Thursday, January 29, 2009

KOR ONE Hydration Vessel

Disposable, throwaway plastic bottles filled with water may be terrible for the environment, but we have to admit that the concept of carrying around water or some other nice potable liquid to stay hydrated actually makes quite a bit of sense.

That's why we're so keen on the KOR ONE Hydration Vessel ($29.95) - a slightly grandiose name for a beautifully designed reusable, portable 750-milliliter bottle.

Made from a new type of plastic called Tritan(TM), the KOR ONE claims to offer greater stability and durability than older generation polycarbonate refillable plastic bottles. Created by the Eastman company, Tritan can also supposedly withstand warm, humid environments better than its predecessors - a trait that allows users to place their KOR ONE in the dishwasher for easy cleaning.

(KOR does not come with an instruction booklet, just a little strip of plastic placed around the bottle with information on proper care and usage. We applaud KOR for not printing up a whole information booklet, but we do wish that the info strip was made of paper - preferably recycled paper - rather than #5 plastic. In any case, one of the bullet points on this informative paper strip points out that KOR should only be washed on the top rack of a dishwasher. Given the 11-inch-plus height of the KOR bottle and the fact that the rack of our beneath-the-sink dishwasher is miniscule, we're resigned to washing the Hydration Vessel by hand. Perhaps that's for the best though, since another point on the information strip tells me that handwashing is recommended.)

Beyond the strength/durability/clarity properties of Tritan, KOR really wants to play up the fact that the Hydration Vessel contains no BPA (bisphenol A), a chemical recently designated a "toxic substance" by Canada and placed on a blacklist by Wal-Mart and other retailers. In September, the Washington Post ran a scary story about BPA being linked to mood disorders and brain function problems in monkeys. While some plastic bottle manufacturers have had to scramble to remove BPA from their formulas, KOR ONE can state that its bottles have been BPA-free from the beginning. (Of course, the tradeoff with using a new plastic is that the Tritan formula may itself have risks that are only discovered years in the future...)

KOR has a nice webpage explaining the eco-benefits of switching from disposable plastic bottles to a reusable bottle like the KOR ONE.

KOR apparently made the decision to manufacture its bottles in North America, both to cut down on the environmental costs of shipping the bottles and in order to work with an ISO-14000 certified factory adhering to strict environmental guidelines. (Update - We had originally reported that KOR ONE was made in the States. Apparently it's actually manufactured in Monterrey, Mexico. Apologies for the error.)

Frankly, we're darn proud of the fact that the KOR ONE Hydration Vessel was designed in the States. The pictures don't convey the full beauty of the KOR ONE bottle, but they give some idea of its sculptural qualities. The bottle's beauty may seem a little frivolous at first, but you realize that it makes sense. KOR wants reusable water bottles to seem stylish and sexy - much more appealing than a boring old disposable bottle. That's why KOR ONE fit in perfectly at a NY fashion show.

We dig the details like the rubber base that lets us plant the bottle securely on a table or countertop. The RKS Design team apparently intended to evoke a glacier - pure water surrounded by ice - with their blue-and-white design. But for us, the KOR ONE simply looks sleek, space-age, sculptural and dramatic. The white edges act as a framing device, while simultaneously serving a protective function and providing an integrated carrying handle.

This bottle deserves to win design awards.

Our only concern? Maybe it's so good-looking that people will be reluctant to use it in the real world where it might get scratched or even swiped...

Where to buy:

Order your KOR ONE ($29.95) online today through the company's own website.

You can also find the KOR ONE (for 5 cents less) through Amazon.com.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Naked Binder

Sometimes the best green products are the ones that strip away all the frippery and bring out the essence of an object.

That's the approach that Naked Binder has taken with its 3-ring binder made from 100% recycled board, which itself contains 97% post-consumer content.

For just $8, you can own what Naked Binder calls perhaps "the greenest, most eco-friendly binder on the planet."

Naked Binder makes some bold claims on the durability of the binder's hinge, supposedly made to last for at least 50,000 flexes.

