terracycle's goal: eliminate waste

Even if you haven't picked up a bottle of woom poop yet, no doubt you've heard of terracycle.

It all started in 2001 when two Princeton University students set out to change the way people do business. Inspired by a box of worms, these students had a dream: a company could be financially successful while being ecologically and socially responsible.

Co-founders Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer were determined to turn the worm box concept into a real-life, commercially viable process. That summer, they developed prototype equipment and proved their concept was feasible by reprocessing solid waste from dining halls at Princeton University.

The company's flagship product, TerraCycle Plant Food™, is an all-natural, all-organic, 'goof-proof' liquid plant food made from waste (worm poop) and packaged in waste (reused soda bottles)!

Visit their site or read about some cool new products they have in the works - like paper made from elephant poop - from ecopreneurist.com

Spend less time with Chuck E. Cheese

There's heated competition in my neighborhood when it comes to birthday parties. Each outspends the last, and all the kids - not just the birthday boy or girl - leave with a armful of plastic toys they don't need. So when I came across ECHOage yesterday, I thought seriously about spamming my address book with it.

Created by two mothers frustrated by the waste that traditional birthday parties generate, ECHOage celebrates giving in a different way. Guests are invited to the party online, and - instead of buying a gift - they are asked to make a payment of $20. Half of the pooled money buys One Gift for the birthday child; the other half supports One Cause, such as Evergreen or Second Harvest. What's more, the parent of the birthday child gets an official tax receipt. Now that's worth buying a few soy wax candles for!

Where Children Celebrate Giving>>

great for camping too!

Tetra Pak wine containers are being touted as the trendy and eco-friendly alternative to bottles. They are 50 per cent lighter than glass, unbreakable, and can be resealed to extend shelf life. The wine is more economical to transport and - debatably – the packaging uses less energy to recycle than bottles.

According to the makers of French Rabbit, the new packaging has kept the equivalent of 377 thousand cars off the road per year, and saved 6 million pounds of solid waste and 6 million pounds of greenhouse emission.

A drastic evolution in wine, or a clever pitch to the young and trendy? Find out at eye weekly, where Bev Spritzer reports on drinking wine through a straw.