Is it plastic technology or just consuming less plastic that’s the answer? It’s up to us.

It’s a very simple equation: Plastic=bad. This is why we stick our fold-up totes in a purse to go to the grocery store, and why we fill up our water bottles at the fountain instead of buying another from the vending machine. But as hard as we try, it’s difficult to eliminate plastic entirely. For example: Despite my best efforts, at this very moment my house shelters one bottle of Heinz ketchup in the fridge and a bottle of Nyquil in the medicine cabinet.

As it exists today, plastic is lightweight, versatile, convenient and affordable – qualities that not all packaging materials possess (we’re looking at you, glass and paper). The solution is to find a sustainable alternative for traditional PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, which is made from fossil fuels.

The Coca-Cola Company thinks they’ve found it. They’ve implemented a new plant-based PET into their bottling line, which they’re reporting has a lower environmental impact than traditional PET. That’s why four other companies – Nike, Proctor & Gamble, Ford and Heinz, – have teamed up with Coca-Cola under the umbrella of the Plant PET Technology Collaborative (PTC), to fund research and accelerate the use of plant-based plastics.

According to Katherine Schermerhorn, a spokesperson for Coca-Cola, plant PET is currently made from a number of different sources, including sugarcane, sugar beets, corn and cassava. The PTC is currently developing criteria to ensure that plant PET will be made solely from non-food competing sources, and will be produced sustainably.

Most of their future projects are still confidential at this point. According to Ed Sawicki, the associate director at Proctor and Gamble, the PTC will be looking at work at universities, research labs and other academic institutions in addition to the member company labs.

But the work done so far looks promising. Schermerhorn estimates that Coca-Cola’s use of plant PET packaging has, over the past two years, helped save more than 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. In 2009, Coca-Cola produced nearly 10 billion bottles using plant PET, and has a standing goal to use the material in all their PET plastic bottles by 2020. Heinz is currently licensing the technology from Coke for use in their plastic ketchup bottles in the United States and Canada.

It seems oddly incongruous to hold up several multinational corporations for laudable business practices. The phrase “sustainable packaging” seems to be an oxymoron. Moreover, it’s hard to picture a staid product like a 2-liter bottle of Coke as of-the-moment and eco-friendly.

But the ubiquity of these products is the very reason why it’s important for these companies to take a step in the right direction. Bringing reusable bags to the grocery store won’t stop everyone in the world from buying the occasional bottle of condiments (even when it’s so easy to make).

But we’ll all breathe easier knowing that even so, the air is still a little bit cleaner…right?

Image: Steven Depalo

The post Will Plants Be the Answer to Our Plastic Obsession? appeared first on EcoSalon.

You would think that something as simple as ditching bottled water would be easy to make a regular habit. But as soon as we start traveling, our eco-friendly daily routine has a tendency to fall by the wayside, and water is a prime example.

Just because you can’t bring liquids through security check is no excuse for leaving your reusable water bottle at home; you’re certainly going to need it upon arrival. Worried about space? No one said you had to go with stainless steel.

You can also invest in a handy collapsible drinking vessel like the Soft Bottles from Platypus. They’re BPA-free and can go with you anywhere. Which means buying a bottle of water where potable tap water is readily available is no longer excusable.

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Dear Bottled Water,

We see right through you. Your harmful BPA. The way you litter our landfills. The millions of oil barrels it takes to produce and transport you every year. Suffice to say, you’re in hot water.

Thankfully, a new water filtration company called Aquaovo is working hard to reduce our dependence on you. Aquaovo’s signature product, the Ovopur, is an award-winning water filter that’s as eco-conscience as they come and as stylish as we’ve seen.

Designed with sustainable, renewable and recyclable materials, the attractive, egg-shaped Ovopur© filters water through its exclusive Aquacristal© cartridge. Inspired by the same filtration process found in nature, the cartridge consists of four unique layers of crystals that neutralize, sanitize, soften and purify water – all without the use of electricity.

