Kitchen / Bath / Home / Pet - BioBag

I have a dirty secret. It's literally dirty because it involves my garbage.

For years, I've been using plastic bags to line the trash bins in my kitchen and bathroom.

Plastic bags! I mean, if God were doing the whole 10 plagues thing today, he'd probably find a way to include plastic bags somewhere between hail and locusts.

It's not like I was buying the plastic bags - I was just reusing the ones I brought home from the grocery store, the drugstore and other miscellaneous places. I wanted to break the habit and get a reusable tote (like this one we featured a couple of weeks ago from Timberland), but then I didn't know what to use in the trash can at home...

But now I've seen the light. (The CFL light, naturally.) I should have been using BioBags all along.

These 100% biodegradable, 100% compostable bags contain no polyethylene (chemical numero uno in the aforementioned plastic shopping bag).

Where plastic bags can take 100, 500 or even 1000 years to decompose, BioBag says that its bags break decompose in just 10 to 40 days in a municipal composting environment.

There's another big difference. From what I understand (largely from reading Alan Weisman's excellent The World Without Us), plastic bags and other plastic objects often just degrade into tiny pieces of plastic. It's not really clear how long it will take for these microscopic plastic granules to ever 'go away'.

BioBag's ingredient list, on the other hand, includes starch, vegetable oil and other renewable resources. BioBagUSA reports that its bags are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute and that they meet new California legal standards for biodegradable and compostable plastic.

And just to make you feel even better about BioBagging it, BioBags also claim to be GMO-free and certified for use in organic agriculture. Heck, they say that even the inks and dyes on the bags are soy-based.

Thanks to Katy Layton of PetFinder.com for bringing BioBag to our attention. As Katy pointed out, BioBag makes bags perfect for picking up after your pooch or lining your cat's litter pan.

BioBag makes others specifically for kitchen trash, leaves and lawn trimmings,

Where to buy:
Many online retailers carry BioBag products. BioBags can also be found at many natural food stores nationwide and will soon be available in Petco stores nationwide.

Kitchen - STORViNO Nero wine storage system

I believe that there are two kinds of wine drinkers -- the snooty type who drink to show off their refined palate and the folks who drink because they like the taste.

The snooty kind might buy a fancy wine storage rack, but the down-to-earth types would probably dig the STORViNO Nero wine storage system.

Made in the USA of 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, the STORViNO is sleek, stylish and stackable.

STORViNO owners can also have fun telling guests that they're storing wine in racks made from former shopping carts, produce bins, retired milk crates and other materials that would formerly have ended up entombed in landfills (or turned into odd sculptures).

The STORViNO manufacturing process grinds all these carts and bins and crates into small pellets, heats them 400 degrees and molds them into wine storage cubes capable of holding six standard-sized wine bottles.

Another nice benefit of the STORViNO -- turn the cubes upright and you've got a rugged carrying system for transporting wine to parties.

According to STORViNO's media reps, less than 2% of plastic is recycled worldwide. By buying products made from recycled plastic, we create a market that encourages further plastic recycling. Remember, you're not fully recycling (even if you put paper, plastic and metal in recycling bins) unless you also buy recycled products.

Where to buy:
Pick up the STORViNO Nero wine storage system around the country at The Container Store or shop online at e-tailers like Wine Enthusiast ($19.95) and International Wine Accessories (4 or more $16.95 each).

Technology - Sony XEL-1 OLED TV

The Great Flat Screen TV debate - plasma or LCD? - just got a bit more complicated with the introduction of the first production OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TV - Sony's XEL-1.

Why might you drool over the XEL-1?

• 3-millimeter thick screen.
  
• 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio (as compared to 30,000:1 maximum claimed contrast ratio for plasma displays and perhaps around 3000:1 for the best LCDs). Contrast ratios measure the difference between darkest blacks and lightest whites in an image.
• Very fast response times. Response times measure how fast a screen can refresh an image. Slow response times can sometimes result in 'ghosting' or noise. Plasma response times are supposedly better than LCD rates, but OLED is faster than either.

Why you might cringe before buying the XEL-1:

• 11-inch screen
• ~$2,500 price tag

Of course, the real reason we're featuring the XEL-1 on 1GreenProduct.com isn't because of its whiz-bang technical specs (or because we share the number "1" in our names).

