The Best Green Products of 2009

Welcome to the second annual 1GreenProduct.com roundup of my favorite Green products I had a chance to review in 2009:

Cut on recycled cardboard? You betcha.

1. Epicurean Cutting Boards, particularly those made from recycled cardboard.

2. Sylvania Living Spaces CFL bulbs. Affordable bulbs offering the usual CFL energy savings with better-quality light. What's not to like?

3. prAna's tough but lightweight men's Sutra Pant, woven from a combination of hemp and recycled PET. I have a feeling these pants will last for a long time. I'm pretty impressed with prAna's total clothing line, which incorporates lots of bamboo, hemp and recycled fabric while using quality workmanship and cool designs.

4. Green Pieces affordable, biodegradable puzzles made from recycled paper and implanted with wildflower seeds. Great idea!

5. It wasn't specifically marketed as a 'green product', but after six months of use I'm still super-impressed with the performance, size and especially the energy efficiency of my new desktop PC, the Compaq Presario CQ2009F. Of course, it was so affordable and efficient that Compaq discontinued it (grrrr...) but you can probably find similarly small and efficient PCs from various manufacturers now. If you've been using an older PC and you upgrade to one of these mini desktop machines, you could your computing energy usage by 60-70 percent!

The incredibly efficient GeoBulb-II is now much more affordable.

6. The incredibly energy-efficient GeoBulb-II LED light bulb. Using just 7.5 watts of electricity, the cool white version of the bulb is designed to deliver as much illumination as a 60-watt incandescent bulb. Note that the price of this bulb has dropped by 50% in just five months since I first reviewed this product. It's now somewhat more affordable at $49.95. Meanwhile, the next generation GeoBulb-3 has hit the shelves, costing $99.95, but apparently using a tiny bit less energy (7 watts) to deliver more luminosity and last nearly twice as long (50,000 hours)!

7. A2B Electric Two-Wheeler. I rode several electric bikes in 2009. If price were no object, this is the one that I would buy. It was the most fun, the best-looking and offered the most comfortable ride. (If you look around a little, it seems like some dealers are now offering the A2B for a few hundred dollars under MSRP - i.e. around $2500.)

8. Reynolds Wrap 100% Recycled Aluminum Foil - works just as well as the non-recycled kind, but requires much less energy to produce and keeps trash out of landfills. Brilliant.

9. Soft, comfortable, durable and eco-friendly bamboo clothing from Ivee. For yoga, fitness or just lounging around, Ivee Bamboo Clothing has got you covered.

10. Dr. Oetker Organic Muffin Mix and If You Care unbleached baking cups. A muffin mix on the top 10 list? Oh yeah, these are some tasty eco-friendly muffins :)
And that's all folks for 2009. Have a very merry holiday season and a wonderful New Year's celebration. I'll do my best to bring you reviews of lots more exciting Green products in 2010.

Meanwhile, if you have any suggestions for making this site better, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I welcome your ideas for making 1GreenProduct.com even better in the year ahead.

Thank you for reading and for caring.

- Aaron Dalton, Editor, 1GreenProduct.com

prAna Clothing

We have to give major props to prAna for doing a fantastic job of making practically its entire line of women's clothing eco-friendly.

You've got the Women's Chakara collection made from Chakara(TM) fabric, a brand new type of recycled polyester fabric that prAna claims involves less than a quarter of the CO2 production of other processing methods. Chakara fabrics also contain a dollop of Spandex, allowing the clothes to keep their shape for a long time.

Thanks to the Women's Organic collection, ladies can choose from an array of versatile tops and pants (including denim capri, $70), many with 98% - 100% organic cotton content.

The Women's Mahdia collection also uses organic cotton, this time tie-dyed using an eco-sensitive hands-on process with low-impact dyes and steam-set colors (minimizing water usage). The intricate patterns and the 90% organic cotton content make this collection a winner.

prAna may have focused most of its eco-attention on Greening its womenswear collection, but men aren't left completely out of the picture. Check out the casual, breezy and flexible Men's Sutra pant ($64) made mostly from a light but sturdy combination of hemp and recycled PET.

Where to buy:

Order directly through prAna's website (ladies tops from around $28, pants from around $65) or via other etailers like Amazon.com.

Prefer to try on before you buy? prAna's Dealer Locator page can help you find stores worldwide that carry prAna products.

Envirosax and Rebagz Review

For those of you who already have a reusable shopping bag, you know one of the biggest challenges is remembering to take it with you to the store.

(Another challenge is washing the bag after you use it to carry home fish from the seafood counter...)

That's one reason we like the bag selection from Envirosax. Available in a mind-boggling selection of styles and colors, the bags in Envirosax Graphics Series weigh just 1.4 ounces each and are designed to carry to 44 lbs. (That's a lot of tomatoes - or whatever other groceries you need to carry home...).

As you might expect from a bag that's so light, the Envirosax bags can also be folded into an extremely small bundle and then secured with the integrated snap strap (sort of like the closure mechanism on a portable umbrella). Since they're made out of polyester, the Envirosax Graphics bags are waterproof with reinforced seams for durability.