Says Ovopur’s designer Manuel Desrochers: “Our bodies are made of 70 percent water, and I thought to myself, what better way to take care of my health than drink the purest water available. After years of learning about water purity, I discovered a better way to filter water than what’s currently on the market. Then, I designed a filter that would be artistic and beautiful enough for people to admire and think of water in a new way.”

To show our support for Aquaovo’s efforts, we’re giving away an Aquaovo Therm-O to one lucky EcoSalon reader. The 16.9 oz glass bottle, which retails for $28, is a sleek and safe alternative to your harmful plastic variety. In addition, the double-pane design makes the Therm-O perfect for both hot and cold liquids. It even comes with a built in tea strainer.

We hate to pour it on, but that’s a lot more than you can say, Bottled Water.

Love,
EcoSalon

P.S. For complete giveaway rules go here, and you’ll find FTC guidelines here. The giveaway will end Tuesday, April 27 at 11:59pm (PST). Good luck! And don’t miss our other Earth Week giveaway, which includes three sets of LUSH’s most popular naked products wrapped in an eco-conscious Knot-Wrap!

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Mmmm. CANDY! Just smell the bowl full of those darling, little bars of CANDY. Just look at those chewy bites of CANDY!

Now, walk away. That’s right. Walk away and no one will get hurt.

Halloween is really one of the hardest nights to stay disciplined, to focus on staying healthy and stick to your local, organic fare and not endorse one night a year when it’s okay for kids to rot their teeth and poison their bodies with sugar and trans fats.

We get hundreds of visitors to our suburban-esque San Francisco hood and once the bell starts ringing, it tends to get frenetic. You can’t spend the evening just bobbing for organic apples but you can make some changes in your holiday routine.

Here are some good tips for staying focused for a  healthier Halloween:

1. Plan ahead pumpkin head!

Eat a really big, healthy dinner around 5 p.m. Give your kids a good dinner, too. Usually they’re too excited to eat, so just threaten them: No green stuff, no brown stuff. Growing up, we always had chili dogs on Halloween, but no one will eat that anymore. A veggie pizza is yummy and filling, and toss a massive salad for yourself and your friends. And don’t forget, many good foods stem from the pumpkins you carve, i.e. delicious and beneficial dried seeds, soups and desserts. Pumpkin is one of the super foods!

2. Pluck fruits of the vine, Frankenstein

Here’s something novel. Buy healthy treats to give away so if you have a few it won’t hurt: Organic fruit snacks, like the new ones from Amy’s,  Fair Trade organic dark chocolate squares, Z-bars. Don’t get carried away and give out toothbrushes, though. Everybody hates neighbors who give out toothbrushes. They deserve to get tee-peed.

3. Keep a Healthy Stash, Monster Mash

Keep a healthy, beat-the-blues treat aside for yourself, such as an organic dark chocolate bar, a bowl of fresh fruit or popcorn. I don’t know who made up the rule that giving away candy means you can’t snack on healthy treats throughout the night. Popcorn is high in fiber and I like to season mine with a bit of Cayenne pepper. Look out!

4. Slurp to your heart’s desire, thirsty vampire

Drink tons of water all night (from your reusable bottle, of course). Keep a water bottle by the front door, and keep sipping. Staying hydrated is a surefire way to keep up your energy throughout this high energy night, and to keep yourself from eating unhealthy foods that will just make you feel lousy in the morning  – you know, that Halloween hangover.

5. Sit on the porch and stay present

This is a great night to interact with neighbors, neighbors we are usually isolated from during the busy work week. Pull up a chair on the front steps with your bowl of healthy giveaways and haunt your old friends. It’s good for the spirit!

Top image: Doug88888

Image One: Organic Authority

The post Halloween Hangover? 5 Tips to Avoid the Scary Stuff and Stay Healthy appeared first on EcoSalon.