We can't verify that the product actually lasts through 50,000 flexes (because we have a life, one that does not involve sitting around for days opening and closing a binder), but we can say that the binder seems plenty durable -- certainly more durable than other less eco-friendly binders you might find in a typical office supply store or drugstore.

You can tell that Naked Binder really cares about the materials that go into its products. The company's website has a really nice informational section about the "Not So Raw" materials used in making its binders.

We actually didn't get a chance to sample the bare naked binder. Instead Naked Binder sent us two slightly clothed versions of its basic binder - the Project Binder ($10, naked binder with 100% cotton book-binding cloth covering the spine) and the Wrapped Binder ($10, naked binder covered in 30% post-consumer embossed grey paper and lined with white FSC-certified acid-free book end paper).

IOHO there's something slightly oxymoronic about selling a Wrapped Naked Binder. I mean isn't that like saying that we're all naked under our clothes?

The Naked Binder certainly seems like the eco-friendliest choice, but we recognize that not everyone can walk into an important business meeting carrying such a raw, utilitarian object. The fact is that appearances do matter and that both dressier binders - the Project and Wrapped Binders - offer an impressive blend of style, substance and eco-friendliness at a reasonable price.

We do wish that the Project Binder was wrapped with organic cotton. And we'd love to see the Wrapped Binder use paper on both the outside and inside with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content.

But a critic can always find fault. The bottom line is that all the Naked Binders are praiseworthy - even beautiful - products.

Where to buy:

At this time, Naked Binders are available exclusively online through the Naked Binder website.


Congratulations to 1GreenProduct.com Embrace Only Love Sweepstakes winner #1 - Joanna from Rochester, New York.

We're still waiting to hear back from the #2 winner of the Embrace Only Love Sweepstakes. Per the contest rules, he/she has another few weeks to respond before we hold another prize drawing to choose an alternate winner.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Dallas Eco-Travel Report + Embrace Only Love Sweepstakes

Dallas, Texas may not spring to mind as the Greenest city in the world. This sprawling Metroplex covers nearly 10,000 square miles - more than the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined!

And yet one goal of 1GreenProduct.com is to highlight the green choices that exist in any city.

For example, depending on the business or pleasure you have to conduct in Dallas, you may be able to ditch your car and largely skip the freeway network by riding the buses and light rail trains of DART - Dallas Area Rapid Transit. DART has ambitious plans to expand its current two-line light rail network (Red and Blue) by a new Green line that should cover more than 27-miles of track by 2010. An Orangle line is also slated to be fully operational along 14 miles of track by 2013, weaving the important DFW Airport into the network.

We tried riding the rails one day and found it to be a mixed bag. Heading from our northern hotel to the southern Zoo one weekday morning was relatively easy (although we had to stand for about half the trip), but the return trip north was absolutely jam-packed around 4 p.m. We managed to squeeze aboard, but heard that some other riders had been waiting for 20-40 minutes for a train with space to get on board.

Part of the problem is that the trains are quite short. All the ones we saw had only two cars - not much bigger than an articulated bus. The stations are built well enough to accommodate much longer trains. In our view, DART definitely needs more passenger capacity to provide a reasonably comfortable eco-friendly alternative to auto transport in the Dallas region. The trains either need to be longer or they need to run more frequently. (Trains currently come every 20 minutes during most of the day, more often during rush hours.)

I did hear from DART representatives that three-car trains are used on the Red Line during rush hours. So perhaps it was my misfortune to get on the last two-car train before rush hour? Apparently some trains on the Blue Line can also operate with extended cars. DART says that some stations cannot accommodate longer trains (beyond three regular cars or two extended cars), but that plans are in the works to lengthen stations in the future. The Green Line platforms will apparently all be long enough to accommodate extended trains.

My experience with DART has caused me to wonder about the real viability of light rail in this country. While urban rail travel clearly makes sense in places like New York, Chicago, Boston and D.C. where the systems are heavily utilized, I wonder whether a lightly utilized rail system can ever make up its construction and operating costs.

