How cool is this use it up soap deal? Very cool. Learn more at Treehugger.

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However, if you’re planning a large gathering for Memorial Day, and you’re going to use disposables, consider EarthShell — available at many stores, including Wal-Mart. I saw them at my local grocery store as well.

Why EarthShell? The plates are made from renewable ingredients like potatoes, corn and limestone. What’s natural becomes natural again! In other words, they biodegrade. And that’s much better than a styrofoam plate that will still be in the landfill long after your time. Plus, trees will breathe a little sigh of relief if you don’t choose paper.

According to EarthShell.com, the plates are microwave-safe, cut-resistant and soak-proof. Visit EarthShell to learn more and find a location to purchase plates near you.

Have you tried these plates?

Image via EarthShell.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in May 2008

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I keep seeing ads for Mythic paint in art magazines, which I’m prone to wander through. So, I decided to check it out some more. Plus, their marketing group was kind enough to give us some info on the paint as well.

Here’s what makes Mythic paint different. It’s . . .

The only high-performance paint available with zero VOCs, zero toxins and very low odor

Free of the yucky new paint smell

Not required to carry a government warning label

Safe for people, pets and the environment

The result of more than six years of intensive polymer research

Independently tested to outperform all other premium paint lines in the scrub test, an industry gold standard for paint performance

Available in 1,232 colors (in both interior and exterior finishes) and can be matched to any competitor color

Learn more about Mythic paint by visiting their frequently asked questions.

Image via Mythic paint.

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I loaded my dishes as normal, put the phosphate and chlorine-free detergent in the regular wash cycle compartment, and left the pre-rinse compartment empty. According to Seventh Generation, using too much detergent for the hardness of your water may cause a harmless film on clean dishes.

After waiting an impatient hour or so for the cycle to finish, I opened my dishwasher to a load full of very clean and fresh dishes. No film, no food left on dishes. No complaints.

Well, I have to find something to complain about, don’t I?

It’s great that this detergent is chlorine and phosphate free. And the packaging is made from 100% recycled paper (minimum 40% post-consumer). Plus, the product isn’t tested on animals. And my favorite — they disclose ALL ingredients. However, it isn’t completely biodegradable.

Why not? Here’s the explanation from Seventh Generation’s FAQs:

Why have you taken the words Natural and Biodegradable off the Automatic Dish Powder package?

There were two ingredients in our Auto Dish Powder that we discovered were not natural. One was a petroleum-based surfactant; and the other a non-toxic polymer. After we printed new packaging stating that this product was natural and biodegradable, we learned that the non-toxic polymer had not been replaced by a natural ingredient. We also learned that this non-toxic polymer is not readily biodegradable. Therefore, we choose to remove these claims, since they were not authentic to our product.

Once we have replaced the polymer in question with totally natural, biodegradable qualities that meet our performance standards, as well as our health and environmental standards, we will readjust our claims on the packaging.

We apologize for the confusion.

Well, at least they’re honest about it. And they’re trying to fix it.

I must add that I love the free and clear (of perfumes and dyes) option. I enjoyed having no scent wafting out of the dishwasher when I opened it up. There are just too many scented products out there: shampoo, shaving lotion, hand soap, deodorant, lotion — pretty much anything! My nose can’t take it all.

What would I change about this product? Besides making it completely biodegradable, not much. Frankly though, I’m not a fan of powders. Next time I will try the gel. I tend to spill powder too easily, but the packaging does have a handy metal spout on the side. Overall, I am very happy with this product and will use it again. But I do hope to find the gel next time. You can go here to see Where To Buy.

If you’d like to try this product, go to Seventh Generation to download a coupon. If you’ve already tried it, please tell us what you thought.

UPDATE: Please visit my updated post on this product. I’m addressing a few issues I ran into after using this product several more times.

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CleanWell seems to care about making products naturally and kid-safe. They sent me their hand wash and hand sanitizer spray to try out. By the way, CleanWell is available at Target, but you can also order online.

So, I’ll make this easy. I’ll tell you what I liked, then what I’d change if I could. But please click over to read the rest of this review. I don’t want you to miss the really nice hand sanitizing spray.

All-Natural Antibacterial Hand Wash (foaming)

What I liked:

•Rinses easily and leaves hands feeling clean
•Has all-natural ingredients, including the fragrance
•Certified cruelty-free
•Biodegradable and paraben-free
•Uses sustainable ingredients, including thyme
•The bottle is made of an easily recycled plastic
•You can peel off the label and have a nice, colorful dispenser like above

What I would change:

•Make an unscented version

(Nothing about the Orange Vanilla scent I tried was offensive. It reminded me of an orange cream soda. So, probably a kid would like it. However, I don’t particularly like to have a scent linger on my hands, no matter how yummy. I found the Orange Vanilla scent at my local Target, but didn’t see the two other scents they offer: Lavender Absolute and Ginger Bergamot.)

•Make the container refillable (Offer a larger refill size)

(I usually buy a large container of hand soap and refill my soap container. This is more earth-friendly than buying a new bottle each time. I’ve never seen refills for foaming hand soaps, so it may not be possible.)

Now, for my favorite — the hand sanitizing spray.