We love the XEL-1 and OLED technology in general because it represents another step forward in energy efficiency for electronics displays. Since OLEDs don't require any backlighting (the Organic material in the OLED glows on its own), they use less energy than LCD screens.

According to GoodCleanTech, OLED needs just 1/4 the energy required to power LCD. (As for Plasma TVs, they're the bête noire of the thin-screen TV world, since they draw even more power than LCD screens - as explained by the HDTV Almanac.)

Of course, size matters too. Bigger screens naturally need more power than smaller ones. So in a green sense, the XEL-1's small size is beautiful.

Don't want to squint at a petite screen? Stay tuned. Word is that a Toshiba-Matsushita joint venture will come out with a 20+ inch OLED TV in 2009.

Oh and in mid-April, Sony showed another 11-inch OLED TV 10-times thinner than the XEL-1. Technology marches onward...

Where to buy:
Purchase the XEL-1 direct from Sony Style or at select retailers including Abt and J&R.

Kitchen / Lamps - Kichler Design Pro LED Lighting

In New York City, kitchen windows are a rare luxury.

My current kitchen has no windows - just one overhead light fixture (where I use CFL bulbs, naturally). Most of the time, this lighting is just fine, but there are occasions when I'm chopping vegetables for dinner when I feel like I should be holding a flashlight in my teeth to make sure that I don't chop off any body parts along with the onions.

It's times like these when I think that under cabinet lights would come in handy. If I did have under-cabinet lights, I would want them to have the attributes of Kichler's new Design Pro series introduced earlier this year.

The LED lights in the Design Pro series provide more than 40,000 hours of illumination (20+ years of typical usage) while using as little as 4-watts of energy.

And if you're worried that LED lighting will give your food a blue hue and make you lose your appetite, Kichler says not to fret. The Design Pro series uses LED chips that emit a softer, whiter light than past generations of LED technology.

Kichler claims that the Design Pro series has the smallest profile in the industry (just a half-inch), making it easy to hide the lights under any cabinet. Fixtures snap together to enable seamless lighting under multiple cabinets.

Of course, energy efficiency is one of the main reasons to go with LED lights. Each six inches of Design Pro lighting use just four watts of electricity. (Kichler Design Pro lights come in 6, 12 and 18-inch lengths that use 4, 8 and 12-watts of electricity respectively.)

LED lights may not quite as efficient as having a window in your kitchen, but here in Brooklyn, they're probably about as good as it gets.

Where to buy:
Use Kichler's website to find a dealer near you.

Outdoor - Sunlawn Push Reel Mower

Even though I've lived in urban apartments for nearly half my life, I don't hate suburbia.

In fact, unlike some urban snobs, I have fond memories of my suburban youth.

Sure, I wish there could have been a few more sidewalks and bike paths, but I loved having a grassy backyard for youthful frolicking.

What I didn't love much was the lawn mowing aspect of having a yard - especially when I got to be old enough to do the mowing. The heat, the fumes, the danger from the fast-spinning blade and the hard-to-control self-propelled monster soon had me swearing at the turf.

To be honest, I don't remember worrying much at the time about the pollution our gas-powered lawn mower generated, but now I know that gas-powered lawn mowers are a major source of pollution.

In fact, it's even worse than I thought. In 2006, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) asserted that "the average lawn mower emits as much smog-forming pollution as eight new cars traveling at 55 miles per hour."

UCS went on to give tips on making your gas mower run a bit cleaner and more efficiently or switching to an electric mower, but they noted that "you can eliminate pollution entirely by using old-fashioned manual tools such as push mowers..." (my emphasis)

Eliminate lawn mowing pollution entirely. Now that sounds eco-fantastic! And it's in that spirit that we feature today's Green product - the Sunlawn Push Reel Mower.

There's nothing old-fashioned about this push mower - except perhaps the idea of buying something that's made to last. Sunlawn says that the flame-hardened blade won't need sharpening for 8-10 years and provides a 2-year manufacturer's warranty to back up the overall quality of its products.

You just look at a mower like the LMM40 and think how its efficient design stands out. Sunlawn has stripped down the weight to less than 20 lbs, while still equipping the LMM40's with a five-blade cutting system that mows down a 16-inch swath at an adjustable cutting height of 0.4 to 2.2 inches.

Remember, there's no gasoline to buy, no pollution, not even the extra drag on your energy bill from an electric mower.

