Arizona Republic Article on Scottsdale Pool Service

SCOTTSDALE - At first glance, the walls inside Twig and Twill Boutique appear a light blue, but that's not exactly the case - they're actually "green."

The color is not so much visual, as it is environmentally friendly, says Twig and Twill co-owner Ivy Cioli, who operates the store at The Borgata of Scottsdale with her sister Dr. Heather Wolfson, a chiropractor.

The paint used on the organic clothing store's walls is clay-based and non-toxic."It's nearly pure enough to drink," Cioli said. In fact, nearly everything inside the quaint organic boutique is environmentally sound. It only seems fitting that the store celebrates its one-year anniversary Tuesday - Earth Day.

At Twig and Twill Boutique, the children and adult clothing is made from organically grown cotton, as are the line bed linins.

Mattresses sold are made from the milk of a rubber tree and are wrapped in a wool barrier. The mattresses do not contain flame-retardant chemicals yet pass government flame-retardant standards.

"One-third of a pound of chemicals goes in to producing one garment," Cioli said of traditional clothing. "When you think of that, it's really frightening. Our objective is to make the world a better place."

Because most shoppers aren't willing to sacrifice fashion for environmentally sound products, Twig and Twill and Internet store, I Represent Fashion.com, try to stay on top of the latest trends.

"It's kind of hard to find something that's both stylish and earth conscious," said Shanna Israel, who co-founded and launched I Represent Fashion.com with Dave Pulver in January 2007.

"We try to find unique items that revolve around design," Israel said.

Having a Web site as your sole marketplace could be the ultimate form of conservation. It's open 24 hours a day and eliminates the need for a building or furniture.

"We try to do as much of a paperless business as possible," Israel said.

When an order is placed, it's shipped directly to the customer and not to the Scottsdale-based Web business. That cuts down on costs and saves fuel, Israel said.

Limiting a business' impact on the environment is more difficult when dealing with stagnant bodies of water. But Pink Truck Pools looks for other ways to better the planet, said Allen Narkiewicz, co-owner of the Scottsdale pool servicing company.

"In the end, you have a guy driving around in a truck," Narkiewicz said of his pool workers. "We drive smallest trucks we can to cut down on emissions. It also helps us with keep our costs down."

Pink Truck Pools began a recycling program that has spread throughout the 30 tenants it shares in its building located at 8040 E. Morgan Trail.

Narkiewicz says his company also limits the amount of chemicals used to treat pools and rarely completely empties them.

"When it comes to emptying pools - people are sometimes quick to drain the pools," he said. "It's a waste of water. We are living in Arizona - we can hear the battles over water everyday."