As more and more people try to live more eco-friendly, "green" products seem to be popping up everywhere, but one local store is one step above the rest.

The Blue Ridge Eco Shop, located in Charlottesville, is one of the best places to buy "green" products and now they have the hardware to back it up.

Paige Mattson, the owner of Blue Ridge Eco Shop, says, "We sell all environmentally friendly products. So everything from sustainabley harvested furniture, organic clothing, nontoxic paints and cleaners, organic gardening supplies. Kind of your one stop shop for healthy green living." The Blue Ridge Eco Shop came to Charlottesville less than a year ago, after Paige and her husband came up with the concept while working in the Peace Corp.
"We were working there on a sustainable organic farm and we wanted to kind of keep that momentum of working for the environment." Since then the shop has not only been a place to find "green" products, but a way to educate the community on eco-friendly living by working with local groups like the us green building council, the habitat store, and local environmental groups.

Earlier this week the Blue Ridge Eco Shop was awarded the 2008 Virginia Sustainable Building Network's Innovation Award for "Best Green Small Business". "It's a great honor and we are so excited in our first year of business to already be making such an impact on the state."

So how does the best green small business in virginia define "going green"? "Going green is really just about living your life healthier, going back to your basics. Not consuming so much, maybe recycling a little more and then just looking for healthier alternatives."

congratulations to the blue ridge eco shop on there latest achievement and remember if you have a going green idea send an email to gogreen@wcav.tv