With a push mower, you can even mow your lawn at night or at the crack of dawn. No engine means no noise. (Sunlawn describes the Push Reel Mowers as 'whisper-quiet'.)

It all sounds great, but how does it work in practice? Unfortunately, we didn't have an opportunity to test the Sunlawn Push Reel LMM40 mower, but reviews on Amazon.com seem generally quite favorable.

The only way to find out if a push reel mower is right for you might be to give one a try - quietly.

Hey just think, if everyone on your block switched to a push reel mower, you'd finally be able to enjoy those long afternoon naps in the hammock. You lucky dog!

Where to buy:
You can purchase the Sunlawn Push Reel LMM40 mower (MSRP $179) directly through Sunlawn's website or at Amazon.com.

Offline, look for the LMM40 at True Value, Ace Hardware and other lawn and garden retailers.

Outdoor - Thomasville Nature's Retreat

The last thing you want to worry about when sitting at your seven-piece outdoor dining set is whether the wood used to build the furniture came from a clear-cut wasteland or from a responsibly and sustainably-managed forest.

You can rest easy sitting around Thomasville® Nature's Retreat dining set, built from FSC-certified Eucalyptus and all-weather wicker. Logging companies that want their wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) must respect the rights of indigenous peoples, preserve biological diversity, protect fragile ecosystems, monitor the health of the forest and use plantations to promote the restoration and conservation of natural forests. That's just the tip of the iceberg really. You can to go the FSC's website to read all about the 10 principles and 57 (!) criteria needed to get FSC-certification.

(Note that the FSC itself has come under criticism by some environmental groups as being too friendly with logging interests. The FSC responds by arguing the demand for timber makes logging inevitable and that the best solution is to use market forces to try to prevent deforestation by finding common group among business, social and environmental interests. It's a nuanced and complicated issue, but you can read an excellent analysis at environmental conservation and news site Mongabay.com.)

As for Eucalyptus, since they are fast-growing trees, they make a good renewable resource. The Greenfeet website has a nice summary of why Eucalyptus furniture is an eco-friendly choice. Since Eucalyptus is an extremely durable wood, Greenfeet says that Eucalyptus furniture can look beautiful for 50 years or more with proper maintenance. Of course it's better for the planet to buy one piece of furniture that lasts 50 years rather than 10 sets of furniture that last only five years each.

Where to buy:
You can find both Thomasville Nature's Retreat Dining Set at The Home Depot. Order online for $899 (with free shipping!) or pick up at your closest store.

Home - Dirt Devil AccuCharge

Dirt Devil® vacuum cleaners have a pretty wicked name, but from a green perspective, the newest Dirt Devils could be called "dirt angels".

A few months ago, TTI Floor Care North America announced that its newest Dirt Devil vacuums would be the first ENERGY STAR® approved cordless vacuums.

What makes these vacuums deliver a green cleaning experience? Basically Dirt Devil has dramatically improved the battery technology on these machines, letting them charge twice as fast as traditional cordless products and hold a charge longer. As a result of this new AccuCharge battery, TTI Floor Care says the new Dirt Devils use 70 percent less energy than a typical cordless vac.

How does the new charging technology work? Here's the 411 from Doug Sandler, TTI Floor Care's director of product development:

"The AccuCharge battery features a charging adapter that more efficiently coverts AC power to the DC batteries. Its special circuitry constantly monitors the battery charge until the maximum voltage is reached so no power is wasted. When the battery is fully charged, the power is reduced to a trickle mode to maintain the vacuum's charge and readiness."

Thanks for that explanation, Doug.

Personally though, I wonder if the vacuum could actually be unplugged between charges? Appliances can often draw energy even when they're not being used. See this study at UC Berkeley that found energy 'leaking' to unused appliances can account for up to 26% of a home's energy usage. For example, I rarely plug in my cell phone, since it can hold a charge for something like 15 days.

In any case, it's still exciting to hear about a Dirt Devil that uses less energy, charges faster and holds its charge longer? Now that's a handsome devil.

Where to buy:
Purchase online direct through the Dirt Devil Direct Store or from e-tailers like Amazon.com.
Find the new AccuCharge Dirt Devils at nationwide retailers including Home Depot and Best Buy.

Technology - BookSwim Online Book Rentals

For years now, I have been trying to clean out the bedroom in my parents' house. I've managed to give away, throw away or recycle most of the clothing, knick-knacks and junk, but two large bookcases remain.

