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.