An Eco-Friendly Sampler

By Hilary Roxe

No products are cost-free to the environment, But these are a little easier on the earth than most --By Hilary Roxe

--A SOLUTION FOR THE OVERTIRED New Jersey sculptor Patrick Palumbo no longer raids junkyards to build his Wildlife Creations tire swings. Companies around the world now send him worn-out tires, helping him fill orders from more than 850 retailers

--E-COMMERCE WITH A GREEN THUMB Point your mouse toward www.garden.com for a virtual gardening store with an environmental bent. Texas-based Garden.com claims that more than half its 16,000 products, like a rodent-repelling spray made from rotten eggs, are organic and annoying only to pests

--SEE THE LIGHT ON SAVING ENERGY Forget the dim glare of a classroom's fluorescent strip. The Twister from Lights of America--which makes only energy-efficient products--is a bright, compact fluorescent bulb that fits standard sockets, uses a fraction of the wattage of its incandescent cousins and lasts as long as seven years

--NATURAL FROM THE BOTTOM UP Paper or plastic bag? Cloth or disposable diaper? That kind of question plagues would-be environmentalists. Hempers, a hemp/cotton diaper, adds a twist. Hemp lasts longer than cotton, requires no pesticides and softens in the wash

--YES, YOU CAN SAFELY SQUEEZE IT Made of 100% recycled fibers, this two-ply toilet tissue from Vermont-based Seventh Generation is part of a line of biodegradable, nontoxic household products--from dishwashing liquid to window cleaners--never tested on animals

--READY TO TAKE SOME MORE BYTES Software can turn obsolete as fast as Bill Gates can earn another billion, and discarded discs add to the clutter in landfills. GreenDisk in Washington State recycles high-quality diskettes by erasing and reformatting them, making them as good as new

--ELEGANT AND ECOLOGICAL Japanese designer Unsetsu Furukawa knows eco-chic. This dress, created in rattan, a solid but flexible Asian cane that can be grown without chemicals, is typical of the couturier's use of natural materials. Furukawa's models also show off fashions woven out of fabric made from recycled plastic bottles

--FINE WINE FROM THE UNTAINTED VINE Both sommeliers and environmentalists have toasted California's award-winning Sanford Winery. For 16 years, vintners Richard and Thekla Sanford have organically produced wines like this Chardonnay, while taking up such conservation causes as preserving local oak woodlands