For biblophiles, books are hard to discard.

Maybe that's OK. Maybe even green minimalists should have libraries.

But on the other hand, we know that the production of any object, including a book, involves pollution and waste. Trees are (often) cut down. Paper is (often) bleached. Electricity is used to print and bind and distribute and sell.

And yet many books are read once or twice and then sit dusty for years until someone carts them off to a local library (where they're probably pulped anyway since libraries have run out of space).

Wouldn't it be better to have a shared-use model in the mode of Netflix?

You may not think of Netflix as a green company, but think of it this way. Let's say that 100 people around America decide that they would like to watch The A-Team - Season 1 (just because it's an awesome 80's TV show) sometime in the next six months.

Without Netflix, these folks (many of them living in suburbia) either have to drive back and forth to the rental store or go out and buy the DVD. Let's say that 2/3 of them only want to relive these A-Team memories once. After that, the DVD will languish unwatched and essentially useless.

But instead of 100 people buying 100 DVDs or making 200 trips to the rental store (once to pick up the DVD, once to return it), Netflix shares perhaps half a dozen of these DVDs among the whole pool of interested viewers. No one has to make a special car trip because the DVDs come with the regular mail. And far less energy goes into making a few DVDs that are widely shared.

This same shared-use model - people only paying to use something as needed - has cropped up recently in car-share and bike-share models like Zipcar and Velib.

So why not extend the idea to books? That's the idea behind BookSwim - a book rental service that seems to work just the same as Netflix. You pay a set fee per month (starting at $14.99, ranging up to $34.99) to rent anywhere from 2 to 11 books at a time.

There are no late fees. You can keep books as long as you want, though obviously you'll get better value for your money if you're a fast reader. When you finish a couple of books, put them in the postage-paid envelope that BookSwim includes with each shipment and send the books back to the warehouse. Once your books are received, BookSwim will send out the next books you've stored in your 'Pool' (i.e. your list of requested books).

BookSwim's database includes more than 200,000 paperback and hardcover titles. And if you request something that's not in stock, they'll go out and try to buy it for you.

Frankly, it seems like a great system, especially if you usually purchase a lot of books per month.

It seems to me there are only two drawbacks:

1) Public libraries offer the same shared-use service for books and most of them do it for free. But libraries don't deliver. If you have to make a special trip or you live far away from the local library - or if you don't own a car and have to lug books home on foot or by bike, you might not mind paying $15 or $20 per month to get a steady supply of books delivered to your mailbox.

2) The other drawback is that books don't stay pristine very long. Two of the three books I received from BookSwim in my test order seemed a little ragged. People don't generally care what a DVD looks like as long as it will play OK, but many of us want our books to look at least somewhat clean and presentable. In a library, you can make an on-the-spot judgment as to whether a book looks nice enough to take home, but with BookSwim, your choices arrive sight unseen. It may be a little expensive, but I think BookSwim will have to discard books that start looking shabby and buy replacement copies.

Oh and by the way, if you fall in love with any of the books that BookSwim sends you, you can always decide to keep the book and pay a discounted retail price.

Where to buy:
Sign up online at BookSwim's website.

Fashion - WE ADD UP Organic T-shirts

Care about eco-issues and longing to tell the world about it?

WE ADD UP organic t-shirts are happy to help you spread the green message of your choice.

Just log onto the WE ADD UP website and pick the cause that fits you best. Everyone who comes in contact with you will know that you support wind power, make like Dagwood Bumstead and carpool or creatively save water by showering with a friend.

And because there is strength in numbers, WE ADD UP will print a unique number on your shirt that shows you are the Nth person to buy a WE ADD UP shirt.

And did we mention the shirts are organic? WE ADD UP points out that 25% of the world's pesticides (many of them potentially carcinogenic) are sprayed on the 3% of farmland used to grow non-organic cotton. By contrast, organic cotton shirts (like those sold by WE ADD UP) come from cotton that was not treated with any synthetic pesticides or herbicides.

If you need another reason to get your organic duds from WE ADD UP, keep in mind that the company's promise to donate all after-tax profits to nonprofit environmental groups.

Per Monty Python, we may all be individuals, but that doesn't mean we can't join together to show where we stand on green issues and help convince others about the importance of the purchase and lifestyle decisions we make every day.

