Company owner Annette Savio offers lovely white biodegradable trash liners with shimmering gold ferns printed on them. The scalloped edge is unique and stylish. As pictured, simply fold the liner edge over for a fashionable wastebasket.

Each liner fits up to a 36 inch perimeter, which is your typical basket size for decorated living, bed and bathrooms. A pack of 12 liners is $9 or retailers can place minimum orders for 36 packages.

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British car-maker Lotus has unveiled an environmentally-friendly concept car, which is partly made of marijuana, at the British International Motor Show. The Lotus Eco-Elise (pictured above) sports body panels manufactured entirely from hemp (they’re the brown bits on the roof and bonnet).

You might be excused for thinking that the Lotus designers had dreamt up such a crazy scheme after sampling some of the raw materials. In fact, it seems that the company are on to a good thing. Compared to metal, hemp is a very lightweight material, which helps to improve vehicle performance and promote greater fuel-efficiency. Hemp is also a renewable, lightweight material that absorbs CO2 through photosynthesis. In addition, the particular type of hemp used by Lotus is ethically produced in close proximity to the manufacturing plant, keeping a lid on the emissions made through transportation.

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The proposal was be enacted in a two stage process. Beginning in January of 2009, all foam products would be banned, but restraints and grocery stores would be allowed to switch to plastic products if they hadn’t found a biodegradable replacement. The second stage would go in to effect by 2010, at which time all plastics would be banned, leaving only biodegradables.

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The MobileHome is made from recycled cardboard, is biodegradable, five percent of profits are donated to UNICEF, and is made in China.  It has eight secret rooms and is easy to take with you to the park, on vacation, or around the house.  My children immediately integrated their other toys, including their children’s yoga mat,  into dramatic play with our MobileHome.

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Picnic in green style this summer with eco-friendly biodegradable plates & bowls, and compostable utensils and cups from Let’s Go Green. Made from sugarcane fibers, these bowls and plates are 100% biodegradable, but sturdy enough for your sloppiest Joes. Their 16- and 20-oz. plastic cups are made from corn, and their PSM (plastic starch material), compost-certified utensils will naturally decompose back to organic elements. Let’s Go Green also offers 100% recycled lunch and dinner napkins, recycled without chlorine bleaching.

Save big when you buy their Picnic Sampler, which includes 50 each of knives, forks, spoons, and 9″ plates — all for only $19.99.

Let’s Go Green has dozens of wonderful products for every room in your home. In fact, a great housewarming gift is one of their Green Home Starter Kits….

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The company is also debuting their biodegradable wash powder that is hypoallergenic and fragrance free for the most sensitive of skin - perfect for washing your unmentionables. The lingerie wash is available at A Brief Affair for $8.50.

Indie crafters have become notable participants in the history of making things, but have a unique opportunity to pioneer social change as well. Since the Industrial Revolution, consumers have been diverted by the science of sales, and derive pleasure largely through conspicuous consumption. I feel that we modern makers seek to lift them out of the doldrums through individual acts of creativity. Yet, as materialism tips nature’s balance, our noble pursuit of culture questions its own validity. There is increasing unrest amongst crafters who feel their creations only add to the clutter on this Earth, but what if we could actually save the world by making things?

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Glastonbury Festival

Revellers rush back to their tents to wait for the rain to subside. But recently, it has come to light that cows living on the farm where the festival takes place have been choking on metal tent pegs left behind. Has an answer been found?

Ganesha is an alternative trading outfit that markets the traditional industries of India, working directly with the producers. We’ve more about them in our Paisley Park Jute Shopper Product Review.

The sent Life Goggles a pack of 20 leaf plates to test. But where do you start testing a plate? Kev did an excellent review of some plates made from potato starch, so I did what any self-respecting blogger would do: I copied him.

But as it turns out, these are quite different products. These disposable plates are made from sal and siali leaves, from the forests of Orissa, East India. And as you’d expect, leaves can’t hold that much weight, so doing a test like Kev’s weight bearing experiment with apples was a no-goer; in fact it struggles with a knife and fork on it. For an easy comparison, think of the leaf plates as a replacement for paper plates at parties or barbecues, but bigger. They’re about 30cm (12″) in diameter.

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I buy in bulk, and laundry detergent is no exception. A humongous jug of liquid laundry detergent sits atop my front-loading washing machine, and inevitably, dribbles of soap spill everywhere when I use it. dropps eliminates this mess! These convenient little packets are just tossed into your washing machine with no measuring or spills. They are lightweight and easy to use. A 20 load package of dropps weighs 10 ounces, whereas the equivalent amount in a liquid laundry detergent weighs 80 ounces. Furthermore, dropps is concentrated in addition to the lightweight packaging, thus “saving water, plastic, trees, and fuel.”

