Ashley Patterson, Salt Lake City, Utah : an interview by Rob DeBirk

Typescript (28 pages) of interview by Rob DeBirk with Ashley Patterson, on July 21, 2008

Ashley Patterson grew up in Yakima, Washington. Her parents were from the midwest, but they moved west and took advantage of the resources for outdoor amusement. Ashley grew up knowing the benefits of the outdoors. Her parents were also very environmentally conscious and passed that along to their daughter. She feels a strong connection to the west. She went to college in the east and took an environmental history course and decided she wanted to be involved with environmental issues in her career. After a brief stint in the book fair business, she decided to put her environmental studies background to use. She took a class on solar panels and discovered a love of building green homes and shelters. While visiting friends in Portland, she came across a green building supply business and decided that was what she wanted to do in Salt Lake, so she started the Green Building Center. Ashley describes becoming a green business owner and navigating the local business scene as well as the local environmentalist scene. Mostly, she does things her own way, though, and doesn't participate very often in business organizations or green events. Her concerns as a business owner are not only to be green, but to also be conscious of social justice issues behind the products she buys and sells. It's important to her to know where the products are coming from, what's in the products, and who's making them. She talks about opening a second store in Park City, and the difference between customers there compared to customers in Salt Lake City, who seem to be on more of a budget. Ashley also discusses her involvement with Wasatch Community Gardens. She took a class there, saw a class being taught for children, and realized how important the work they're doing is. Utah Environmentalists Oral History Project. Interviewer: Rob DeBirk