Where to buy:
Order your hand-printed organic WE ADD up t-shirt at weaddup.com.

Food and Drink - Steaz Organic Beverages

I'm a big green tea drinker. Every day pretty much, I make a pitcher of green tea that sits nicely chilled in my refrigerator. Partly, I just like the taste and the thirst-quenching attributes. Partly, I'm a believer that at least some of the claimed health benefits (lower cancer risk, better skin, steadier blood pressure, improved memory) might be true.

So I think I was naturally predisposed to enjoy Steaz® sparkling green teas and energy drinks.

The tea part of Steaz comes from Celyon Green Tea that's both organic and Fair Trade Certified™. Here's a page from The Center for a New American Dream that explains why it's a nice idea to drink organic, Fair Trade tea.

Steaz drinks come in four varieties -

1. Sparkling Green Teas (cola, raspberry, orange, grape, key lime, green tea with lemon, root beer and ginger ale)
2. Steaz® Energy™ (berry, diet berry, lime and orange)
3. Diet Sparkling Green Teas (black cherry, blueberry pomegranate, orange and raspberry)
4. Decaffeinated Sparkling Green Teas (raspberry, orange, root beer and green tea with lemon)

Frankly, I was surprised at how much I liked the Energy drinks. Not only did they leave me feeling peppy (a fact I'll attribute to the Guayaki organic Yerma Mate), but I felt simultaneously like I was making a healthy choice thanks to the antioxidant-rich Sambazon organic acai juice.

The Steaz Energy drinks are still a bit sweet (organic evaporated cane juice is one of the main ingredients), but they don't give the unpleasant jittery caffeinated sugar rush of some of their non-organic competitors.

I like all the sparkling organic Steaz green teas that I tried, with the exception of the diet blueberry pomegranate flavor. I love fresh pomegranates (especially now that I discovered out the trick to getting the flesh out), but I don't think that pomegranate flavor - or blueberry flavor for that matter - usually works well in bottled drinks.

Unless you're trying to lose weight, I'd suggest sticking with the regulary Steaz over the diet flavors. I'm usually not a big fan of diet products in general. Usually, you're making a taste compromise when you choose diet and I'd rather just eat or drink less of the non-diet version if I'm worried about calories. (The regular steaz has about 75 calories more per 12-oz. bottle than the diet version.)

Update - Wanted to clarify that Diet Steaz drinks do not contain any artificial sweeteners. They slim down the calorie count simply by reducing the sugar level.

In any case, if you're looking for a healthy, organic, Fair Trade green alternative to traditional beverages, Steaz deserves your consideration.

Where to buy:
You can find Steaz in stores from Australia to South Africa. In the United States, more than 7,000 locations in 40 states carry Steaz. Major Steaz retailers include Whole Foods, Wegmans and Shaw's supermarkets.

Really thirsty? You can also buy packs of Steaz through Amazon.com.

Home - JCPenney Simply Green Collection

When times are tough, we must all tighten our belts.

Perhaps reconsider the annual summer jaunt to the Riviera. Skip the pedicure when getting a manicure.

But shall we give up our environmental ideals and settle for non-green products? Never!

Relax. There's no need to get so emotional because JCPenney has introduced a complete line of amazingly affordable eco-friendly home and fashion products with its Simply Green collection.

The items in the Simply Green collection adhere to three basic principals:

1. Organic (grown without synethetic pesticides or fertilizers)
2. Renewable (at least 25% of the content from a source like bamboo or soy that regenerates at a rate equal or greater to the rate at which it is harvested)
3. Recycled (containing content left over from the production process or reclaimed after consumer use)

We had a chance to review some of the Simply Green home furnishings products first-hand:

• The 300 threadcount cotton and bamboo rayon blend sheets (on sale for $19.99 to $59.99) may not be quite as breathable as 100% cotton, but they have a sumptuous feel - particularly for the price. They haven't gone through the wash yet, but the build quality seems strong and durable.
  

• The 100% organic cotton woven blanket (on sale for $39.99 to $44.99) has a great summer weight, but we recommend washing it before use to remove any loose fibers. (Using the blanket on the couch before washing, we found that light-colored blanket + dark-colored pants = lots of visible fuzz.)

• The 100% organic cotton towel (on sale for $5.99 to $9.99) is a fantastic green value as far as we're concerned. Dries quickly, has an appealing soft texture and holds its color well (at least through initial washing). What's not to like?