Also, in a city as spread out as Dallas with a massive freeway network, it will generally be much faster for people with cars to use their automobiles rather than trying to take trains and then buses or walk to their final destinations. According to Google Maps, trips that would take 20-30 minutes by car could take two or three times that long by rail.

But if light rail is not always the answer, what makes more sense in cities like Dallas? Part of the answer is probably to encourage denser development. Dallas seems to be taking some steps along this path with more condo developments downtown, but people specifically move to places like Dallas in order to enjoy the privacy and space benefits of a single-family home.

So perhaps another piece of the answer is to adopt a dual-pronged approach of developing a more robust bus system - a Bus Rapid Transit system - and an extensive off-road or shared-road system of bike lanes, bike paths and bikeways. It is true that the large distances involved in intra-Dallas travel would still deter residents and visitors from attempting to cycle to their destinations, but the use of electric bikes could make such commutes both easier and more enjoyable. (DART says that it has plans to develop BRT-like Enhanced Bus services as part of its 2030 Transit System Plan.)

Request for Comments -- What makes most sense to you as an eco-friendly alternative to the automobile - light rail, bike paths and/or BRT (Bus Rapid Transit)? Or is the auto here to stay and should we focus our efforts as consumers on encouraging adoption of hybrids, electric cars and other low/no emission vehicles?

Speaking of bikes, Dallas does have some good options for recreational cycling. Richardson Bike Mart (Dallas location) at the edge of White Rock park provides easy access to an approximately 10-mile long bike loop around White Rock Lake. It's a beautiful ride and relatively uncrowded if you go during mid-afternoon on a weekday like we did. (The fellow who rented us our bike at the Bike Mart did however advise us to finish with our ride and be out of the park before dark for safety reasons.)

From a lodging standpoint, Dallas has several interesting green options. We first stayed up in the northern suburb of Plano at the relatively new NYLO Plano at Legacy. If you're looking for something edgy and modern, NYLO is the place for you. You'll find Guest Lofts with polished concrete walls, concrete floors, 11-foot ceilings. The Loft Bar was recently voted one of the best in the region by D Magazine.

What makes NYLO eco-friendly? The hotel says it gets half its energy from wind power and tracks its energy consumption through Web-based software. We like the fact that NYLO tries to provide good air quality for its guests. The whole hotel is smoke-free and some PURE rooms get additional anti-allergen treatments and air purification.

Meanwhile, NYLO has taken some nice little eco-friendly steps like using recycling paper for its guest room desk pads. The hotel's exclusive line of biodegradable, DEA-free and paraben-free bath-and-body products are packaged in recycled bottles.

(For the privacy conscious, I should mention that the 'bathroom' in our NYLO Plano room was not entirely enclosed at the top. The shower was made of a curved opaque glass wall, while the 'door' was a heavy sliding metal panel. It all looked pretty cool, but did not completely block out the sights or sounds that one might wish to block out while being in the bathroom.)

NYLO rates start at less than $200/night and include free Internet (wi-fi or wired) and free phone calls.

If you prefer to stay closer to the heart of Dallas, two of the finer hotels in Dallas have some interesting Green options.

We spent two nights at the Fairmont Dallas, which just completed a $14 million dollar renovation last year. As part of the renovations, the hotel has switched many of its light bulbs to compact fluorescent and used bamboo flooring in its upgraded "Fairmont Gold" rooms.

But what really caught our attention at the Fairmont was the organic herb and vegetable garden that Executive Chef JW Foster has planted on the hotel's roof terrace. In his garden, Foster and his team cultivate a wide range of plants including heirloom tomatoes, habanero peppers, zucchini, watermelon and numerous varieties of rosemary, basicl, thyme, sage, mint and more. (I didn't even know there was such a thing as Pineapple Mint before researching the Fairmont Dallas garden.)

Guests wandering around the pool area can enjoy the beauty of the garden, but it's really intended to provide ingredients for the delicious dishes that Foster whips up in the hotel's Pyramid restaurant. Practically every option on the menu contains at least something from the garden - the thyme finds its way into the cornbread crust of Foster's Canadian Lobster Mac & Cheese, while tomatoes, basil and fennel all end up in the Panko Crusted Eggplant.