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In her article on greening pets, GO’s Kelli Best-Oliver suggests a wheat based litter Swheat Scoop.

Tip mavens over at Ideal Bite suggest the following natural litters: Corn-based One Earth Cat Litter, and World’s Best Cat Litter; Yesterday’s News, pellets made of recycled newspaper; and Feline Pine made from reclaimed sawdust pellets.

If your cat is having problems getting used to the new stuff, try working in a little bit each week with until you’ve completely switched over. And if you’re not composting, throw out the litter in paper bags instead of plastic bags.

Amy says: I don’t have cats but I do a lot of cat sitting and cleaning the litter box is part of the duty. With each scoop into the clay based litter, I try not to breathe in. Next time I might try leaving a bag of the natural variety for the cat owner to try out.

For more on natural kitty litter:

Ideal Bite - What sort of legacy is your kitty leaving behind?

Care 2 Green Living - Eco-Friendly Kitty Litter

Care 2 Green Living - The Dangers of Clumping Cat Litter

Related articles from GO:

Green Pets: A Quick Overview

GNMParents: Greenish Pets

Green Pet Care: Toxic Medications?

Lighter Footstep: Why You Shouldn’t Use Dryer Sheets to Control Pet Hair

Daily: The Doggie Bag

Why avoid disposables? Try getting an Italian to enjoy his espresso from the ridged lip of a Styrofoam cup and he’ll tell you all about the importance of real cups and dishes for enjoying the experience of food and drink. And then, of course, there’s the environmental impact. Take the plastic spoon: sure, no one adores washing dishes, but is it really harder to wash a spoon than it is to locate and drill oil reservoirs, refine crude oil, extract the chemical feedstock used to make plastic, and mould plastic into thousands of tiny, single-use utensils that are then shipped to a landfill where they must then be managed for hundreds of years while they sit without decomposing?

Now there’s trash (like biodegradable paper food trays) and then there’s Trash (with a capital T, like plastic or Styrofoam containers). Opting for the better of the two is a good start.

Ditching the Capital T

Try wrapping your veggie-dog in a napkin or getting your Chinese delivery from restaurants that offer those handy little paper boxes instead of polystyrene (or Styrofoam) containers. Where there’s a will there’s a way and finding alternative containers is a fun way to express your eco-creativity. But that’s just the start.

Do one better by using your own containers for take-out or leftovers from your favorite restaurant. It’s like the restaurant equivalent of cloth shopping bags to the grocery store. Our local Mexican restaurant has come to know and love us for getting burritos to go in bread-baking tin. They get a giggle and we get great food without the waste. It’s a win-win situation, and the bread tin also makes a great conversation piece at the restaurant. Make sure to be friendly when you ask to use your own container; activism with a smile is always the most effective.

Want to go all the way in eliminating that capital T? Here’s the good news: increasingly, a number of large cities are passing legislation that bans the use of Styrofoam containers in restaurants. Many other cities are considering similar action. Legislation like this is important because Styrofoam is not recyclable in most places and does not quickly decompose so sits in landfills. The more Styrofoam we prevent, the fewer open spaces will need to be converted to landfills to hold this Trash (with a capital T). And not all of trash ends up at the dump: quite a lot finds its way into ocean ecosystems as well. Here’s a visual. Chemicals in styrene products are also harmful to human health because they attack the central nervous system.

You can encourage your city to pass a similar ban on Styrofoam by contacting your city council. Also, talk to restaurants and stores that use plastic cutlery or bags about biodegradable plastics. If you already live in one of those forward-thinking cities with a ban on Styrofoam, you can help restaurants by letting them know how much you appreciate them following this eco-friendly policy. Supporting restaurants and companies that are doing things right flexes your power as a consumer to make a difference. You can also help the city by letting them know if you come across a restaurant using Styrofoam.

How is everyday activism effective?

Some of the most heroic deeds of activism come in the most commonplace shapes and sizes. Confronting the way we do things each day makes such a big difference because the changes we make are multiplied over time: just two fewer disposable items used each day turns into over 50,000 items during a lifetime. When we regularly make decisions that take into consideration the wellbeing of the environment and other people (such as walking or bicycling to the store or supporting local or Fair Trade farmers), our friends and family take notice. Leading by example is a sure way to inspire those around us to take action as well.

And congratulate yourself on the changes you make, no matter how small. When it comes to doing what’s right, there is no effort too small.

Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7527513@N04/545957211/

Leaving dog-doo on the ground is a big no-no, especially if you live within the vicinity of others. Aside from the courtesy factor, left behind 'gifts' can cause the spread of diseases and bacteria including tapeworm, roundworm, cryptosporidium, and e.coli. These can be transferred by the accidental step-and-bring-inside method, or it can be dispersed by rainfall when animal waste gets carried into drainage systems that go directly into our waterways. Feces also draws flies, which can spread other types of diseases. (Next time that fly is buzzing around your kitchen think where it may have been.)