Frankly, at these sale prices, all the green products listed above seem like excellent buys.

Where to buy:
Order online at JCPenney.com or at more than 1,000 JCPenney retail stores nationwide.

Transportation - Segway Personal Transporter i2 / x2

More than six years after inventor Dean Kamen unveiled his revolutionary Personal Transporter (PT) device, the Segway has not displaced cars from the road.

Perhaps it's not too surprising. Riding a Segway requires balance and finesse. It's more like dancing than the somewhat mindless activity of driving.

My sole Segway experience took place on a tour of Naples, Florida. Once I got the hang of it, directing a Segway this way and that simply by leaning your body and twisting a handlebar was pretty darn exhilarating.

In any case, Segway has definitely found niche market success. As mentioned above, tour guides use them to whisk people around cities from New Orleans to Budapest. Security personnel use them to gain height and mobility in parking lots, malls and airports.

If you haven't tried a Segway in the last couple of years, you might want to hop on one of the new i2 and x2 models released in 2006. The whole twist-handlebar-to-turn feature (the one I described above) has been phased out in favor of a more intuitive LeanSteer™ technology. Basically, you move the whole handlebar frame left or right to move in your desired direction.

Since Segways are zero-emission vehicles, they qualify as super green transportation choices. Of course, you still have to recharge the Segway's motors, gyroscopes and computers using electricity. Depending on where your electricity comes from, that could make the Segway a bit less greener transportation option, but you'll certainly create less pollution that a motorist or even a scooter driver. (Calculate your exact pollution savings using the Green Calculator on the Social Segway site...)

Before you run out and buy a Segway, keep in mind that laws on the use of Segways differ by state and even by community.

Still, if you have the money (models start at a smidge over $5000), the Segway could be a great option to reduce your use of cars and gasoline. (And with gas prices at stratospheric levels, you could be making back the money on a gas-free Segway in a hurry!)

Where to buy:
Find your closest Segway dealer from the worldwide network.

Kitchen and Bath - Price Pfister Ashfield WaterSense Faucet

From a green standpoint, the ideal faucet is the one that does the job (washes your hands and other objects) while using as little water as possible.

Ladies and gentlemen, we present a top contender for ideal green faucet: the Price Pfister Ashfield WaterSense model.

Water shortages are no laughing matter. In recent months, major U.S. cities like Atlanta have faced the specter of pipes running dry. Worldwide, rising populations are putting ever greater stress on fresh water supplies.

There are little water-saving tricks that can help conserve this most precious resource. Ever since Mrs. Symington's high school biology class, I've learned to turn off the water while I'm brushing my teeth, for instance. And I'm in awe of those who somehow manage to take 3 minute showers. (Personally I'm a 15-20 minute shower guy...)

Anyway, Price Pfister is making it easy for us to take a giant step toward water conservation. The beautiful trough design of the Ashfield faucet limits the faucet to a maximum of 1.5 gallons per minute (gpm) of water flow versus the 2.2 gpm industy standard. Despite cutting water volume by 30%, the faucet still promises not to compromise "the user's water experience."

Think the Ashfield trough would be out of place in your sleek modern home? Stay tuned for another Price Pfister faucet with the same water-saving advantages, but modern-inspired lines coming later this summer.

Meanwhile, if you want to save water without switching faucets, Price Pfister has Eco-Pfriendly™ aerators that can be added to existing faucets - saving up to 2,200 gallons of water per year by Price Pfister's calculations.

Note that the Ashfield faucet has EPA WaterSense certification.

Where to buy:
You can find the Price Pfister Ashfield WaterSense faucet nationwide at major home improvement retailers including Home Depot, Lowes and Menards.

Bath / Fashion - Eco-Friendly Selection at The Company Store

I have this crazy idea that eco-friendly products should be attractive, well-made and affordable.

Fortunately, it looks like The Company Store had the same idea.

You don't stay in business 90+ years unless you know a thing or two about what customers want. Turns out that The Company Store's customers want loads of great new eco-friendly items including organic cotton bedding, fun pillows made from recycled plastic bottles and handsome rugs made from jute (a rain-fed crop that Wikipedia says needs little fertilizer or pesticides).