Foster also teaches cooking classes incorporating herbs and veggies from the garden, or guests can even sign up for special packages to help with planting and harvesting the garden in season.

Already, the Fairmont says its garden is the largest hotel or restaurant garden in North Texas - nearly 2,000 square feet of space with more than 1,800 plants. But Foster has plans to expand the garden further. He hopes to take over some space that's currently used just for ornamental planting - perhaps to plant some grapefruit or lemon trees.

Rooms at the Fairmont typically start at less than $300/night. The Fairmont shows its love to eco-minded guests by waiving the parking fees on hybrid cars.

Meanwhile, if you can dine organically at the Fairmont, you can receive organic body treatments at the newly revitalized Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa. A landmark in its Dallas neighborhood ever since its opening in 1923, the 11-story Stoneleigh was once the tallest hotel west of the Mississippi River. Its guest list includes Frank Lloyd Wright, Lauren Bacall, Jack Benny, Judy Garland, Bob Hope and newer luminaries such as Tom Cruise, Paul Simon and LeAnn Rimes.

Recently refreshed by a $36 million renovation (far more than the original $1.5 million 1923 construction costs), the Stoneleigh welcomes guests in style. The old bones of the hotel give it a classic grace, but new touches like complimentary wi-fi Internet access and high-definition flat-panel TVs provide cutting edge comfort. We really liked the classy room furnishings selected by Deborah Forrest of Dallas-based Forrest Perkins Design. The Stoneleigh's Hotel Bar - Bolla Bar - was also featured in D Magazine as a top city bar.

Like many eco-minded hotels, the Stoneleigh gives guests the option of reusing linens and towels during their stay (thus saving the energy and water normally associated with washing linens and towels daily). Motion-sensitive thermostats minimize energy spent on healing and cooling when guests are not in the rooms.

You'll find the eco attractions at the Stoneleigh down in the spa, where some of the treatments feature handmade organic Eminence products from Hungary. According to the Eminence website, the ingredients in its body products are not only organic, but also produced using 100% wind energy.

I had a chance to experience an Eminence blueberry body wrap. It was my first wrap spa treatment and I was a bit nervous, but the exfoliation, scrub and subsequent wrap in a giant piece of foil left me feeling happily like a steamed blueberry muffin. The Stoneleigh therapist also did an excellent job working out the tension in my neck caused by a week of Dallas driving.

Rooms at the Stoneleigh start around $300/night.

For more information or help planning a trip to Dallas, check out the Visit Dallas website from the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Embrace Only Love Sweepstakes is now complete. We have chosen two winners using a random number generator and will announce the winners in a subsequent post as soon as they reply and give us permission to use their names. Thanks to all who participated. Remember, as long as you remain an active 1GreenProduct.com subscriber, you'll automatically have a chance to win all subsequent 1GreenProduct.com sweepstakes! Have a great Green day...



Thursday, January 15, 2009

Embrace Only Love

Actions based in love result in love.

That's the heartwarming message behind the new Embrace Only Love eco-friendly clothing line.

Embrace Only Love makes its graphic t-shirts and hoodies out of materials such as hemp, bamboo and organic cotton -- and does a nice job explaining the eco-benefits of each type of fabric.

Founder Kheng Chow got the idea to start Embrace Only Love after completing a ten-day silent meditation course, so it's no surprise she's decided to donate 7% of all profits toward helping others attend free Vipassana meditation courses.

We had a chance to review two products first-hand. The men's organic cotton t-shirt is light and comfy, well-made and nicely fitted. We liked the design and the "Find Your Center" message ($26.90). (Would our center be our belly button?)

We also had a chance to check out a women's limited-edition "Attain Peace Through Balance" long-sleeve hooded t-shirt made from ecoKashmere - 70% Bamboo, 25% Organic Cotton and 5% Lycra ($36.90). The shirt really is nice and versatile - light, warm, stylish, durable, machine-washable and so forth. (Frankly, we'd prefer not to see any of the synthetic lycra in the product. Sure, it adds a bit of sexy clinginess and helps the garment keep its shape, but we'd rather have an all-natural shirt...)

