Could it be...an eco-friendly convenience store? Imagine walking or driving a few miles away from your home to pick up a few essential items like tea, organic snacks and other healthy treats. While organic sections in grocery stores and vegetarian/vegan restaurants are convenient, traditional gas stations and convenient stores don't provide much for the eco-conscious and health conscious individuals. However, Green Spot Market and Fuels based in Dallas, Texas is changing the way convenience stores are viewed.

Green Spot provides products such as fresh flowers, sushi, tea and biodiesel. Surprisingly, this type of convenience store doesn't sell lottery tickets or cigarettes. It's like an environmentalist's dream store—cups are made from corn plastic and the wallpaper is made from recycled paper grocery bags. In addition, free Wi-Fi access is available, which makes it more of a café environment where people can buy snacks and stay for a while.

Inspiration for this type of store came from the minds of co-owners Bruce Bagelman and Alvaro Garza. Bagelman owned a Volkswagen that ran on diesel, and he found it challenging to locate a gas station that sold biodiesel so he and Garza, former Smoothie Factory shop owner, collaborated and created Green Spot.

A variety of people can enjoy this store. For example, bike riders and other sport-minded people stop in for electrolyte replacement drinks, organic snacks and isotonics. Children can also benefit from the healthy snacks that are available, and parents can purchase natural cleaning supplies that are nontoxic to pets and kids.

Green Spot's plans for the future include trying to involve local farms so that they can sell locally grown herbs and meats. In addition, they would like to build a kitchen so they can make breakfast food and other meals.

Stores like Green Spot can enhance communities by taking advantage and advertising locally grown meat and crops. If this store has continual success and is able to expand, people who were not environmentally conscious might have a different opinion once they see that eco-friendly products are conveniently available and that eating organic is more beneficial for their family's health and well-being.