Reneé Kaehny has managed to successfully weave together her passion for environmental issues along with running a top notch business that benefits the community and all who visit her Rituals Colour Salon in Westridge.

Well before Kaehny and her husband, Mike, opened the salon in August 2007, the couple had the color green in mind. Green, as in building a salon with environmentally friendly materials and using plant-based hair and skin care products. They also recycle on a daily basis. The end result? A healthier environment for staff and clients.

“Because we don’t perm or chemically straighten hair and use only the finest environmentally safe products, our salon does not smell or feel like the typical salon,” says Reneé Kaehny.

This month, the Kaehnys are unveiling Rituals Skin Care, a new extensive skin care room designed for reflexology treatments and facials. The salon currently employs nine stylists, two skin care and waxing specialists and three interns. The Kaehny’s 18-year-old daughter, Shannon, is a student at the Paul Mitchell School in Sherman Oaks and works in her parents’ salon.

Although Reneé Kaehny has been environmentally aware for most of her life, it wasn’t until she attended a conference 18 years ago for Aveda’s botanically-based hair and skin products that she changed the way she did business. “I learned what a difference our industry could make. Flower and plant derived hair color is better for us and the environment,” she says.

Little goes to waste at the salon. “We believe that we can make a difference every day in little ways, such as using recycled packaging and recycling all that we use including the hair that we cut, which we send to Matter of Trust – a company that takes the cut hair and makes it into biodegradable mats that are used to soak up oil spills. We have a water filtration system in the salon and our employees have re-usable bottles. It’s amazing how much plastic we have cut out,” she says.

And lest anyone forget, the words “We can make a difference EVERY day!” are painted on the wall. Kaehny practices what she preaches by participating in events that raise money to benefit various organizations, such as the Soroptomist Bras for a Cause. The salon was a bra drop-off zone again this year. And last month she closed the salon for one day so her staff could participate in a show for the L.A. Art Institute, which organized a fundraiser to benefit the Hollywood free clinic. The Rituals’ staff provided hair and make-up services for about 70 models in the show.

Last April, Kaehny celebrated Earth Day with an eco-friendly fashion show to raise money for the Surfrider Foundation and to bring awareness about the importance of clean water around the world. The fashion show featured eco-friendly designer Linda Loudermilk’s designs along with community members’ creations. The show also featured Shannon Kaehny’s dress made from woven Aveda color boxes, color tubes, paper bags and recycled tulle.

But Reneé Kaehny’s pet passion is the SCV Youth project. She became involved with the organization following the suicide of her then 17-year-old son, Nick, followed by the death of Nick’s father two months later. “We knew we had to do something positive with the pain. I had read about the SCV Youth Project and wanted to be a part of it. So my daughter Shannon and I speak at schools about depression and suicide,” says Kaehny, who is an SCV Youth Project board member.

Not one to take life for granted, Kaehny focuses every day on making a difference in the lives she touches and this is reflected in her salon’s services. “At Rituals, it’s our mission to not only help you look amazing, we make you feel amazing from the moment you walk through the doors. Every guest receives a neck and shoulder massage prior to the service and a hand massage with every color service. Men receive a hot towel facial with their haircuts as well. It’s truly about the experience – isn’t that what life’s about, enjoying the moment,” she says.