All-Natural Hand Sanitizer

What I liked:

•You can spray it instead of pouring/spilling gooey gel all over your hands
•Impossible to spill and you get more uses out of it than gel
•I love the flip top
•Hands feel clean instead of sticky like with some leading brands
•Has a nice citrus scent
•You can really tell it doesn’t have alcohol (It feels much nicer on the hands than some leading brands.)
•The spray is probably more convenient to use with kids since they won’t have to rub their hands together to make it work
•And many of the same things I said about the hand wash — naturally antibacterial, cruelty-free, use of sustainable ingredients and biodegradable with a recyclable container

What I would change:

•Not much at all

(The scent didn’t seem to linger like with the hand soap, but husband Michael still noticed it. I think he’s a super-smeller. So, maybe make an unscented version?)

Just a note to parents — they also make hand sanitizing wipes (which I also tried). I can see these being useful for big messes when kids can’t wash. Also, probably great for long road trips, but overall I can’t see using them on a daily basis. I guess the thing I’d change about them is the packaging. Each wipe is individually wrapped, so there’s a lot of packaging involved.

And in case you’re wondering what in the world Ingenium is (on the label over there) — it’s a patented formula of essential plant oils that are proven to zap 99.99 percent of harmful germs. I guess they had to give it a cool name since they don’t want to reveal the formula.

So there you go — natural and green and kid-friendly hand cleaning products you can find at Target. I will probably buy the refreshing hand sanitizing spray. I think I might be hooked on it.

Don’t forget about our contests going on right now — win some BabyBam Collection or Envirosax reusable shopping bags for kids!

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Her post reminded me of the Used for the New Year post I did as a guest blogger here just after Christmas. Soon, it will be garage-sale season, but it’s always thrift-store season.

I encourage you to try shopping used. It might take some looking around just a bit, but the gift recipient will likely be more impressed with a well thought out vintage gift than with a shiny new gadget from electric warehouse. And you can always shop for yourself as well.

If you’ve found something really fly that’s used lately, I would love to hear about it.

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But, there are greener options. I didn’t really know about hemp filters when I bought my permanent coffee filter.

Available at several places online, including Hemp Sisters or amazon, hemp coffee filters are natural and more earth friendly than plastic.

Since I’ve never tried them, I can’t attest to how easy they are to wash, but hemp is a very durable fabric. And the filters are affordable. They sell for around $6.

If you have tried a hemp coffee filter, please leave me your opinion in comments. What do you like or dislike?

Another option to is to use a French press. Then, you don’t need a filter at all. It’s built in. I have a French press and I enjoy the stronger, richer coffee that it makes. However, I don’t use it that often because grounds can get caught around the meshy plunger area. Yeah, I can be lazy when it comes to cleaning grounds from little meshy parts.

French presses are easy to use: You heat the water and pour it over your grounds. Then you depress the plunger that acts as a filter, pushing grounds to the bottom.

Another advantage to a French press is that it doesn’t use electricity, but you do need to heat the water. It’s also more portable and is often used by campers. The presses are available in many different sizes, from personal to 48-ounce size.

Now I’m feeling guilty. I’m going to try to use my French press buddy at least twice a week.

Do you use a French press? If so, do you think I’m too lazy for not liking to clean the mesh/springy part on the plunger? 

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I chose a Mr. Coffee permanent filter last year and have never used paper coffee filters again.

What are the advantages?

•No paper filter waste.
•Saves resources since you reuse the same filter each time.
•They last a very long time. (Mine has a 10-year warranty.)
•No more buying coffee filters!
•You won’t have to skip coffee because you forgot to buy filters.
•More coffee taste. The coffee will be more oily, but try it. I like it.
•You save money.
•Most filters are dishwasher safe. Mine has made it fine in the dishwasher.

So, what if you use cone-shaped filters? Yip, they make those in permanent too.

Did I tell you that the coffee will taste better? In fact, some coffee roasters recommend using a permanent coffee filter to get the full taste of the coffee.

The reason I’m bragging on Mr. Coffee is because my coffee maker, which just turned 10 years old, is a Mr. Coffee. So, in my experience, their stuff doesn’t break easily.

But, is there a greener option than Mr. Coffee permanent filters?

Yes, I’m not perfect. But you must admit that these filters are better than the unbleached paper ones I used until last year.

Check back later and we’ll explore other options for coffee filters.

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Whether they are made of paper or plastic, disposable bathroom cups create an abundant amount of waste. Even if you recycle them, you are still using energy.

What are the alternatives? I don’t like cupping my hands under the faucet, and forget putting my mouth under the sink. I see some people do this, but it just isn’t for me.

The easiest alternative is probably to take stock of your glasses. Choose a small one that you don’t mind assigning to the bathroom. Espresso cups, jam jars or juice glasses are ideal for this. If you want something prettier, try shopping at an antique store for a cute little teacup. There are lots of options. And you don’t have to wash it every day. Use your judgment.

What does your bathroom cup look like? If you have them, are you thinking about getting rid of your disposable bathroom cups?

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Designers Matt Meshulam and Zach Dwiel hope the device will help users gain a better understanding of the amount of power appliances use, even in standby.

The device will not be commercially available, but plans for making it will be online. While the designers are still optimizing the EnerJar, preliminary schematics are available at www.enerjar.net. (*This project should be carefully undertaken by adults only.)

The second-place winner in the Greener Gadgets competition is also very interesting: Clay Moulton’s Gravia, an LED-lit floorlamp powered by people! (I bet it would work with dogs too!)

To see more intriguing Greener Gadgets winners, visit Core77.

Images are from Core77.

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