Fresh Finds

Making Use of Ocean Trash

Nothing irks me more than plastic at the beach. Getting ready to dive head-first into a wave and getting knocked on the head by an empty orange juice or (even worse) water bottle can seriously kill my saltwater high. That's why I love the underlying genius behind this new Sand Play Set from Green Toys. The toys are made with recycled milk jugs--jugs that could have wound up in the ocean as errant litter from an uncovered garbage barge or washed from a storm drain and out to sea.

The play set is also a great tool for teaching kids the value of recycling. And where better to do that than at the ocean, which is getting inundated with our recyclable garbage? As much as 90 percent of marine trash is plastic, and the U.N. Environment Programme has estimated that every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of floating plastic. If you need proof, look at the ever-expanding Eastern Garbage Patch, an area in the northern Pacific Ocean twice the size of Texas that is so full of waste, scientists have stopped trying to shrink it; now, they're just struggling to find ways to keep more trash from piling on.

To pick up one of these sets, visit Green Toys to find a brick-and-mortar retailer near your or buy one on Amazon for $19.95.

© The Green Guide, 2008

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Nonstick and Safe?

As our columnist Amy Topel found, sautéed onions and mushrooms slide right out of Xtrema's Nano-Glaze cookware (featured in the June print issue of National Geographic Green Guide). Unlike chemically finished nonstick cookware, Xtrema's ceramic pieces feature ultrathin ceramic glazes, which provide easy cleanup without adding undesirable chemicals to kitchen air. Ceramic also retains heat longer than stainless steal or aluminum, reducing cooking time and energy consumption. Read more from Amy at Amy's Green Kitchen.

Individual pieces, including pots, pans, and a teapot, range in price from $39.99 to $149.99. The purchasing website listed in the June issue is no longer available, but you can visit www.ceramcor.com for more information on the products and call the company at 732-604-1925 or email Bob Bergstrom at bob@ceramcor.com for information on getting a set of your own.

© The Green Guide, 2008

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How to Green Your Lip Service

Every month, I cringe when I get my cell phone bill (ahem, I mean, when I get the e-mail alerting me to the fact that my cell phone bill has been electronically delivered to my bank in very eco-friendly paperless fashion). It's not that my bills are astronomically high as much as it reminds me that I'm subsidizing an industry that's exposing me to hazardous chemicals and the earth to mounds of e-waste.

To claim the eco higher ground, I will say that I've been using the same phone, and keeping e-waste out of landfills, for about three years now--a dinosaur, I know--but could I climb up on my high horse and say I'd give it up entirely? Probably not. But I can switch to an eco-friendly provider. Credo Mobile, a division of the socially conscious telecommunications company Working Assets, allows cell phone customers to donate one percent of any bill to the environmental (or social or civil-rights) nonprofit of their choosing, and it's currently the only provider that allows you to do this. Greenpeace, American Rivers, Sierra Club and the Organic Farming Research Foundation have all received money from Credo.

I did a quick, unscientific side-by-side comparison of my current plan on AT&T and a similar plan from Credo, which has only been around in its current form since last October. From what I could tell, you aren't losing much in terms of extras. AT&T allows for rollover minutes and free roaming, while Credo doesn't, but Credo operates off Sprint's mobile network, which gets marginally better online reviews for call clarity and coverage area. The plans start at about $30 per month for 200 anytime minutes with unlimited nights and weekends, and Credo has a decent phone selection, too. Opt for the Samsung phone; Samsung got props in Greenpeace's latest "Guide to Green Electronics" for removing brain-damaging brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in phones, and they'll be launching a PVC-free line of mobile phones in April. The LG phones are a good second, but the company is still in the process of phasing out PVC and BFRs so some products may still contain them. Finally, Credo sells solar-powered chargers to go with every phone and recycles the phones when they die--I doubt other service providers are so responsible.

To learn more about Credo Mobile, see www.credomobile.com.

© The Green Guide, 2008

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