"I don't give away my money but I can give my time and expertise if it helps. That's ethical, and we could all do that," Rands says.
Although ecostore was an early starter, it was founded on principles that are gathering strength globally and influencing corporate internationals whose products are chemical and toxin-based.
With a large chunk of the world's population changing its consciousness, big corporations, the dinosaurs, must change their products or die "trapped in the petro-chemical matrix", Rands says.
Ecostore -- developed by the permaculture-gardening Rands and other organic producers wanting to keep toxins out of household and personal cleaning products -- had small beginnings but was built on huge vision.
The brand had really arrived on the burgeoning clean-green products scene by 2002 when the mail order business outgrew the Rands' home and they needed an outlet more accessible to their market.
They relocated to a highly visible, city-eco-conscious, site at Freeman's Bay, beside the then-biggest, trendiest supermarket in Auckland.
Rands says his business acumen and entrepreneurial attitude were honed as well and came into play during his years supporting, and leading, creative endeavours in Whangarei largely through the bygone Community Arts scheme.
That involvement proved to him the value of working collaboratively and "thinking big".
Thinking big saw him spearhead, not without massive frustrations and hurdles, the grandly successful Merry Mid Winter Festival of 1991, for which he trucked in snow from Ruapehu to Laurie Hall "Ski" Park where thousands played in a winter wonderland and national ski champions slalomed down the piste in Whangarei.
Back then, while Rands was driving arts and cultural events, he, his wife and the other residents at their coastal eco-village were living their commitment to minimising the impact of chemicals on the land.
Then he had the "light bulb moment -- there are more toxic products in our home than outside."
Enter ecostore, based on its products performing as well as "fluffed up and watered down" chemical-based products, being accessible to buyers, and appealing -- in the biggest picture -- to a potential customer base of 30 per cent of humanity who "buy with eco-friendly value."
"It's an incredible proposition," Rands tells his NorthTec audience.
"It works just as well, costs the same, looks after then planet and looks after your health.
"No one's losing, no one's giving anything up."
Rands describes the not-for-profit Fairground Foundation "sitting on our shoulder" -- created in partnership with ecostore and receiving 10 per cent of profits to support community-based initiatives.
He mentions his wealthy business partner Peter Kraus of Kerikeri, whose resources were invaluable during a "vicious attack" from a mega-international company a couple of years ago.
Attacks on intellectual property and products reinforce the importance of thorough and open eco-credential auditing of products at their source, he says.
As well as being available all over New Zealand, ecostore sells in 1600 supermarkets in Australia ("the world's toughest supermarket market"), and in USA and Asia.
The fact much of the packaging has, out of necessity, been petro-plastic has always irked its founders. Now packaging has moved to a plant- based (sugar cane) plastic which has a similar molecular structure to petroleum-based products, it's "carbon capture paks" catching CO2 from the atmosphere in the growing process.
So, a capitalist-based ("green"backs, maybe?) eco-future can be built on homegrown entrepreneurship, light bulb moments, untold air miles used trying to create carbon credits, a lot of science to get products to perform better than the ones from the dark side, a lot of faith, hope and charity.
As he does in his Ecoman book, Rands -- likeable, a brilliant speaker, a rich harvester of anecdotes -- tells it how it is. It's not always pretty, it's not always smooth sailing, but it is always honest ... and there's no snake oil involved. (Eg: "We reject 50 per cent of 'natural' at least; if it's not good for you we won't use it. After all, snake venom is natural.")
Whangarei business people, community cheerleaders, arts administrators, self-employed creatives, NorthTec staff, board members, students and other interested individuals are among the audience at Rands' talk. They're ripe to hear him reinforce the message, he can even relate it to ecostore's success and the rise of ethical business, that "business and creativity and the arts is the future".
But always think big.
"I have never accepted the status quo,' Ecoman says. "My philosophy, basically, is imagine the future and do it now."
