My point is that you can help lessen your doggie’s impact by choosing products that are kinder to the environment, like hemp dog collars.

Though I don’t have a dog myself, I admire Earth Dog, a carbon-neutral company that just celebrated its tenth anniversary. They have loads of hemp collars, both decorated (shown) and plain.

Why hemp?

Unlike conventional cotton, hemp is grown without the use of pesticides and herbicides. It’s also hypoallergenic and very strong. And it biodegrades completely.

Earth Dog also sells blankets, toys and more. All of their products are made by hand in the United States.

Have you tried any Earth Dog products?

Image via Earth Dog.

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

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

I have some posts set to go on auto-pilot, and Jennifer will be around to entertain you.

So, don’t go anywhere!

I’ll be back computer-side as soon as possible. Miss me…

Uh, what’s up with the cat photo?

Learn more at my Junk Creation post, Many Uses of Catalog Pages to Entertain Cats.

Image by me.

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

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

In comments on the bag shyness post, Kristen said:

I’ll be honest: Even though I own several reusable shopping bags, I seldom use them. The reason? I have three cats, and I use plastic grocery bags when I clean the litterbox because I can tie them up when I’m done.

Sorry I’m picking on you Kristen, but I think this is a great topic. We’ve talked about green cat litter here, but we haven’t spent much time on litter disposal.

It’s difficult to think about buying a biodegradable bag for cat waste disposal when you can get plastic bags for free at the store. However, plastic bags (the ones offered now that are made with petroleum) may not always be free or even legal. As awareness is spreading about the pollution caused by plastic bags, more cities and countries are outlawing them. Ideally, all stores will start offering biodegradable bags made from corn. Or even more ideally, all consumers will take their own bags.

I use Feline Pine, and they recommend disposing of solid cat waste daily, then getting rid of the litter when it’s spent. Feline Pine is flushable, but it’s not recommended.

Ways to avoid disposing of cat litter

• Flushing — The Sea Otter Alliance cautions against flushing cat waste and litter. Sea otters are becoming infected with Toxoplasma. Also, Nature’s Earth, makers of Feline Pine, says, “… we at Nature’s Earth strongly urge our customers to dispose of their cat’s feces in the garbage — especially if you live in a coastal community.”

• Composting — Cat waste can be toxic. You don’t want it in your veggie garden.

Greener cat litter disposal

• Biodegradable corn-based cat pan liners from BioBag — This solves the problem of what to do with spent litter in a handy way, but it doesn’t help with the daily poop scooping.

• A recycled paper bag — Some stores like Whole Foods now offer these. I’m not saying to stop taking your own bags, but maybe skip occasionally to stock up. I feel so guilty saying that!

While BioBags can take care of litter disposal, the problem of cat poop disposal isn’t easily solved. While traditional plastic bags offered at most stores aren’t biodegradable, they require less energy to make than virgin paper bags. If you use a paper bag, everything will break down in the landfill. I’m going to also offer another option on cat waste disposal.

Greener cat waste disposal

• Use a BioBag pooper bag designed for dogs. It’s biodegradable, same as the litter pan liners. Take this directly to your garbage bin.

Hmm, I was going to suggest using a separate pet trash can lined with a recycled paper bag or BioBag kitchen bag, but I think odor would be a problem.

How do you dispose of your cat’s litter/waste?

Image via flickr.

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

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Do you know someone like that? Are you someone like that?

An eco-friendly doggie product, Skooperbox, can help solve the problem. Skooperboxes are made of 100% recycled paper, clip on leash, and can be thrown away after use. Simple. And they biodegrade quickly.

The Skooperbox contest ends at midnight CST on June 12. And it’s open to international readers. All you have to do is go to Paw Luxury (the cool green pet shopping sponsor of this contest) and spot an item you like. Then, go to the contest post and tell us in comments what item you like.

You don’t have anything to lose, except maybe a bad habit. : ) Five winners will be randomly selected. Be one of them.

Photo via flickr.

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

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My cat isn’t ultra-picky with what food he’ll eat, but he does sometimes pass on certain brands. He tried the Organix Feline Formula for Adults. It’s made with organic chicken, brown rice and flax. I paid about $10 for a three-pound bag at Petco.

Did he pass on Organix by Castor & Pollux?

No way. He likes it a lot.

Here’s what I like about Organix:

• Certified Organic by Organic Crop Improvement Association
• Natural formula: The first ingredient is organic chicken
• No pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers or by-products
• Choco likes it, but not so much that he overeats

Needs improvement:

• The packaging isn’t made with recycled paper
• Organix isn’t 100% organic. It does qualify under the USDA organic program as “made with organic ingredients,” so it’s at least 70% organic.

It’s difficult to say whether I’ll stick with Organix for the long haul, but I did choose to buy my second bag recently.

Have you tried any Castor & Pollux products?

Image from Castor & Pollux.

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

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To enter our current contest for Skooperbox (handy recycled doggie waste disposal boxes), just go to the fun Paw Luxury site and look around for toys, treats, tanks and more. Then go to the contest post and tell me your favorite eco-dog item. Such a fun contest for a Monday. You have until June 12 to enter, but why wait?

