Susan Griffin-Black is the co-founder of EO, a Bay Area-based line of body and face care products made with essential oils and other natural and good-for-you ingredients. She says she and her husband started the business “to bring beautiful, luxurious aromatherapeutic pleasure to everyday rituals of life.”

Best part of your job?

The most satisfying is the feedback and testimonials from happy customers.

What is your favorite local green restaurant?

Greens. It’s been my longtime favorite and it’s an affiliate of the Zen Center.

Where do you shop for organic groceries?

Whole Foods, the Mill Valley Market, Good Earth when I’m in Fairfax, and the farmer’s market.

What are some of your favorite local green businesses?

I like Green Fusion for organic living house stuff and great organic bedding. Earthsake is good for organic beds in Berkeley. For plants, Green Gulch Nursery and Green Jeans. Also, Rainbow when I’m in the city.

Is there a particular environmental non-profit you support?

There are a couple. I’m on the board of the San Francisco Zen Center. Also, Youth for Environmental Sanity (YES), and the Pachamama Alliance.

What’s your favorite thing about living in the city? Least favorite?

The incredible natural beauty and the air quality—and the community of people. It’s the beauty and people and the combination of the two that makes it the best city in the world. Traffic north on 101 is a bummer, but otherwise it’s pretty amazing.

What would you say is the city’s undiscovered or underrated jewel?

Green Gulch because most people think you have to be a Zen student to go there and you don’t. Hope Cottage is this cottage you can rent at the top of Green Gulch. It’s a stone cottage with a wood burning stove and panoramic view—it’s a totally private place for a romantic weekend or personal retreat.

Where do you like to take out-of-town visitors?

I always take them to Green Gulch to have lunch or we park there and hike through the organic garden. I also like to walk to nearby Muir Beach/a> and stop at Pelican Inn. It’s a beautiful walk and talk.

What’s your favorite vacation destination?

I was supposed to be going to Paris and Italy recently but decided to rent a house in Sonoma instead. I like keeping it simple and exploring what’s local and incredible.

What’s your favorite weekend outdoor activity?

I like to hike and picnic down Tennessee Valley Road to the beach. Also, taking the ferry over to the Ferry Building for the farmer’s market.

If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?

An oak tree. I was just looking at oak trees driving to Tassajara in the Los Padres National Forest/a> and they have a lot of character.

Describe your path to green. How and when you became eco-conscious.

It’s through the search for wellness that it all began. I got interested in natural healing and the healthy alternatives for small ailments. Like instead of taking aspirin, what could you do? It manifested in skin care and I remember looking at essential oils at this little shop where the French owner was telling me what to take. Then I started looking at other essential oils. I was a clothing designer at the time and I’d go to Europe for trade shows and I’d find alternative apothecaries with natural products. It was a natural exposure and gravitation.