If someone were to have overheard the conversation I had yesterday over lunch they probably would not have guessed that I have been testing and developing a green home retail company for the past six years.

I had come to one of my favorite places to have lunch. Atwaters at Belvedere, a lively spot that featured food largely derived from the new farm to table pipeline, is an upbeat place to be. 

Located inside of a larger marketplace, I went for a seat located around the large U-shaped counter.  I knew it would not only promise great aromas from the vats where the "captain" was doling out the four fresh soups of the day, but also the likelihood of a wonderful conversation over whatever soup, salad or sandwich I chose.  

Today did not disappoint. The man sitting next to me was already enjoying his vegetarian, non-dairy, soup-choice and offered it up for my consideration as I reached for the menu.

After I chose, we started off with small talk about the weather and how incredibly cold it had gotten in the past couple of weeks. He said what made it worse was that, though he was warm enough in his condominium home, he said he was suffering from "stuff in the air" due to some recent renovations in his building.

In fact, he went on to say he'd written down the information about the air filter and was going to order a new one after lunch. I empathized, having listened to countless similar stories over the past 6 years, and told him what I did.  (Originally published 03.04.11)

As usual, this precipitated a lively conversation about all the toxins that end up invading our indoor space and how unnecessary it is, for the large part, for them to be there.

He asked a lot of questions about the best products for cleaning indoor air and I shared information and anecdotal stories I've collected through the years from the customers that called for advice on how they could alleviate their suffering from different kinds of indoor pollutants.  

A hot cup of soup on a cold day and good conversation. It never disappoints.