Green Right Now Reports

As we were prowling for practical green gifts to feature in our coming 2009 Green Gifts Lists, this simple T-shirt caught our eye. It’s green, unisex and made with organic cotton. And you’ve got that iconic Panda there on the side. What more could a greenie want?

Organic cotton T from World Wildlife Fund

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Green Right Now Reports

Illinois’ PIRG, a non-profit public interest group, released results of recent testing for toxic chemicals on toys this week, finding that three items intended for children exceeded current safety standards, and two products contact phthalates in violation of federal law.

The tested toys and products can be seen at HealthyToys.org, where they will be incorporated into a much larger list. Researchers at HealthyToys.org are readying a long list of items that will be available before the 2009 December holidays.

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By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now

Ornamental gourds (Photo: Cooksgarden.com)

If you’ve cruised the produce section at the grocery lately, you probably stopped to eye the small, colorful, oddball gourds near the pumpkins and winter squash.

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By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now

Rummaging through sweaters? Trying on last year’s jackets? Tired of that same old gray hoodie? It is possible to make a fashion statement this fall and express concern for artisans of the world with an assortment of fair-trade apparel. Your choices range from high-end big-name designers to small, globally conscious entrepreneurs. We’ve piled up a lot of crisp, autumn goodies for you to sort through.

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
You’ve gotten rid of your plastic water bottle. You turn down polystyrene to-go containers.  You ask for local fruit and you only drink Fair Trade coffee.
What’s left to help lower your dining-out carbon profile?
Reusable titanium chopsticks.
Alan Folts’ colorful and gracefully turned titanium “TiStix” chopsticks are made from surplus titanium; they’re [...]

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By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now
Lead in toys is scary enough, but that’s only the start. Now, you might need to take a second look at your handbag, your car, your pet’s bed and even your clothes. The non-profit group Healthy Stuff reports that their recent tests of 900 everyday consumer products turned up some toxic [...]

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The EPA announced today it has revised the qualifications for televisions to achieve the Energy Star label, requiring TVs to be 40 percent more energy efficient than conventional models.

The new requirements raise the bar on how energy efficient a TV must be to earn the Energy Star label. They require TVs to use less energy when turned on, ensure a satisfactory level of brightness and curb power associated with downloading program guide data. The EPA says this will translate to greater savings for consumers and the environment. If all televisions sold in the United States met the new Energy Star requirements, Americans would save $2.5 billion annually in energy costs while reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions of about 3 million cars, the agency says.

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From Green Right Now Reports

School groups, sports teams and others, may want to consider going organic with their group shirts this year.

It’s easier than ever before to take your organization into greener territory. Now organic Ts, ready for imprinting by your group, are available in reasonable prices from more vendors than ever. Edun Live, the company formed by Bono and Ali Hewson, now sells bulk organic cotton Ts made by workers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Assisi Garments also produces organic cotton T-shirts and other clothing, all made in Fair Trade shops in India.

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By Tom Kessler
Green Right Now

When it comes to clogged drains, it’s been a struggle to find an effective alternative to the many harsh chemicals that most people rely on to break up trapped debris. But a Houston company has developed a product that is brilliant in its simplicity and has the added benefit of being as green as you can get where brownish goop is involved.

The PermaFLOW Self Cleaning Drain by PF WaterWorks has already won the Best of What’s New Award from Popular Science. It replaces an existing P-trap — that curved section of pipe just below your sink — with an improved version that has been engineered to eliminate the need for secondary maintenance products and procedures such as plunging, caustic drain cleaners and messy drain disassembly.

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By Hosea Sanders

CHICAGO (WLS) — Now you can look good while protecting the planet. Clothing made from bamboo or plastic bottles may not sound appealing — or comfortable. But once you experience it, you might be pleasantly surprised. >> Read the full story

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By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now

The school uniform of choice for tweens and teens is pretty simple: a T-shirt and jeans (or anything denim).

For the student who is a humanitarian or environmentally oriented, we’ve collected a line-up of Ts that are not just made of organic materials and under fair-trade conditions — they carry messages of support for earth-friendly concerns.

• Common Threadz is a non-profit group working to aid orphans and vulnerable children in Africa. Every T-shirt purchase helps the group pay for a school uniform or food. Check out Orphan Collection – Ts designed by the African children, complete with a picture and some information about each child. In one, Wandile Dindi of South Africa (above, left) displays his design for a T-shirt (above, right). The site provides information about each child. For Wandile: “His father has passed and his mother is unemployed and cannot support him. . . .” The Orphan T-shirts range from kids sizes ($29) through adult ($38 for women’s and $44 for men’s).

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Still using paper coffee filters? You might not be able to break your caffeine habit, but getting rid of disposable coffee filters is easier than you may realize.

Permanent filters made of stainless steel mesh (and typically gold colored) can serve for many years. So can filters made of hemp, the same fiber used to make ropes and more recently, a raft of other items from T-shirts to washrags. Hemp is tough and these filters promise to last for years also.

We bought one from Cusp Natural Products, a family-owned Washington company that began making a few hemp items in the 1990s and today finds itself making hot pads, dog toys, baseball caps and even iron board covers from hemp fabric.

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