Question Thread for Patty Kerr, Founder of Nurture My Body

OK Huddlers-

We're kicking off our first "Ask an Industry Leader" interview series with a great guest, Patty Kerry of Nurture My Body.

Nurture My Body offers natural personal care products (including organic body lotion, face creme, shampoo, conditioner, and more) that are not only good for you, but made in a way that respects the planet too. 

What questions do you have for this successful eco-preneur?

Make sure to write only 1 question per post and check back to vote on the questions you'd most like to have answered by Patty. On Friday of this week, we'll send the best 10 over to Patty and post her answers ASAP. Then, you'll have the chance to talk with her in the forums with follow-ups.

Check out the Interview Guidelines for a bit more help if you need it. Good luck - may the best questions win!

What green criteria do your products meet?

How do you choose which organic ingredients to use, and which conventional ingredients to use?

Entrepreneurs often have interesting stories about how/why they decided to stick their necks out and start something from nothing...what's Nurture My Body's story?

Why do you use palm oil in some of your products? 

How do you feel about companies like Clorox coming in and selling "Green" lines of products? Or in the other direction, Burts Bees being acquired by a much larger company. Is it important for green companies to go mainstream or do mass market pressures make it impossible to stay true to your roots?

I noticed that you are a signer of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.  What exactly does that mean?

So in the Huddle, lately we've had some talk on the economics of going green and the cost of organics.  Do you find that the organic ingredients that go into your products are more expensive than conventional ingredients?

 I'm curious to hear about what business challenges you've faced that you do think you would have faced if the business weren't green. Do you think it has gotten any easier to start a green business today vs. when you started?

Beyond the ingredients that you use in your products, what makes Nurture My Body stand out from the crowd?  What are other elements of your company that make you leaders in environmental stewardship?

Why did you choose to start an internet business instead of a "real world" shop?

When choosing ingredients for your products, is it important to you to get local ingredients as well as organic ones?