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Research from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has compiled more evidence that poor indoor air quality is a significant health concern in American homes. Two previously unknown pollutants were uncovered: a gas called acrolein caused by various common combustion practices such as cooking and candle burning, and Particulate Matter 2.5, or small particles less that 2.5 micrometers in diameter.

As the article reporting on this research begins, "For decades, no one worried much about the air quality inside people's homes unless there was secondhand smoke or radon present. Then scientists... made the discovery that the aggregate health consequences of poor indoor air quality are as significant as those from all traffic accidents or infectious diseases in the United States."

The paper was published in Environmental Health Perspectives in 2012, describing a new method for estimating the chronic health impact of indoor air pollutants. Their term for the total effect of indoor air pollutants is 'aggregate,' but we like to think of it as a cumulative effect, how multiple chemical sources combine to produce unhealthy living environments.

Define 'sustainability.' We are often afflicted by a general familiarity with words, if not being able to fully grasp their true meaning. With this admission in hand, there is perhaps no better definition of sustainability than Steven Cohen's recent article in the Huffington Post, The Inevitability of Sustainability Politics, Technology, and Management.

Cohen succeeds in pointing out the relevance of sustainability, and does so to the extent that sustainability is imperative. It is not an option to do otherwise—we, the people of the United States, must commit to sustainable practices simply to survive. All roads lead to Rome, in other words, because every environmental force pressing down on the society of the 21st century demands going green.

Take health for example. Pollution in the environment is closing in on the American household, and will put our health at risk if we do not reverse its proliferation. This speaks to a definition of sustainability—of going green—as something immediately relevant to the individual. Going green isn't about protecting something that's out there, it's about preserving a healthy world for us to live in.

As for policy and economics, Cohen is spot-on: "Pollution and poisoning people or the planet may provide some short-term benefits, but our experience with environmental remediation and restoration tells us that these short-term benefits are consumed quite rapidly, and are soon replaced by longer term costs."

The gateway to mainstream understanding of health and sustainability issues lies in retail transformation. WorkingWonders is a marketplace solution built on the premise that people make lifestyle changes according to what they see and experience on the retail landscape. By innovating a mainstream brand that merges retail with sustainability, WorkingWonders will change retail to make it relevant for today's world, and create a healthier, environmentally friendly, and socially responsible American Dream.

We have already seen this transformation in the food sector, led by Whole Foods, but American consumers have not yet been given the ability to make the same health and sustainability advances with their home purchases. WorkingWonders is a brand that identifies and uses sustainable supply chains that, by and large, remain hidden from mainstream view.

Well, the website has been up and running since March.

In the last few months we’ve sold some beautiful pieces from our line of recycled outdoor furniture, comfortable non-toxic mattresses, organic cotton linens, no-soot palm wax candles, carpet from our 100% wool and recycled content collections, HEPA air cleaners, recycled glassware, and bio-degradable umbrellas that are compliment magnets for their owners.

WorkingWonders is also most likely one of the smallest of the companies to have qualified for Chase Bank & Living Social’s Mission Small Business Contest. (THANK YOU!!!) In about a month, we gathered 255 votes from our community, which might sound like a small amount, but in reality is a big achievement. We pounded the pavement at shopping malls, coffee shops, and grocery stores to tell people about our business, and learned quite a lot from the experience.

So now we’re ready to roll out our vision, and we’re asking our community to vote with their dollars for the first exclusively green department store to be located right here in Maryland.

Mainstream sentiment is moving toward sustainable trends faster than retail can accommodate. On the tail end of NMI’s report that 80% of Americans are green in one way or another, their research uncovers confusion on the retail landscape, a muddied picture of the sustainable living concept. According to NMI, 66% of Americans say it's hard to know which companies are telling the truth about their environmental record, and 40% admit they don"t know where to go for information about which products are environmentally friendly. Our brand identity is built around solving this problem of green confusion—when we say we"ll be a beacon for healthy homes, this is exactly what we mean—and our Green Guide™ is a bold step toward giving the public the information required to drive green practices through savvy consumerism.

