Here are some Tidbits of information on a variety of interesting eco-friendly products...1) The North Face has introduced two new sleeping bags made from 100% post-consumer recycled materials - Re Meow (available for around $200 through Backcountry.com) and the Green Kazoo, available for $279-289 direct from The North Face.
2) More eco-friendly camping gear courtesy of Big Agnes, which won a Green gear of the year award from Backpacker Magazine for the Salt Creek 2, its 100% recycled polyester tent.
3) There's a lot of waste and inefficiency in the world. Bookins tries to reduce the waste by matching people who have stuff (books, DVDS) they don't want with folks who happen to want that exact same stuff. Pay a flat rate ($4.49) for shipping, keep the items you get or swap them onward. There's a points system involved, so presumably you have to be willing to give (i.e. get rid of the things you don't want) in order to get something you do want. Remember that "reuse" is a big part of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" triumverate.
4) Much of modern culture is literally disposable. It's designed to break quickly so you'll buy another one. Good for sales maybe, but not good for the planet. In the old days, items were made to last years, decades, a lifetime, maybe even generations. (This level of craftsmanship is reportedly being resuscitated in the UK by a brand called Howies'...) Here in the USA, you can find the same durable and sensible design in an unlikely product - a nose-hair clipper. Before you scoff, consider the fact that grooming is a basic animal instinct. The Groom Mate Platinum XL (a top-seller at Amazon.com) is not in fact made of platinum, but rather stainless steel, a nicely recyclable material. Unlike some nose hair trimmers, the Groom Mate is human-powered and requires no batteries. It's simple, yet elegant design slices nose hairs safely and comfortably. Should the product ever fail, Groom Mate provides a lifetime warranty. Good design sometimes goes a long way toward making a product Green.
5) You know, lots of people have a bad attitude. (They should learn from Hobbes who when pressed to adopt an attitude by Calvin suggested that "courteously deferential" might be a good attitude to have.) Another good attitude is respect for the planet and the creatures that live here, as embodied by ATTITUDE(R) cleaning products from the Canadian company Bio-Spectra. ATTITUDE's hand soap, laundry detergent, surface cleaners and dish soap are all labeled biodegradable, non-toxic and environmentally-friendly. There's lots to like about ATTITUDE, including the packaging (which includes charming photos of penguins, koalas and other cute critters). But more importantly, the packages carry the Canadian Ecologo. The laundry detergent also happens to be formulated for cold-water -- another feature that's good for the planet and for your energy bill. Oh and the essential oils like tangerine and ylang-yland used to scent the products smell great (although you can generally opt for fragrance-free formulations too). Look for ATTITUDE cleaners online at Amazon.com or offline at Whole Foods.
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