Extraordinary Woman of the Week- Sharon Feldman-Rowe

Pit Stop Day
Many of us are so blinded by the mantra “it’s a bad economy” that we are overlooking opportunities that the universe has for us right now. These opportunities are right under our noses. Taking of your blinders and ignoring the negative mantra, will allow your creative mind to reveal opportunities that can change lives for the better and/or make your world a better and safer place.

My EXTRAordinary woman of the week, Sharon Feldman-Rowe, environmental activist and eco-entrepreneur, became aware of the unnecessary plastic waste and decided to take action to end this environmental nightmare.

The History

20 years ago, Sharon was walking through a New York City park and became overwhelmingly aware of unnecessary plastic waste.  Plastic bags seemed to be everywhere from her local grocer, the convenience store, malls, etc… and she was well aware that most of these bags were ending up in parks, rivers, oceans, playgrounds, trees and landfills.  Sharon decided to do something.

Recalling her trips to Europe, Sharon remembered the string tote bags that everyone overseas was using to carry home their groceries and she thought she would try to bring them to the U.S.  Well, she did!  Sharon began selling the bags to friends and family; then quickly realized that there was a demand.  ECOBAGS® debuted their first batch of Classic String Market Bags™ at a 1990 NYC Earth Day event and all 5,000 bags were sold in just four hours!  Sharon knew she had something and immediately started ordering more bags, storing them in her small Manhattan apartment.

Finding early adapters in the natural food market, ECOBAGS ® began selling in stores in 1990.  ECOBAGS was soon to follow, launching with the birth of major internet availability, in 1996.  Although some people thought (and some still do think) that it was weird to bring your own bags to the store, or there was something wrong with you for refusing the plastic bags, a small contingency of consumers believed in this change and supported ECOBAGS from the beginning.  Now, with the reusable bag movement picking up momentum and big cities entertaining and passing legislation banning or taxing plastic bag use, ECOBAGS is happy to call themselves the Original Reusable Bag Company™ and proud to have been “ahead of the curve”.

Who is Sharon Feldman-Rowe?

Sharon Feldman-Rowe is the CEO and Founder of ECOBAGS.com (Eco-Bags Products, Inc) The Original Reusable Bag Company™. ECOBAGS.com is an environmentally focused business that provides responsibly produced (fair wage and labor) and sustainable (Natural, Organic & Recycled) products at affordable prices.

Sharon and her husband Blake have a profound appreciation for their environment. They live an eco-aware lifestyle, as do their two children Julian (19) and Eva (17) in Ossining, NY – located in Westchester County, 45 minutes north of NYC. Their progressive home has solar panels, a pellet stove, a complete recycling system, they compost, garden, use a solar oven, walk to school/work and of course – they all use their reusable ECOBAGS® Sharon is also an avid swimmer and the entire Rowe family is enthusiastic about outdoor activities like hiking, biking, kayaking and more… Everything outdoors is enticing!

Before Sharon began the business, in 1989, she was on quite a different career path – she was a budding and successful actress! She is formally trained in theater arts having studied at the O’Neill Theatre Center’s National Theatre Institute and graduated from Clark University. She has performed off-Broadway and has also appeared in video and film. She worked on Nickelodeon’s “Don’t Just Sit There” and received a Regional Emmy for her work on “Mad Math”, a Learning Channel series.

Her accomplishments are impressive but it was moving to her home office and giving birth to their son Julian that led to her focus on ECOBAGS® , which might be her greatest accomplishment yet. ECOBAGS is one of the most popular businesses in the world for eco-conscious reusable bags and natural, organic & recycled products. Bringing these great wholesome options to the general public has given Sharon a personal sense of pride and is a great source of encouragement for all.

Today, in addition to running a multi-million dollar business, Sharon continues to participate in local acting projects. She is a member of the Blueberry Pond Theatre, and she enjoys writing for stage productions. Local activism is another hobby as Sharon finds time to discuss community issues with her local legislatures, neighbors and media – although Sharon wouldn’t consider this a hobby – she would say it’s her duty, as her passion and education in most local matters clearly demonstrate.

Sharon was recently named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Westchester County Business Council (NY) and she was featured in TIME Magazine in July ‘08. She has also been included and quoted in Glamour Magazine, Nylon Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, NY Enterprise Report, The Detroit News, Plenty Magazine, Earth Promise, ExecDigital, Grocery Headquarters Magazine, WABC-TV’s Viewpoint, on NPR and many more!

Thought Stimulator: If we can make a simple adjustment in one or two of our habits, we   can make a huge difference in our future – Sharon Feldman-Rowe

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