The hemp t-shirts - like this "Respect Your Place in Nature" version - are made of a 55% hemp, 45% organic cotton blend. We didn't get a chance to try one of these in person, but based on our experience with a similar mix of fabrics in a Royal Robbins shirt, we're confident that the hemp and organic cotton blend will deliver a nice mix of strength (hemp) and softness (organic cotton).

One thing that's interesting about Embrace Only Love is that the company tries to make its sourcing a bit transparent. So you can learn on the website that the hemp/organic cotton t-shirts are supplied by Hemp Traders. The ecoKashmere(R) products (not just the women's hoodies, but also the men's long-sleeve t-shirts) come from JonanoContinental Clothing Company makes organic cotton t-shirts for men and women.

We're not sure if the transparency is good for Embrace Only Love's brand strength, but we like the fact that the company has apparently partnered with some really nice ethical and high-quality suppliers.

Of course, the suppliers only provide the 'canvas'. Embrace Only Love comes up with the designs and the messages, and then turns to Spreadshirt.com to hand-print its shirts using water-based inks.

Where to buy:

Order your clothing directly through Embrace Only Love's website. Since fabric content varies for each item of clothing, be sure to check carefully to make sure you're getting organic cotton, bamboo, hemp or whatever else you want. Be aware that the totes do not seem to be made from organic material.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Royal Robbins Hemp Shirts

Comfortable, casual, perfect for climbing or other outdoor adventures - that's Royal Robbins clothing in a nutshell.

A supporter of various environmental causes, Royal Robbins has recently developed a line of eco-friendly Flynn shirts for men that combines hemp (55%) and organic cotton (45%) into a light but sturdy knit shirt.

The shirts are available in four styles:
- Short-sleeve Crew (we'd call it a t-shirt) for $26
- Short-sleeve Polo on sale for $23.40
- Long-sleeve Crew for $32 and
- Long-sleeve Turtleneck on sale for $24.50

Hemp and organic cotton both have their eco-benefits. Hemp is strong - three times stronger than cotton, according to Eartheasy.com. Organic cotton is soft. Both are grown without the use of synthetic herbicides and pesticides.

Some people think hemp on its own feels too rough on the skin, but mix it with organic cotton and you get a lightweight shirt that still provides a nice level of base warmth and feels pleasantly textured but not irritating in the least.

The long-sleeve crew shirt we tested came with such a rich orange-red color that we were a bit afraid the shirt had been overdyed and might bleed colors into the rest of our wash. Enjoying life on the ragged edge of disaster, we nonetheless washed the Royal Robbins crew with the rest of our laundry.

Sacre bleu! The shirt came through with flying (and unbled) colors. In other words, the color didn't fade or bleed at all. In fact, the shirt continues to look good after multiple washings in our apartment building's industrial-strength, clothes-mangling washers and dryers.

According to Royal Robbins (and Eartheasy.com), hemp is naturally anti-microbial and resistant to UV damage, which makes the Flynn shirts great for outdoor, sweaty activities like biking, hiking or pogo-stick riding. To each his or her own.

A Royal Robbins representative (say that three times fast) also says that hemp fibers are naturally long, which makes it easy to spin hemp into clothing with only a minimal amount of processing required.

Where to buy:

Purchase any of the Flynn shirts online through the Royal Robbins website or use the Dealer Locator to find a retailer near you.

You may also be able to find the shirts for sale on other websites like REI.com.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

ecosource Home and Garden

According to its founders, ecosource Home and Garden aims to make products that are:
  • cheap
  • fun to buy
  • don't feel like a sacrifice
  • better for the planet

Looks like ecosource hit all the bases with its new line of grēnware(TM) tableware, bowls and plates made primarily with plant cellulose - mostly rice hulls and coconut fiber. Instead of using artificial dyes or paints, grēnware simply offers the natural earth tones of the plants from which it was made.