PS – If you decide to order an organic tank or other Paw Luxury item for your dog, use the special coupon code for Tree Hugging Family readers to receive $5 off an order of $25 or more — TREEHUGG5. Code expires June 6, 2008.

All images are via Paw Luxury.

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

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

No more feeling warm, squishy dog poop through plastic bags! With the ergonomic Skooperbox, made with 100% recycled paper, you can execute a convenient, no-touch poop scooping on your next walk at the dog park.

After all, you aren’t supposed to leave that stuff out there for someone else to step on.

Another great thing about the Skooperbox is that it completely biodegrades in about one month. You can also attach it to your dog’s leash for hands-free transport. I’ll show you some detailed instructions in just a bit, but first, let’s talk about the contest.

Paw Luxury, an eco-friendly pet shopping site, is sponsoring this contest to give away five boxes of Skooperbox (30 count).

The winners may choose which size they want: medium or large. The contest is a perfect risk-free way to try this new earth-friendly dog poop disposal system. The problem with using plastic bags for this task is that you’re mummifying doggie poo in a bag that isn’t going to break down in the landfill. It’s better to take any plastic bags you may have to recycling.

Paw Luxury is a global company, so this is going to be a really fun contest that’s open to anyone, anywhere. (Except me and Jennifer, of course.) Please see complete details on how to enter at the end of this post.

You now also have an excuse to shop a great green pet products site. That’s right. I want you to look around Paw Luxury, then tell me what product you like best. Why am I asking this? For one, it gets boring for us to read 100 replies that say, “Enter me, please.”

Also, we want to know what products you like best in order to gauge possible future product reviews or giveaways. If you want to add any fun dog poop stories, please do, but mention a favorite product as well. You won’t gross me out — I’ve seen and scooped every imaginable healthy and unhealthy dog poop size and form at my former animal hospital job. (Jennifer might be another story though!)

If you see something you want at Paw Luxury, use the coupon code for Tree Hugging Family readers: TREEHUGG5 for $5 off an order of $25 or more. The code expires on June 6, 2008. And if you missed my website review on Paw Luxury, please check it out.

In case you’re confused on how the Skooperbox works, check out this illustration:

How to enter to win Skooperbox:

•Leave a comment on this post that tells us what product you like best at Paw Luxury.

•Enter once per household by midnight CST on Thursday, June 12. Five randomly selected winners will be announced on June 13. Each winner will receive one 30-count box of Skooperbox.

•If you win, please respond to my e-mail requesting your mailing address and preferred Skooperbox size within five days or another winner will be chosen.

•Remember, this contest is open to international readers. I know you’re out there.

Have fun and good luck!

Images in this post belong to Skooperbox.com.

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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Adam at Paw Luxury said that a cat tab will be added to the site within the coming month. So, check back for eco-friendly cat products, but you can find lots of green doggie stuff on the site right now.

The owners of Paw Luxury would also like to extend a coupon code to the readers of Tree Hugging Family. Use TREEHUGG5 and receive $5 off an order of $25 or more. This code expires on June 6, 2008.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

You can read about Paw Luxury’s mission, inspiration and green living goals here. You should check it out to see the cute photo of Lola, the lucky dog who gets to live with Paw Luxury’s owners. She even has her own column: Ask Lola.

I like several things about Paw Luxury:

•The site is easy to navigate.
•The products are earth friendly.
•Icons make it easy to identify products qualities like being organic.
•You can shop for cute and fun products that aren’t so easy to find locally.

In addition to organic treats and eats, Paw Luxury also offers collars and leashes and toys. Other sections include:

Beds & Mats
Health & Wellness
Apparel & Gear
Spa & Bath
Travel

I’ve picked out a few of my favorite products to show you:

Bella Creature Comforts Bed (Made from recycled materials)

Bark for Peace Sweet Potato Jerky Chews (100% organic and human-grade ingredients)

Spot Organics Essential Oil Travel Happy Blend (Relieves motion sickness with no artificial ingredients, fragrances or colors)

The only thing I don’t like about Paw Luxury is that they don’t sell cat products!

All images via Paw Luxury.

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

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

That’s one way to reuse a plastic bag, but doing so preserves the poop instead of letting it biodegrade. Can you picture that? Mummified dog poop. Plus, if you remember your reusable shopping bags, you won’t have plastic shopping bags on hand anyway. Not to mention, plastic bags are on their way out as many retailers are starting to encourage reusable shopping bags.

A friendlier option is to put your doggie’s poo into a BioBag, the first compostable and biodegradable (paper and plastic free) poop bags ever. They are made from GMO-free corn.

According to BioBag, your options for disposal widen to include burying or composting (can include with your yard waste in many communities). Composting those plastic grocery store bags just wouldn’t work.

Since cat waste is toxic, composting it isn’t recommended, but BioBag sells biodegradable litter pan liners for disposal.

BioBag dog waste bags are available from a variety of sources, including Urban Leash and Treat who sells them for $5.60 for 50 bags.

Would you try BioBags for your dog?

Image via BioBag.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family