We have to admit that the idea of buying polyester bags does give us pause since polyester is basically a petroleum-based plastic, but an Envirosax rep that we spoke with gave us a persuasive explanation of polyester's benefits - light, waterproof, compressable, durable, etc.

The point is that Envirosax Graphics bags should ideally last for years and allow you to skip hundreds or maybe thousands of disposable plastic bags, thus abrogating the need for the petroleum products that would have made those disposable bags and keeping the disposable bags out of the wastestream. Durability and longevity should be important considerations in the mind of any Green shopper trying to move beyond disposable consumer culture.

If you'd rather buy a bag made out of natural materials, Envirosax can accommodate you with its Organic Series of bags made from bamboo, linen or hemp.

(By the way, did you know that linen came from the stem of the flax plant? I had no idea.)

Be warned that the Organic Series bags are not quite as compressable, but they do come with a handy little carry sac. They also weigh a tiny bit more (2.14 ounces) and are designed to carry only 22 lbs.

Which bag is best for you? The Graphics bags are so tiny and light that they can be slipped into a pocket or purse as part of an everyday routine. I have a feeling that the waterproof quality and durability of the Graphics bags also gives them an advantage.

On the other hand, the biodegradability and natural cultivation of the bamboo Organics bags makes them appealing too. Well, whichever one you choose, you'll know that you're making an eco-friendlier choice than using and disposing of dozens or hundreds of throwaway plastic bags.

FYI, Australia-based Envirosax supports several charities, including the Surfrider Foundation that seeks to protect oceans and beaches.

* * * *

Meanwhile, on the fashion front, we're pleased to highlight a beautiful series of Rebagz totes produced by a progressive company called Half the Sky Designs (R).

Rebagz makes handbags, totes, messenger bags and more in the Philippines from two types of recycled materials - woven juice packs (like the Nahui Ollin products we featured last year) and rice sacks.

The juice packs are cool, but since we'd seen that before, we were honestly most excited about the use of rice sacks. We love companies that figure out a way to take something that would ordinarily become trash and turn it into treasure.

Back on the question of durability, the rice sacks material seems incredibly tough -- after all, these rice sacks once had to safely hold 50-100 lbs worth of rice! You don't have to worry about spilling something on these bags either because you can just clean them with a damp sponge.

Build quality on the Rebagz Magnolia Clinchy Tote ($95) we sampled seems excellent, with super sturdy handles, solid stitching, smooth zippers and several nice pockets on the inside. We have every confidence that this bag would last one heck of a long time. Plus, the beautiful image on the outside is a surefire conversation starter.

The designs on the bags are so beautiful that we had a hard time choosing our favorite among the Magnolia, the Lion, Golden Fortune or the limited edition Stallion.

Just as beautiful is the fact that Half the Sky Designs says it is "committed to working only with people who are paid and treated fairly." Founder M

arty Stevens-Heebner personally visits the company's manufacturing facilities in the Philippines, where the company asserts that workers are paid "a really decent wage".

Where to buy:

Order the Envirosax of your choice from the company's website. Choose from bags in the Graphics Series ($8.50 each or a 5-pack for $37.95) or Organic Series ($24.95 each). Activate eco-thinking in young whippersnappers with the suitably silly (but still light and sturdy) Kids Series ($8.50).

You can order Rebagz directly through the company's own online store. You'll find bags made from artistic rice sacks in various categories including laptop carriers ($145), wallets ($45), runaway backpack ($75), messenger bags ($72) and cinchy totes ($95).

Prefer to try before you buy? Use the Store Locator to find a Rebagz retailer near you in the U.S., Canada, Costa Rica or Panama.

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 Jonano. Continental 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.

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.

Fall Fashion Week - earth creations(R)

Most of the time, we wash clothing to get rid of dirt.

But Martin Ledvina and Joy Maples, the founders of earth creations (R), discovered that dirt - particularly red clay - could actually be added to clothing to create beautiful designs.

Martin and Joy have built a business out of creating comfy and eco-friendly clothes for men, women and children using natural clay dyes.

We don't want to pigeonhole earth creations, but we think the style could be described as modern hippy chic. In other words, you'll find lots of earth tones (not surprising, really, since the colors come from the earth) and plenty of loose-fitting clothing that drapes and hangs to flattering effect.

The clothes are built from earth-friendly, sustainable fibers such as industrial hemp, organic cotton and bamboo. Most garments are sewn inside earth creations' own factory in Alabama, where the company says employees are paid a fair wage and enjoy a clean, safe working environment.

According to this history of dyeing, modern synthetic dyes date only to 1856. Before that, humanity made art and fashion using dyes and paints made from natural materials - clays, berries, pounded mollusk shells, indigo plants, charcoal and so forth.

By returning to the artistic traditions at the roots of mankind, earth creations has given us beautiful clothing that is both natural and biodegradable, meaning that the clothes will not have any harmful impact on the world we leave for human generations to come.

Where to buy:

You can buy earth creations clothing through the company's own online store (where you can sometimes find sales like the hemp and organic cotton Criss Cross Top marked down from $49 to $15) or at other Internet retailers.

Want to see which shade of clay looks best against your skin before you buy? Use the Store Finder to find a local retailer near you.