100% Corn-based products will soon saturating the Island!
Marnie Stanton, Vineyard Conservation Almanac

Just eight months ago Mark Martin hadn’t given recycling a thought, now that is just about all he thinks about. His consciousness was raised by the wave of recent stories about tainted pet foods, poisoned products and dangerous toys. The power of the purse over company policy suddenly became very apparent to him.

His initial success was with the sale of “fair trade” coffee, at the Pyewacket’s store. His concern for our country’s dependence on foreign oil and the general state of the planet led him to investigate useful products that are 100% biodegradable. Having lived on the Vineyard for eight years he felt confident about the prospects for the Island market. “The Vineyard is a more relaxed place: if the people have faith in the superiority of an eco-friendly product and it is economically feasible for them to buy it they will give it a try. The Vineyard doesn’t do trends,” he added.

Soon Mark’s ECO MV was partnering with a west coast company called Trellis Earth Products, Inc. to supply him with an inventory of one hundred and sixty different biodegradable items, all of them  100% corn based. For the first six months, Mark tested the products out for himself. He confirmed that the heat tolerant products could actually handle the 244-degree temperatures, and that the non-toxic cleaning products worked well and were safe.  He actually tasted some of the cleaners and reported them to be foul to the palate, but otherwise innocuous, as advertised! The bags, plates, glasses, and utensils, all held up well and the biodegradable black sheeting for weed control and plant germinating “six packs” did their jobs. When he was finally persuaded that he had three very good product lines, he threw it all in the corner of his yard to see if it would actually biodegrade. Sure enough, with in a few short months all the corn products were in a crumbled shredded state.

Now a believer in the product and encouraged by the support and encouragement he was getting from his green partner, he decided to make the leap and become a distributor.
He said, “I had no idea how a bar code worked, let alone any other part of running a distributor business!” But being a quick study within a short time he felt comfortable enough to head out to a few businesses to try and test out his selling ability.  He was pleasantly shocked by the response. “Instead of taking just one item, he said, all the businesses wanted the whole line!” He cautiously ordered $10,000 worth of clear bags of various sizes from the manufacturer and to his amazement they were all gone within a week!

Price is the natural first question that comes to the mind of a potential client. The price of these corn-based items compared to their conventional counterparts, tends to be a few cents more per item. And this is where what Mark Martin is doing is extraordinary. In order to build the Vineyard market and generate confidence in the products he is willing to take the risk and underwrite the difference in price until the businesses see a demand for his products take hold. “People are eager and want to do the right thing, and using green products makes them feel empowered because they can have a say in their future. I have great faith in people and in these corn products,” he said.

Mark’s three lines, Geo MV, landscaping products, Bio MV, cleaning products and Eco MV, a complete line of everything needed for household use including treeless pencils, is now available. He is currently making arrangements to secure an on-island climate controlled warehouse to house the entire inventory so that clients will be able to get what they need when they need it. His Trellis Earth Products partner will be providing a large warehouse on the mainland with a 24 hour guaranteed delivery time on all their products. In addition, Mark will be opening a convenient retail store in February so that island residents can come in and buy directly from him. 

H is also expanding into new areas including non-toxic soy-based printing inks. More challenging still, he and his partners are exploring the feasibility of biodegradable shrink wrap for boats. “Our partnership is great; they are willing to try and create solutions for all kinds of ideas that I might have. They love the Vineyard and want to make it a model for the rest of the country.”

To date participating businesses include: The Net Result, Cronig’s Market, The Mansion House, WVVY Radio, Zephyrus, Educomp, Vineyard Gourmet, Landmarks Realty, Chilmark Store, and the Martha’s Vineyard Charter School. A portion of his profits will go to the Vineyard Conservation Society because as Mr. Martin put it, “they are the unsung heros who have been doing this kind of work for a very long time, way before it was fashionable.”

Thanks to Mr. Martin’s new found calling, Island residents can now have a choice of many biodegradable products that are readily available and affordable. Thank you Mark!

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