Of course, as readers of 1GreenProduct know, we're kind of wild about bamboo these days. So we had to try The Company Store's affordable 70% bamboo / 30% cotton towels ($6-38). Color us impressed. The bamboo loops not only suck up water, they're pleasantly nubbly texture makes you feel like you're drying yourself with a teddy bear.

We also checked out the 96% bamboo knit loungewear. Our verdict? This super-soft and breathable body-hugging fabric is so comfortable that you may not want to get out bed and get dressed. Both styles - chemise plus robe (sold separately, $29/$59) or knit tee and long pants (sold together, $49) - offer an appealing balance of femininity and functionality.

Style + function together? Now that's the kind of company we love to keep.

Where to buy:
Online at The Company Store website.

Fashion -- Undergear Soy and Bamboo Collections

Honestly, I never really thought of bamboo or soy as being particularly sexy.

When I thought of bamboo, I thought of pandas. Cute, yes. Sexy, er...

And as for soy, the first words that came to mind were 'tofu' and 'edamame'. Both quite tasty and healthy, but not exactly foods that get my pulse racing.

But several recent underwear collections available through Undergear.com show that both soy and bamboo can be very sexy indeed.

Both the bamboo-cotton blend in the Bamboo Report Collection and the 95% soy fiber content of the Tactics Soy Collection feel great next to the skin. Both collections provide a soft, stretchy and supportive fit. (If you like to wear undershirts outdoors as t-shirts, note that the Tactics Soy tee shirt is very body-hugging - suitable for only the most confident guys!)

So which collection is greener?

• Bamboo is generally considered a star plant in the green world. Some sources (Undergear included) call it 'the fastest regenerating plant on Earth'. Whether or not that's the case, it certainly does grow incredibly quickly - at certain times, bamboo shoots can grow 12 inches or more in a single day. An incredibly hardy plant, some people describe it almost as a weed since it often thrives without pesticides or much fertilizer and can be harvested without needing to be replanted. There are environmental concerns about the chemicals used to process bamboo into clothing fibers -- but apparently these solvents can be reused in order to minimize environmental damage.

• Soy fabric has been compared to cashmere for its luxurious feel and softness, with the advantageous difference that you can throw soy clothing into the washing machine. Some sites describe soy fiber as being a byproduct of soybean oil production. It's exciting to think that clothing this comfy can actually come from materials that would otherwise go to waste. According to the Salts Organic blog, soy clothing also has natural antibacterial and UV radiation protection and moisture absorption (highly desirably in close-fitting underwear) properties.

Frankly, both bamboo and soy based clothes seem like good green options. Which underwear you choose may come down to preference based on style or color. Personally, I loved the Report Bamboo Trunk - incredibly soft, supportive, comfortable and came through the washing and drying in our building's industrial-strength laundry room with flying colors. Then again, the Tactics Soy Trunk feels great too with a flattering fit and nice details like gently curving seams on the sides.

Soy or bamboo? The green choice is yours.

Where to buy:
Online at Undergear.com for $11.99 to $24 each. The Tactics Soy brief is currently on sale (in limited sizes) for just $6.97.

Kitchen and Bath -- GreenPan Cookware

I have to say I'd be pretty offended if someone told me that I was a pot calling the kettle black (i.e. a hypocrite).

But if someone wanted to call me a GreenPan™, well I'd be mighty flattered.

Maybe because GreenPan Cookware stays cool under pressure thanks to its patented ceramic-based Thermolon™ non-stick coating.

Most non-stick pans are coated with a coated with a compound known as PTFE. But PTFE-coated nonstick pans have several drawbacks. First, the nonstick coating tends to melt and give off harmful fumes around 500 degrees Fahrenheit. There are numerous reports on the Internet about the fumes killing birds, but even in people the PTFE fumes may have at least temporarily harmful effects.

Second, the manufacture of PTFE involves another chemical compound abbreviated as PFOA. The Environmental Protection Agency has begun working with manufacturers to phase out the use of PFOA based on the fact that the chemical seems to persist in the environment - not to mention the bloodsteam of the general population.

GreenPan says that Thermolon contains no PTFE and that the process of making Thermolon requires no PFOA and produces less CO2 than the process of making PTFE.

Now I do have to admit that I have cooked with PTFE-coated nonstick pans for years. I love the fact that I can fry something and not leave half my meal stuck to the pan.

But I've also worried about the coating on the pans. In particular, I noticed that in cleaning the nonstick pans, I'd inevitably leave scratches. I feared that bits of nonstick coating might end up in my food (though presumably at least they wouldn't stick to my intestinal tract if I did swallow anything).