From organic cotton garb to reusable serving ware, they have raised the bar in San Francisco this week as more than 1,500 Jewish teen athletes from 40 U.S. cities and four international countries (Mexico, Guatemala, Israel and Canada) compete in the Maccabi Games 2009.

This year, for the first time, organizers introduced a Green Team – a committee chaired by Miriam Gordon, an environmental activist, and games director, Jackie Lewis. Their game plan: a zero-waste event that completely circumvents the dreaded landfill.

Instead of the usual bottled water and other plastic beverage containers supplied to thirsty players, the participants have been issued reusable stainless steel water bottles to be refilled throughout the week of competition.

Garbage cans at every venue, from the polo fields in Golden Gate Park for soccer matches to the ritzy Meadow Club for golf – will be called eco-stations with recycling and composting labels for dispensing with waste.

“It’s a whole new way of doing the event,” Gordon told the Jewish News Weekly, adding that in addition to the reusable bottles, the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (the event sponsor) will serve athletes kosher meals on reusable/compostable plates with reusable utensils.

Apparently, this will also cut down on a huge litter problem on fields and event sites witnessed at past games held throughout the country.

Lewis says it’s not unusual to see water bottles scattered on the ground or thrown in the garbage because the kids are so preoccupied with matches, they aren’t thinking about what they are doing (ahh, yes, those clueless days!).

But greening the event reinforces the message that the kids must learn to be the stewards of the planet and do their part to conserve resources and consume wisely. In other words, be keen green teens!

Other gold medal eco moves:

The transportation company hired to drive the teens uses buses that run on biofuels, posters have been printed on reclaimed cardboard, volunteer tees were made from organic cotton and the food served to athletes will be mostly organic and locally-produced. The organizers also made an effort to produce fewer paper programs and notices, and whatever they did print was double-sided and on post-consumer, recycled products.

Not to miss a beat, even the pins (above) that the San Francisco delegation was issued to trade with other athletes were forged of recycled PVC-plastic.

There’s also an online component that allows spectators and participants to calculate their carbon footprint during the week of games. They can offset the pounds of carbon produced by making a contribution to the Jewish National Fund or the Carbon Fund.

Images: Luanne Bradley

The post Jewish Teen Summer Olympic Games Reach for the Green appeared first on EcoSalon.

Color me hydrated! Yes, these appealing fruit shades enlivening the sleek water bottles are part of KOR Water’s new Thirst for Givingâ„¢  program.

Each color is tied to a different non-profit identified by KOR as part of this environmental mission – and clever marketing campaign.

KOR will donate 1% of annual sales to organizations doing exceptional work related to the causes that KOR supports: ocean and watershed protection, the global water crisis and container recycling.

“KOR’s mission is to celebrate and protect water,” said KOR founder and CEO Eric Barnes.  “The Thirst for Givingâ„¢ Program is our way of bringing more awareness to issues that deeply impact the future of water on our planet.”

The KOR One Hydration Vessel is now available in four shades, each one representing a specific water-related cause: Blue (Ocean Protection); Fuchsia (Global Water Crisis); Green (Watershed Protection); and Orange (Container Recycling).

The Four Non-Profits selected are:

• Ocean Protection: The Algalita Marine Research Foundation
• Global Water Crisis: Blue Planet Run
• Watershed Protection:  The Wetlands Initiative
• Container Recycling: Container Recycling Institute

The Fountain Valley, Calif. company invites retailers to become partners and sell the bottles at their stores. Meantime, you can locate one of the vendors already selling the bottles ($30 at REI) by visiting the KOR Website. If the bottles take off, it could mean helpful dollars for the targeted causes, since the bottles are on the pricey side.

Consumers who have tried the bottle, made of Eastman Tritanâ„¢ copolyester, have found it to be durable with a good grip. Its design includes a hinged lid that can be opened with one hand, which comes in handy for sports like biking, and a soft rubber base with a glasslike clarity for seeing what you are drinking (we are what we drink?). The sleek design won the National Georgraphic Adventure Best of Adventure Gear Award for 2009.

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