Featured Article: Compostable Bedsheets for College Kids.

This week and last week are two of the big move weeks for college students in Iowa. Student from around and outside of the state are flocking to their new dorm rooms and apartments to start their new school year. This featured article is about two mom who knew college students and knew about an unanswered need, and so they created compostable bed sheets with college students in mind. Anyone who remember being a college student or having a college student knows that sometimes cleanliness comes last, especially with that big final coming up. Often times bedsheets get forgotten until it's time to visit home and laundry is free.

Now, in the long run we're not positive that these sheets will be the best economical choice, but it's encouraging to see people attempting to answer a need of an extremely large segment of the population. We're excited to see how this technology advances.

Read the full article here.

Steps to a Greener 4th of July

Happy 4th of July! We're blogging a little early today, so we can get to you before your cook-out! According to an estimate by the U.S, Department of Energy, around 60 million Americans have BBQs today! With all the celebrations going on it is hard to remember to keep your grilling 'green'. However, we have a few simple steps to make your holiday cooking a little more eco-friendly.

Compostable over biodegradable- We hate to say it, but the word biodegradable has been tainted. Companies use the term all the time, even if their product is only biodegradable over 50 years. Compostable products, however, can go straight in with your compost and have to be certified in order to be labeled compostable.

Clean your grill- leftover food and grease in your grill leads to excess smoke, and just isn't healthy for your grill or the environment. Make sure to thoroughly clean your grill and you'll be good to go! Baking Soda is a great, natural grill killer too, just use a wire brush and an equal parts mixture of Baking Soda and water and you'll have a clean grill in no time!

Recycle your cans and bottles- Make sure you're sorting and recycling your waste. Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour on average, and the majority are thrown away. Recycling your bottles and cans is an easy way to make your cook-out a little bit greener.

Use organic charcoal in your grill- Overall, charcoal grills aren't great for the environment, however if you use an organic charcoal it will burn cleaner, as it is made from untreated wood, rather than traditional charcoal which is treated with chemicals and other additives to make it burn longer.

Buy a vinyl tablecloth, rather than a paper or plastic throw-away- This will save you the money of buying a flimsy tablecloth each year, and you're keeping that paper/plastic one out of landfills.

Use recycled aluminum foil for your grilling- Some brands now offer 100% recycled aluminum foil, most in cases made from 100% recycled paperboard.

Buy your food locally- buying from local farmers means you can find pesticide-free produce and you'll boost your local economy! It also doesn't hurt that those farmers just have to drive it into town, rather than across the country.

Use natural pest remedies- Nobody likes having bugs at the party! We have a full post about natural bug repellants, but another trick is to throw sage and rosemary on hot coals, if you're using a charcoal grill. They will make your yard smell great, and it will keep Mosquitos away. Citronella candles also make great bug repellants.

Keeping an open mind about new alternative products

This morning we found this article: WATCH: London Designer Grows Vegetable Leather | Ecorazzi

The article is all about a designer in the UK who is designing a leather out of plant materials. This material can be molded into any shape and will last about 5 years. After 5 years you can add it to your other compostable goods. The leather itself is made of green tea, sugar, bacteria and yeast.

While the idea of putting green tea on your body as clothing seems a little bizarre now, these products could make real change. 12 million tons of trash is a huge amount. That's how much clothing, shoes and textiles end up in landfills annually. A few weeks ago the compostable flip flop and the compostable tooth brush were both featured news stories, and all of those products offer new ways to lower your impact, even if they may seem a little strange at first.

You can keep the product for 5 years, so the leather will still last about as long as a person wears the same clothes, and then you have a convenient excuse to go shopping again. That could be a definite plus! Feel free to share your own experience with off-beat compostables in our comments.