Many people use plastic bags to pick up dog waste. It is an easy, no direct contact way to do it. However, whether they're from the grocery store or wrapped around the daily paper, plastic bags are still petroleum derived plastic and will hang out for a long time in the landfill. Choose biodegradable poop bags. You'll get the same features as conventional plastic, but the biodegradable bags will break down in a matter of months rather than a few hundred years.

Or instead of tossing your pet's waste into the garbage, you could compost it. Of course, it is a good idea to create a separate compost pile for dog waste, especially if you use your every day compost on your veggie garden. If you have the space, it is as easy as making a few modifications to a metal garbage can and burying it in your yard.

Want to put that poo to good use? See if you can get your city on board by converting dog waste into power. San Fancisco is currently experimenting with this solution.

Amy says: I'm currently without a dog, but if I had one I know I'd opt for the biodegradable bags.

More from GO:

Green Pets: A Quick Overview

Have a tip for Amy and Jennifer? We'd love to hear about it.

Create your garbage inventory. It may sound a little silly, but knowing how much and what you're throwing away is the first step in figuring out what you can change.

• How much garbage do you generate? Count how many times you take the trash out per week or weigh the bag on the bathroom scale to find out how much it weighs. Write it down. After two or three weeks you should have a pretty good idea of how much you are throwing away. Knowing this will allow you to make a household goal of creating less trash in the following weeks.
• What are you tossing? Write down what you are throwing out. Having a record on paper of the contents of your garbage will let you know what you are getting rid of. For example, if you find you're throwing away a lot of food that goes bad before you have a chance to eat it you can change your cooking and buying habits to cut down on that waste. Or you might find you're throwing away things that can be put in the recycling bin instead.

Compost. Before you toss food scraps in the garbage or disposal, think about composting. Or if you don't want to start your own compost bin, find a community compost area or see if your local solid waste division accepts food waste for compost. In Seattle, residents can put food waste in a yard waste bin for pick up.

Re-use or recycle everything you can. Can what you're throwing away be re-used for another purpose? Can it be recycled? Many municipal recycling centers offer free reference guides you can keep near the garbage can or recycling bin to see what can and can not be recycled in your area. As for re-use, some items such as milk jug caps or yogurt containers and other bits and pieces are handy for craft projects. Ask your child's teacher if they can use any of these things and start collecting.

Buy goods with less packaging. Look for containers and packaging that can be recycled, such as cardboard (even better if it is made from post-consumer recycled content). Buy bulk food. You can get nuts, grains, beans and other dry goods in bulk in many places. This way you buy only what you need with a lot less packaging.

For the garbage you do throw away, purchase compostable, biodegradable garbage bags made from corn plastics such as BioBag. (FYI: there is some controversy about whether or not these biodegradable plastics perform the way they should in a landfill, ie. breakdown faster than regular plastics). Another option is to buy trash bags made from recycled plastic, such as Seventh Generation's bags made from 70% post-consumer and 30% pre-consumer plastic.

If you really want to break your garbage habit, try carrying your waste around with you for a week. Ben Jervey, author of the Green Big Apple: Your Guide to Eco-friendly Living in New York, wrote in Good magazine's inaugural issue about his month-long extreme urban environmentalism experiment. This included carrying his garbage with him everywhere. While it may not be practical, it'll really get you thinking about what and how much you're throwing away.

Amy says: I've still got a long way to go on this one. I currently re-use those dastardly plastic shopping bags as my garbage bags. However, the more I remember to bring my own cloth bags to tote my groceries home, the less plastic bags I'm going to accumulate. So I'll need to re-think my own waste stream.

Green Options related links:
Marc Gunther: The End of Garbage

Garbage Pollution Not Just a Modern Issue
Lighter Footstep: Five Ways to Fight Retail Overpackaging
Mobile Electric Generator Runs on Trash
Weekly DIY: Build Your Own Worm Composting Bin
Kicking the Habit: Plastic Bags
Solid Waste 101: What Can't You Throw Away?
II. Solid Waste Management, Reduction, Reuse and Recycling
Tip o' the Day: Refrigerate that Compost!
How To Start Your Own Compost Pile
Green Myth-Busting: Recycling

Tip o' the Day: We Can't Put the Milk Back in the Cow

Such a move would usher in the use of eco-friendly alternatives; biodegradable plastic or recycled paper bags. The legislation (which still needs one more vote to pass) would take effect within six months for San Fran's 50 markets — and 12 months for big-chain drugstores like Rite-Aid.

