When Deborah O'Leary started Greenware Alaska in April -- selling biodegradable disposable containers out of her garage-- she had no idea that six months later she'd need a warehouse and a delivery man to keep up with demand.

The market Outside for products like O'Leary's has been strong for years, but here in Alaska national trends are slow to catch on. It's just recently that consumer interest in environmentally friendly products has reached critical mass, business owners say, making way for a crop of green entrepreneurs.

Businesses targeting environment-minded consumers are popping up everywhere, from nature-friendly dry cleaners to organic coffee carts to companies that make products out of recycled paper and glass.

We may be behind uber-earthy Seattle and Portland, but in the last few years, Anchorage consumers have been paying more critical attention to what they buy and how it affects the planet, said Randy Virgin, the city's director of sustainability.

"It's gone from being kind of a niche awareness to being a mainstream awareness," he said.

O'Leary sells disposables -- takeout containers, cups, spoons, bags -- made of corn-based "plastic" and waste sugarcane fibers. Her new accounts include Middle Way Cafe, Snow City Cafe and the Bear Tooth Theatrepub and Grill.

Her containers can cost as much as 30 percent more than traditional plastics and Styrofoam, but businesses seem willing to pay because their customers want to see green products.

"It's really an advertising expense," O'Leary said. "It positions a company as environmentally sensitive and there's a real demand for that right now."

THE RIGHT TIME

In O'Leary's case, Outside enthusiasm for green products fueled her Alaska business plan. Plastic bag and Styrofoam bans in cities up and down the West Coast meant more companies started producing biodegradable food containers and packaging. That lowered the price, which helped offset shipping. Soaring oil prices pushed up the cost of plastics, which made some of her competitors charge more.

All of this came as media attention stoked demand for green products from organic milk to environmentally friendly detergent. Consumers now care more about where products come from, how they are made, how much energy they consume, she said. And they're willing to pay a little more. All of that makes the time right for her business.

There are still a lot of unknowns. The price of oil has gone down. Consumers continue to tighten their belts, including eating out less. The cost differential between plastics and alternatives could eventually outweigh the feel-good factor if times get tight for some of her clients.

Right now the higher price isn't an issue for Snow City Cafe, said Cindy Lyons, the general manager.

"I think a lot of customers have noticed," she said. "For the longest time we had Styrofoam containers. There was all kinds of customer clamor: 'You need to replace these things.' "

O'Leary plans to expand her business to include environmentally friendly chemical distribution and consulting services. She's going to change the name to Green Alaska Solutions starting in January.

"It's the wave of the future," she said.

ENERGY

Over at Renewable Energy Systems, a company located off Dimond Boulevard that specializes in solar and wind energy generation, the appetite for alternative power has been ramping up for years as environmental consciousness has moved to the mainstream. The recent gas price hike and energy crisis in rural Alaska brought the issue to the fore, said owner Marvin Kuentzel.

Kuentzel's products are mainly used outside Anchorage in places like recreational cabins located off the grid. Power in the city, which is generated from natural gas, is still so affordable that major investments in alternative systems for urban homes don't make sense. But on the rural side, where many places are powered with generators, he's found lots of business.

His best seller is an energy storage system. The way things normally work, a generator runs all the time and produces a flow of energy that's like a waterfall. People using electricity dip in and take some, but the generator produces more than they use.

Kuentzel's system captures and stores all the energy in batteries, which means the generator can be turned off, but the lights stay on. And less energy gets wasted.

Aside from being more efficient, it's also a lot quieter, he said.

Along with this power storage system, some people use solar and wind to help feed their batteries.

"The immediate rise in diesel and the fuel costs brought public awareness back into focus," he said.

"I don't think it's going to go back."

Maybe in the future, he'll take his systems to a larger scale, looking at alternative energy for small communities, he said.

HEALTH

Packed in with environmental and energy concerns are renewed consumer worries about what products are doing to their health. O'Leary, for example, says some of her clients mention their customers want new takeout containers because they're worried about plastic in food boxes leaching chemicals into what they eat, especially during microwaving.

Organic Hair Design, a shop on Minnesota Drive that specializes in chemical-free cosmetics and hair care, just opened a second location in Homer. Owner Vesta Elliott has found a niche among green-minded consumers, especially those with chemical sensitivities to common cosmetic ingredients like ammonia, parabens and sulfates.

Part of her business plan comes from a personal mission, she said.

"When I first started doing hair, I lost sense of smell and taste from the chemicals I was working around," she said.

After some research, she found many cosmetics contain chemicals that people are allergic to, including some that have been found to cause cancer. She built an inventory of chemical-free products, from water-based nail polish to vegan mascara to local glacial mud masks. They come with a slightly higher price than other salon products, but she tries to absorb it.

About half of her clients are chemical-sensitive or in cancer treatment. Others are just looking for Earth-friendly options. It's a lifestyle that might have started at the grocery store, but now extends into many other areas in their lives, she said:

"If you eat organically, why wouldn't you keep the chemicals off your skin too?"

One of her clients, interior designer Cathy Kerr, says her buying practices get greener every year. That doesn't mean she'll sacrifice quality, though. She came to Organic Hair Design because she cares about the environment, but, she said, "I really wanted a good haircut."