Looking for a green place to shop while still saving money? Check out La Crosse’s Full Circle Supply. Located now at their new downtown location, 521 Main Street, Full Circle Supply offers a variety of products that can help students both decrease their environmental impact, and use healthier products.

Full Circle Supply operates by a “sell by ounce” principle, so students can only buy as much as they need or want to try out. When shopping at the store, there is no extra packaging or bottles: everything is in large containers that can be dispensed into any container you want to bring. If you don’t have a container with you, you can purchase one at the store. With this system, the store cuts down on plastic use. To date, they estimate they’ve filled around 4500 containers. That’s 843 pounds of plastic kept from being incinerated in the La Crosse area. In addition, as packaging accounts for 20-40% of a product’s price, that’s also a lot of money saved.

Full Circle Supply offers essentially all personal care products including over 40 types of shampoos and conditioners, body wash, lotion, and even cleaning supplies. All products are completely plant-based meaning that harmful chemicals are staying off our your skin, and out of the Mississippi River. According to Josh Larson who owns Full Circle with his wife Mary, what can be put into many cleaning products and personal care products aren’t regulated, and most wastewater treatment plants aren’t equipt to filter out harmful chemicals that get washed down the drain. By shopping at Full Circle, students can reduce this chemical pollution. They also offer many other home goods products, with most of their inventory being made either locally or in the United States.

Look for coupons in your student planner, or stop in and get a 5% discount with your Student ID. From cutting down on cost to cutting down plastics and chemicals, Full Circle is this issue’s Green Business Highlight