DURANGO, Colo. - Quality of life. Traditionally, it’s one of the reasons most often cited for moving to Durango, but new residents usually were referencing the out-of-doors.

Today, however, Durangoans are also looking to the quality of life “indoors,” and thus bodes well for the success of Eco Home Center, now located at 1120 Main Ave., just behind Peterson’s Office Supply. The solar panel awning is as effective as a proverbial neon sign in signaling the location and foreshadowing the types of products available at this unique retail store.

When Laurie Dickson first opened Eco Home Center on north Main nearly three years ago, she was slightly ahead of the curve when it came to retailing non-toxic, environmentally responsible or “sustainable” building products and finishings. The demand was there, however, and even before she officially opened, contractors and homeowners were anxious to purchase the non-toxic paint, clay plaster and more.

“Everything adds up,” she said, referencing the chemicals in various products as well as the manufacturing process. “We don’t know the cumulative effect of all of these things, so if we can reduce the use, it’s got to be good for us, and good for the people manufacturing the products. I consider ‘green building’ part of my health care costs.”

“One of the hurdles is people thinking it (buying environmentally friendly products) is more expensive,” said Mary Ocken, Eco Home Center sales associate. “But when you think about your health costs, if you don’t pay now, you’re going to pay it later. Plus consider the health to the environment, and we’ve got to start somewhere. We’re not going to change until we change.”

And, thus, much of what goes on at Eco Home Center is about education. Dickson and her staff are a wealth of information and stay as current as possible, which can be a challenge, given the plethora of “new” products coming to market, but they make the effort, often taking leads from inquiring customers.

“Our customers are educated,” said Dickson, noting that rarely a day passes without a customer posing a new question, and sometimes the staff must research the answer. “It’s a learning opportunity, true, but it’s an opportunity to connect with a customer and offer another level of service that other businesses don’t have.”

From a consumer standpoint, often not purchasing a “green” product is purely out of ignorance. While some products have gained a great deal of media attention – such as compact fluorescent light bulbs and zero VOC (volatile organic compound) paint and finishes – other “healthful” change go generally unrecognized.

“Our beds are extremely popular,” said Dickson, of the mattresses made from natural latex, organic cotton and organic wool, and devoid of PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) from fire retardant chemicals. “PBDEs have been banned in other parts of the world, but it’s American law that we have flame retardants on our furniture and bed. As a result Americans have 10 to 100 times more PBDEs in their blood stream and mother’s breast milk – the highest in the world. It’s a known hormone disrupter. It’s horrible stuff. Our beds (at Eco Home Center) – wool is a natural flame retardant and it’s wool batting in the quilting, so it doesn’t need a chemical flame retardant.”

Brittany Cupp responds to a customer phone inquiry. A sample of the natural bed and bedding is to the rear of the store.

The mattress sets run less than $2000 apiece and come in a variety of firmness levels. The wool also wicks away moisture and repels dust mites.

“Why would you want to use anything else,” said Dickson.

All products carried in Eco Home Center have gone through significant scrutiny, as Dickson early on established a list of criteria that must be met before she’ll even investigate a product. Products that are non-toxic and biodegradable may seem to be “naturals” for the store, but “sustainable” also encompasses a broader range, including products that might be locally produced, incorporate post-industrial waste and are truly eco and socially responsible in their harvesting and production if coming from third world countries.

To a great extent Dickson likes to lead by example, and thus moving to the new space (which had once been Durango’s first Safeway grocery store, though most recently under-utilized storage) offered more than just a Downtown location, more square footage and easy delivery access.

“I saw a lot of opportunity in this location from a design standpoint too,” she said. “That’s really one of my fortes – the design/remodeling aspect. There’s nothing more environmentally friendly than taking an old building and giving it a new use. And the model I’ve tried to create is to not just be a hardware store that sells green products, but one that has design and building ideas, so customers can see how things are actually applied.”

In example, the solar panel awning over the front entrance – a design element that has a triple purpose of being a covering to shelter those entering the building from inclement weather; generating electricity to keep the lights on; and deflecting the glare of the hot summer sun into the store.

“I like incorporating solar as part of the building, not as an addition,” said Dickson. “And it’s really easy to do.”

Carrying the effort further in the store, a variety of bamboo and cork flooring is installed, lending an exotic look to the entryway. A radiant hot water system (which is on display) heats the entire building, including a towel heater in the bathroom that provides space heating as well. The bathroom also has a duel flush toilet installed.

“For a family of four, the dual flush toilet saves approximately 18,000 gallons of water (or a 72 percent reduction in water usage),” said Dickson.

One full wall (including the open ceiling ) of the store showcases the variety of applications for the earth clay plaster product from American Clay. To further help customers understand the possibilities and help transform walls into “works of art,” Eco Home Center will present an American Clay Workshop, Sat., June 7, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring Lars Hanson, a certified American Clay instructor. Register by calling 970.259.8326.

The store also holds “Eco Evenings” on select Tuesday nights offering information on everything from sizing solar systems to indoor air quality.

The primary challenges for Eco Home Center are shipping and storage, according to Dickson. Unless the store can work with a builder from the beginning of a project and purchase large quantities of various materials, the shipping costs on small orders limit Eco Home Center’s ability to offer products at as low of a cost as Dickson would prefer.

“And unless we were to have a lumberyard-sized business, we just don’t have the room,” said Dickson of keeping an extensive array of large items in stock. “So the shipping cost adds to the cost per square foot of the items we bring in.”

Dickson works with a number of builders and architects, though she notes that she often comes to remodels and new builds by homeowners. Her role is chiefly in interior design, and she consults with clients on a range of levels, from color consultation to fully incorporating “green building” products such as air filtration, water systems, insulation and more.

“People often ask me, ‘Where would you start if you could only do one (green) thing?’ And I tell them it’s how you site the house. It has nothing to do with me whatsoever,” said Dickson, referencing positioning and designing a home to take advantage of passive solar from the sun. “They look at me (amazed). They expect me to give them some sales pitch. But it’s all about passive solar design. We should be fined for not building passive solar homes.”

In her previous professional life, Dickson was a highly-sought after photographer specializing in construction and design, and when she opened the store, it did prompt a few questions about the seeming jump. As she explains, however, she had been studying the nuances of building throughout her photography career and likely has seen the interiors of more completed homes than any of the builders and architects in the region.

Plus, Dickson served as a correspondent for Natural Home Magazine, researching, writing about and photographing the types of products now carried in Eco Home Center. The combined experiences have broadly expanded her awareness of sustainable architecture and design.

“I’ve had the opportunity to really see what’s out there and what works,” said Dickson, who was exposed to good design early on, as her mother designed the home in which she was raised, and her brother is an architect.  “As a result I just really want to promote the kind of architecture, the kind of building and the kind of materials that are going to sustain and be healthy for the planet, and be healthy for you… It really has become a heartfelt issue.”

Eco Home Center is open Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

indiana@durangodowntown.com