Collingwood's Environment Network went a little greener in its new home just in time for Earth Day.

The network tackles a wide range of environmental concerns in its quest to show that "living green can be easy". It held a grand opening at its new location at 44 St. Marie St. Wednesday afternoon.

Michele Rich, the executive director of the network, said the new storefront location gave her staff the chance to expand their selection of "green-friendly" products for everyday use.

"The reason for opening the shop was because, as consumers, we were finding it difficult to find products in the community that we felt 100 percent comfortable with."

"The more we did research, the more we found the product is actually around but you needed to know what to look for."

Rich said that made the network staff realize just how difficult it could be for ordinary residents wanting to use green products to evaluate and locate the items.

"We identified a few basic products and made a list. We found the top two lines, and that's what we have in the store. So when people come in, they can feel completely confident that everything has been researched. A lot of us don't have the time to do that research."

The research list included items as simple as soaps and shampoos to determining what kind of container to use to pack a child's lunch in, Rich said.

"Some of these products are available in local stores and some aren't. It's out hope that other will follow our lead. What we want to is bring in different products all the time and encouraging more of a green industry and more sustainable products and shopping."

The Environment Network is a non-profit, non-government organization founded in 1993.