It’s the little things in life…that add up. When ordering food to go, how many times were you given a pile of extra plasticware and napkins? This is not to mention those pesky clamshell food containers themselves. In the ongoing shift away from petroleum-based plastic products, you may have noticed some plastic items now have “Compostable” printed on them. Learn about how to differentiate between biodegradable and compostable, and consider choosing bioplastics and other earth-friendly tableware and food packaging.  More...

Chow, the food site, has a great new article called How Green Is Your Takeaway Container. You can take reusable containers, such as Tupperware or popular metal tiffins, to restaurants and carts and ask them to use it instead of plastic take-out. Additionally,  ask them not to include a plastic bag or plastic silverware, and bring your own reusable utensil.

Here's the scoop on our local recycling:

Clam shell/plastic containers: No. At Chinook Book we gather our clamshells and deliver bunches along with other difficult to recycle items. AtWork! is a local company that accepts clam shells for recycling, along with most transfer stations. More...

I moved to Portland for two reasons: 1) so I could commute by bike, and 2) so I could work with trash and recycling.  Imagine my joy last weekend when I met Graham Bergh, the founder and president of Resource Revival, Inc. -- a company that makes bottle openers, pictures frames, clocks, wine racks and signs out of old bike parts (mostly chains and cogs).  They give new meaning to re-cycling, and local Puget Sound bike shops are participating. More...