This is a welcome move. Although only introduced to our shopping culture 25 years ago, the plastic bag has waged hell on our environment. Between 500 billion-1 trillion are used each year worldwide. The largest problem is that they are not biodegradable, only photodegradable. In other words, they break down into smaller and smaller pieces of the same material — but only if exposed to sunlight. Animals choke on them, sea life becomes entangled — in the ocean, it's been reported that there are two islands of plastic bags each the size of Texas. Yikes.

Each city bears the burden of not only the environmental impact, but also the disposal of plastic bags. San Francisco alone spends $8.5 million a year on disposal. So, the city (and the country) are ready for a change. The new alternatives, made from corn by-products, have markets in San Fran nervous over costs, durability, and quality. Like any shift, however, it's time to stop whining and move forward with the new rules. On the flip side, corn farmers have another potential windfall in their sights. San Francisco may only be the beginning of a massive national sweep. If more corn-based bags are needed, what will this do to the price of food? Agriculture experts are already concerned over ethanol's effect on production in the U.S.

If anything, the lesson here is try and bring your own reuseable bag to the grocery store when possible. While these latest shifts are encouraging, consuming less by reusing items should not be lost in our quest for a new grocery bag. For the sake of the environment, however, let's hope San Francisco's commitment inspires others to follow suit.

Like Rebecca's Tip O' The Day noted earlier, baking soda is a wonderful, earth-friendly cleaning product you can get almost anywhere on the cheap. Borax, white vinegar, and cream of tartar are just a few items you can use to make safe, non-toxic cleaning products. This site has plenty of recipes if you want to eschew commercial products completely. However, if you are not into the DIY scene, there are a plethora of cleaning products out there that are non-toxic and biodegradable. I've used several, and these are some of the lines that have produced favorable results.

Probably the most widely available, and certainly popular, are Method products. Method produces non-toxic, biodegradable cleaners that are minimally (and tastefully) packaged, and they don't test on animals. They also just introduced floor cleaner kits (which I am SO resisting buying, since I already have a perfectly good mop and bucket), called the oMop that include those popular disposable microfiber mop pads–however, theirs are compostable. Method's appeal is their cost-friendliness and availablity–you can get it at your big-box discount store, and it does stand out in a sea of traditional toxic cleaners in those stores.

Seventh Generation makes paper products and cleaning products–in fact, their Free and Clear line has no fragrances or dyes for those with allergies. Their company has rigorous standards for their products, namely that they are all vegetable-based and biodegradable, are not environmentally hazardous or acutely or chronically toxic, contain no phosphates, chlorine, or animal products. They also have awesome coupons on their website.

If you are looking for straight-up awesomely-scented cleaning products that make your kitchen smell like flowers, not chemicals, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products fit the bill. Their biodegradable cleaners come in three scents, geranium, lemon verbena, and lavender, with a limited run of honeysuckle products out right now for spring cleaning. I love their laundry soap–there's nothing like lavender-scented t-shirts right out of the dryer.

However, my new favorite eco-cleaning line is Bi-O-Kleen, which I pick up at our local green general store. Bi-O-Kleen products are biodegradable, non-toxic, highly concentrated to reduce packaging, and they have an entire soy-based product line. The best part about Bi-O-Kleen products is that their containers are refillable at many retailers–I just take back my empty bottle, and my store refills it (for a discount, too!) I must insert a personal rave on their automatic dish soap: I've never found a biodegradable dishwasher soap that actually worked with our dishwasher, but this soap leaves my dishes completely streak-free. A note on their website–they haven't updated in quite a while, because their products have completely different (and I think better) label design, but it is the same product line.

1) GO member attacat asks about using biodegradable trash bags/bin liners:

The bin liners that are commonly used are made of synthetic polymers like polyethylene and polypropylene, and these are not considered biodegradable. Eventually, these plastics will break down, but only after being submitted to decades of heat and light.

Green Your Office proposes a new technology called d2w totally degradable plastics. Apparently, these refuse sacks will “degrade turning harmlessly into CO2 and water”. I may be missing something here, but isn’t CO2 one of the main gases that the greenhouse effect has been blamed on? Are biodegradable bin liners actually harmful to the environment as well?

Got an answer to this one? Is the amount of CO2 produced by these products negligible when compared to the impact of plastic?

2) GO member tamilee is likely not the only person with this question:

Where can I find home solar power systems and how they work explained in the simplest terms possible? I'm looking for a solar power for dummies website or book. I have been interested in solar power for decades but whenever I try to learn about it there is so much jargon used I just get lost.

There is a Complete Idiot's Guide to Solar Power to Your Home; the second edition will be released in May. Any thoughts on this book, or other recommendations?

As always, please answer these questions in forum where they were posted…