitener in her cart after hearing that the products don’t contain chemicals or perfumes. “I like that it’s good for the planet and it’s good for your skin and body,” said Riedstra, 23, of Lake Odessa. A low-budget social networking campaign targeting “mommy bloggers” has paid dividends, said vice president of Ecostore USA Lyne Appel Downing.