Visions Kitchen and Blue Ocean Society Team Up, Honor the Ocean

Partners Nathan Johnson and Ernest Proper run Visions Kitchen and Design with a commitment to sustainability that goes beyond just the beginner green steps that many businesses may take, incorporating social responsibility and community outreach into their unique business model.  Now that commitment is being extended to the regions beautiful coastline.

As proud Native Americans, they donate much of their free time to the Lakota community, basing their business motto on that very heritage.

“According to the Lakota tradition, the Earth is our mother, and we operate our business with that in mind, absolutely,” explains Nathan Johnson. “The Lakota always ask the question, ‘how are we impacting the environment seven generations ahead?’”

This ideology has helped Visions Kitchens grow into the green resource it is today, with reclaimed wood and recycled countertops, water-based stain finishes, and no-added formaldehyde plywood being just a few of their eco-friendly products and practices. Recently, Johnson and Proper began offering cabinets made from reclaimed wood, meaning no trees are cut down in the production process.

Since opening their Hampton showroom last December, Johnson has cultivated a deep personal connection with the Seacoast: “Moving our offices to Hampton and spending a lot more time with the local community at the beaches has helped me see just how important these places are for our local culture and communities,” he says.

To celebrate this connection, Visions Kitchens has started a new campaign, donating a portion of their sales to the marine support non-profit, Blue Ocean Society, in an effort to help raise awareness and much-needed funds for the group.

To promote the campaign, Visions has been reaching out to their clients, informing them that a percentage of the sale will be going to Blue Ocean. Blue Ocean is also doing their part to tout the partnership, with information about Visions available on their whale watch boats and tours on which Blue Ocean Society staff and interns conduct education and research.

This is not the first time Visions has partnered with the local non-profit.  This past April, Visions aligned with fellow local Seacoast business Green Maids, in partnership with Blue Ocean Society, for a successful clean up of Hampton Beach.

Visions Kitchens and Green Maids are both Business Members of Green Alliance, a local green business union that certifies and promotes sustainability-minded businesses throughout the region. The organization offers exclusive product and service discounts to Green Card holders or consumer members of the GA.

As Green Alliance Business Partners and sustainable entrepreneurs Proper and Johnson see their collaboration with Blue Ocean as just another logical step in building a business that gives back to the community and environment that supports it.

“It’s been great working with Blue Ocean on the beach clean ups and beyond, it brings the community together to respect and honor our oceans by contributing to keeping them clean”, reflects Johnson. “To do our part and help Mother Earth, we’re honored to help their organization.”

Keep a look out for future ventures between Visions Kitchens and Blue Ocean society, as they plan more beach clean ups for the fall and build a relationship that makes both Visions and Blue Ocean stronger.

For more on Visions Kitchen and Design, visit www.visionskitchens.com.

To learn more about Blue Ocean go to www.blueoceansociety.org.

Visit www.greenalliance.biz for more info on the Green Alliance.