mber has had a lifelong love of dogs, so it was no surprise when she went to the Wisconsin School of Professional Pet Grooming and became a groomer. But, she also has a passion for gardening and herbs, and a real connection to the earth and caring for it. She recently completed a three-year herbalist apprenticeship in Wild Food and Herbal Medicine. Amber was able to intertwine both of her passions when she opened Green Collar Grooming.

“When I was planning to open my grooming salon, I researched blue collar businesses,” says Amber. “That’s when I discovered there were also green collar businesses. Their focus is to operate their businesses in an eco-friendly way. That really resonated with me and I immediately knew that Green Collar Grooming would be the perfect name for my environmentally responsible business.”

So, Amber took a leap of faith, went “green,” and never looked back. Green Collar Grooming has been in business for eight years.

“I combined my two loves and put my values in place to create a better way of doing things in the salon,” she shares. “We are chemical free, and we recycle as much as we can to reduce needless waste and conserve our planet’s resources.”

Amber’s husband, Sherman, fabricated most of their grooming tubs and retail fixtures. Their grooming station vanities are made from repurposed vintage sewing machine cabinets, and they have beautiful antique mirrors that are decorative as well as useful.

“It helps support our local community as well when we use these recycled materials,” Amber says. “We try to buy local as much as possible. It’s not as convenient as Amazon, but we’re trying to keep that money in our community. That is a part of being good for the planet—saving on shipping and keeping the money local. Anything we can do in-house is really cost effective and makes our footprint a little bit less”

One way Green Collar Grooming supports the local community is by selling locally made dog collars in their small retail area. In addition, Amber makes her own ear cleaner, pet toothpaste and vinegar-based cleaner. She also makes a lavender oil spray by putting the whole lavender plant in a bottle of olive oil. After a few weeks, she strains it and is ready to spritz its calming, comforting fragrance throughout the salon.

“We’ve been environmentally friendly from the beginning. Every year I seem to dive a little deeper, because there’s always something more we can do,” says Amber. “Right now, I’m looking into the possibility of going solar and I’m talking to my city about composting dog hair on a large scale.”

Green Collar’s staff is also totally on board with green grooming. Most of them have a connection to caring for pets and the earth through organic farming, a background in animals or a deep love of nature. Their clients also value the eco-friendly way of grooming. Some travel to Green Collar Grooming specifically because of Amber and her staff’s holistic approach in handling and grooming techniques, and because they use all-natural products.

Photo by Green Collar Grooming

“We really try to be conscious of what’s going down the drain after we groom a dog,” Amber shares. “We have used earthbath® products from the beginning because they are really wonderful products and I agree with the company’s vision of keeping the earth and our furry friends in mind. They manufacture their all-natural concentrated formulas in recyclable packaging in the USA, and are committed to reducing their carbon footprint.”

Amber admits that it’s more expensive to go green, but says, “It’s our value; our standard. We don’t go the cheap route.”

Photo by Green Collar Grooming

This dedicated groomer is constantly educating the public on the importance of using eco-friendly products on their pets and the benefits they provide for the pets and the earth. She often reminds them that the dogs walk on the earth all the time, so we should be taking really good care of it.

“Doing everything we can in an ecologically aware way is definitely a little bit more challenging,” Amber continues. “But, it’s not a choice as much as it is a way of life for me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Then Amber adds with a satisfied grin, “It’s harder, but in a way, it just seems natural…no pun intended!”