At workingwonders, we're emboldened by Natural Marketing Institute's report saying 80% of the American population is green in one way or another. It's great news, but let’s not make the mistake of thinking the new green economy will simply materialize.

Broad agreement that serious environmental issues exist, the feeling that most Americans want to go green, and widespread adoption of recycling practices are steps in the right direction. The stage has been set, but a new green economy seems as invisible as the emperor's new clothes. Add our frustration over a major disconnect between political bluster and current economic stagnation, and promises of a new green economy have clearly fallen short.

So, what's in the way of making our economy green? Skirting the political implications, we offer two quick explanations for green economy shortcomings: supply chains and innovation.

The year 2011 is almost a wrap, but in keeping with the level of shock value it has had, it's delivered one more punch on its way out. Brian D. Robertson, a remarkable Canadian-born entrepreneur, died this past Thursday at age 38. Brian was CEO of Amonix, a concentrating solar PV company in California. But, before taking on that exciting challenge, he lived in Baltimore with his wife, Eileen, and their growing family, and was serving as the CEO of SunEdison, and that is when I met him.

We were in a course together, along with a fairly large group of people. I noticed Brian early on. Everything about him conveyed focus, purpose and conviction.

We've talked at length about social change, how we'll create a revolution in the retail marketplace through a green-from-the-ground-up national brand. What's been lacking, however, is a glimpse of our dreams.

A store that enables change in the way Americans live must look the part. Our vision is to realize this dream in the village of workingwonders, a sustainably built campus that does more than stock products on shelves, but also serves as an eco-tourism destination. Our Village features integrated contemporary smart home design similar to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, filled with the materials and features of clean, sustainable living, beautiful arts from the best fair-trade and local craftsman, and a central structure as iconic to the future of American design as Disney's castle is to the Magic Kingdom.

'The Disneyland of Sustainability' is an idea we've nurtured from the early stages of brand planning, in part as a means to completely wipe clean the dull realities of impure, mega-box retailers, (we simply can't have a look that embodies the blind supply chain model our competitors embrace), but also to really grab people's attention and put the village of workingwonders on their weekend itineraries.

As we look to build a strong economy, we've more questions to ask ourselves than ever before. Chief among them is the sustainability issue. How do we promote economic growth while at the same time making a shift to buying energy-efficient goods that have fewer detrimental effects on our health and the health of the environment? Here’s what colleague and friend, Casey Willson, wrote about this issue: "Market changes are required for the success (of sustainability and climate change goals), and the ultimate driver will be lifestyle changes of all people, especially those who are the early adopters in developed countries."

Casey Willson* used these words in an introduction between the prominent organization founded with the help of Richard Branson, The Carbon War Room, and BethAnn Lederer, workingWonders founder and CEO. workingwonders takes this mission very seriously because changing the retail landscape in the United States will change our world. Building high-visibility national brands in the areas of food, clothing, and home lifestyle—each brand a green-from-the-ground up Benefit Corporation—will provide clear, accessible choices to the people who are most interested in growing up a green economy. These people number over 80-million strong, representing one-third of American adults.

Let's break this down: A website can only show you the products and services that represent the kind of sustainability we're bringing to the retail marketplace—very specific information. But when we talk about changing the retail landscape, we mean creating a new standard for retail space and the shopping experience it contains, something our founder and CEO, BethAnn Lederer, describes as "nothing like you’ve ever seen." This is the driver for our brand, and we're eager to share the vision with you.

We start with a smaller footprint. We'll build within a reduced area compared to a big box store. But the important difference is really how we'll build. Our destination will be designed and built according to the same sustainable standards upheld by our product lines and services. You can expect a compact village of distinct buildings, all USGBC Platinum LEED certified.

Inside, we'll mix showroom staging of our products with interactive features to expand our selection beyond what's physically present, encompassing thousands of products while keeping our size modest. Another innovation: Because we truly offer a Green from the Ground Up approach, our energy efficient store will use the same architectural standards and supplies you can buy for your own home.