What you end up with is one of the coolest collections of Green kitchen products that we've seen thus far. On one hand, grēnware is pretty tough. We like the samples too much to drop them from a great height, but we experimented dropping them from 1-2 feet into the sink and onto the countertop. Not a scratch.

In fact, any guests who didn't know the grēnware secret might think that your plates and dishes were made out of yucky plastic.

The dark Cocoa colored plates in particular almost have the lightness and smoothness of old-fashioned melamine...only without all the associated toxicity. The lighter Natural colored plates and bowls definitely seem a little rougher and more obviously "eco". Personally we like both styles - Cocoa is dressier and fancier, Natural seems better suited for breakfasts or casual meals.

ecosource doesn't call grēnware shatterproof, but it's certainly sturdy enough that I agree with the company's suggestion to use grēnware outdoors at pool parties or picnics. If your grēnware does chip or break at a picnic, you don't even really have to worry about picking up the pieces -- ecosource says that grēnware is designed to biodegrade in as little as four months. (Again, we didn't have a chance to test this claim, but if any readers want to plant a bowl in their backyard and leave us a comment in May, we'll definitely post it!)

You can't put grēnware in the microwave or the oven, but ecosource does say that the product is dishwasher-safe. We tested this claim and found that grēnware came through the dishwasher just fine -- although ecosource does say that regular dishwasher use may shorten the product's intended five-year lifespan. (The company therefore recommends handwashing.)

We're sort of head-over-heels this product, but that doesn't mean that we're blindfolded to any potential faults. We'll start with the little stuff -

1) Change the label! Our grēnware tableware samples came with a little barcoded sticker on the bottom that proved almost impossible to remove without leaving behind a sticky, gluey mess. Surely it must be possible to use an easier-to-remove label that still sticks when it needs to? We felt super-guilty at using so much water just trying to get off all that glue residue.

2) Made in China. We generally prefer to buy U.S. products both to support local industry and to avoid the environmental transport costs of importing something from literally halfway around the world. On the other hand, perhaps China has more of the raw materials (rice hulls certainly, not sure about the coconut fibers) than we do, and so therefore perhaps it really does make sense to make grēnware over there...

3) Replace the tableware every five years? This is really our only misgiving - the flip-side of designing a product that decomposes easily is that it probably won't be the most durable thing ever. ecosource notes that you don't need to feel guilty about throwing grēnware away since the product decomposes so quickly, but it still seems a little profligate to buy new place settings twice every decade. We've had the same set of post-collegiate dishes for nearly a decade with plans to keep using them until they get chipped into oblivion. Of course, accidents and rough handling do eventually damage most dishes to the point where you need to get a new set, but we still think that most conventional dishes will last longer than grēnware - unless you're a real klutz.

In summary, if you're looking for some versatile, eco-friendly and beautiful tableware, grēnware rules. If you crave variety in your life and like to change your place settings every 3-5 years, grēnware could be just the ticket.

If on the other hand, you believe the most eco-friendly choice is to buy one set of plates that will last for eons, then you may want to give grēnware a pass.

But even so, definitely take a look at some of the other ecosource products, particularly greenPots - strong, incredibly lightweight planters and pots pre-drilled for drainage. Made from grain byproducts (rice hulls again), ecosource says that these weather-resistant pots contain neither wood nor petroleum, deplete no natural resources and can decompose or be composted at the end of their useful lives.

We don't have a ton of gardening experience, but from what we do know, many pots won't survive all that long outdoors anyway, particularly if they get knocked over by high winds or rampaging squirrels. It's nice to know that when your planter gets cracked, you can simply bury the pieces and that they'll harmlessly go back to the earth. Or if you've been nurturing a plant indoors and are ready to plant it in the ground, you could just break up the pot (to free the roots) and then put the whole shebang in the hole.

Pretty awesome.

Where to buy:

Use the ecosource website to find a retailer near you. (The list is ordered alphabetically within each state, but we'd love to see a tool that would let you search by zip code and then map out the closest retailers. Just a suggestion...) Unfortunately, at this time, it does not appear that either grēnware or greenPots are available for purchase online.