Anyway, I had just thrown away an old, scratched-up nonstick pan when I got the chance to test the GreenPan frying pan. So far, I have to say that it has exceeded all my expectations. If you thought nonstick pans were slippery, you'll be blown away by the low friction quotient inside the GreenPan.

I used to add a dollop of olive oil to my old nonstick pans for good measure, but I'd still suffer a bit of stickiness, especially say if a bit of fried egg splashed onto the un-oiled side of the pan during the egg-breaking process.

With GreenPan, I skipped the olive oil and still slid my fried egg out as easy as pie.

Other fun attributes of the GreenPan include the fact that the pan is oven and stovetop safe up to 850 degrees Fahrenheit.

GreenPan claims to be more scratch and abrasion resistant than the old PTFE-coated nonstick pans. It's still early in the game, but I'm inclined to believe this claim is true based on the look and feel of the Thermolon coating. Plus since nothing sticks to the pan, I don't even use the rough side of my sponge - making scratches highly unlikely if not impossible.

So far, the GreenPan's claims of even heat conductivity also seem to hold water, not to mention fried eggs.

I'm slightly more leery of two other GreenPan advanced performance claims. The 'heat-resistant' stainless steel handle gets a bit warm to the touch for my tastes, but then I'm used to cooking with handles coated in plastic or silicone. If GreenPan had gone that route, it would have probably invalidated the whole 850-degrees heat resistance benefit.

GreenPan also touts the pan as lightweight. Again, I feel like some of the PTFE-coated nonstick pans I've used in the past are a bit lighter, but the heft of the GreenPan doesn't bother me. In fact, it makes the pan feel solid and meant to last.

GreenPan says its pan is dishwasher safe, but since not much food sticks to the pan, I'm perfectly happy to give it a quick rinse and soft sponge bath in the sink.

Though I only tried one frying pan, GreenPan does make several different varieties of frying pans and sauce pans. You can find GreenPan products online at HSN and at other fine retailers starting this summer.

Home - Shark Steam Mop

I think that Asian cultures have the right idea when it comes to removing your shoes before entering a home or sacred place.

Heck, I don't even want to think about what's touched the sidewalks outside my Brooklyn apartment building, much less track any outdoor filth onto my hardwood floors.

But even walking around in socks doesn't keep the floors from getting dirty. For years, I've struggled with the best way to clean hardwoods. Murphy® Oil Soap plus mop and bucket? Dust mop? Vacuum cleaner? Or scrubbing away on hands and knees with paper towels and spot cleaner?

Whichever path I chose usually either left a mess or failed to convince me that I had really gotten the floor much cleaner. Less dusty perhaps, but really clean?

So I decided to give the Shark® Steam Mop a try. Designed to work without any cleaning products, the Steam Mop turns ordinary tap water into steam (naturally) to loosen dirt.

The dirt then gets locked onto an absorbent, reusable, machine-washable microfiber pad. The steam dries instantly, leaving behind drier, cleaner floors, free of detergent residue.

I like the fact that you don't need to use any cleaning products with the Shark Steam Mop. The steam does a good job of loosening most stains from tile and other hard surfaces, but I did worry about whether the steam was really that good for my hardwood parquet floors.

Also, there were some really stubborn stains that I had to go back and clean with a paper towel, some natural cleaning solution and good old-fashioned elbow grease.

I'm also a bit leery of the washable microfiber pad. On the one hand, it's great to cut down on disposable products, but do you really want to throw a pad with accumulated dirt from the floor into the wash with your clothes? And if you decide to wash the pads separately, then you have to use all that electricity and water of a washing machine cycle just to to clean the pads.

In conclusion, I'd recommend the Shark Steam Mop for occasional use when you really need to do some deep cleaning. The rest of the time, sweeping the floor with a broom and following that with a dust mop will probably give you the greenest cleaning results.

(By the way, here's a great forum/discussion on getting the most out of the Shark Steam Mop. Notice that some people complain about the pads getting dirty, but to me (and to others on the forum) that's one of the major strengths of the Shark Steam Mop. It really does lift dirt and grime that other cleaners miss...)

Where to buy:
Online at www.sharksteammop.com or Amazon.
Offline at fine retailers nationwide including Target and Linens 'n Things.