going green

Photo courtesy of Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola Debuts Bottle Made Entirely Of Plant Materials

If you thought that Coke was sweet before, then Coca-Cola’s newest bottles will give you a sugar rush. That’s because the company has developed a beverage container made solely from plant materials, including sugarcane. [More]

(Mike Matney Photography)

California Grass Painters Dyeing More Lawns Green Than Ever Before Amidst Drought

We first heard of homeowners spray-painting their lawns green last summer to avoid local “brown lawn” fees on the West Coast, a trend that has only grown now that grass isn’t growing amidst California’s current drought. The owner of one such service that provides landscape painting says he’s taking more orders than ever before, as lack of rain keeps lawns thirsty and dry. [More]

(Brett Levin Photography)

Recreational Marijuana Is Now Legal In Alaska — With Some Restrictions

Alaska became the third state in the country to legalize recreational marijuana as of today — but only if you can figure out a way to get your hands on some without actually buying it from someone else. Smoking, growing and owning marijuana is all cool under the new law, but handing over money for the stuff or smoking it in public places is still illegal. [More]

(Mike Mozart)

Target Will Double Organic, Sustainable Offerings In 2015

Coming off a failed investment with Target Canada, the nation’s second largest retailer is poised to double its stake in the organic and sustainable market when it comes to its grocery business. [More]

Would You Ever Be Able To Forgo Using Toilet Paper?

Would You Ever Be Able To Forgo Using Toilet Paper?

Every time you wipe in the bathroom, you’re basically flushing money down the toilet, not to mention creating well, waste with your waste. But is there any way you could ever do away with the whole thing and not use toilet paper? [More]

EA Makes Video Game Manuals An Endangered Species

EA Makes Video Game Manuals An Endangered Species

Following video game publisher Ubisoft’s decision to ditch paper manuals in most games last year, industry giant EA is following suit, revealing they’re phasing out little-used instruction booklets. [More]

Pepsi Outdoes Coke By Planning Bottles Made Entirely Of Plants

Pepsi Outdoes Coke By Planning Bottles Made Entirely Of Plants

More than a year after Coke unveiled bottles made partially from plant products, Pepsi announced it’s making containers made solely from vegetation. [More]

Here Comes Liquid Laundry Detergent In A Cardboard Bottle

Here Comes Liquid Laundry Detergent In A Cardboard Bottle

The eco-friendly folks at Seventh Generation are set to release a new package for their laundry detergent that uses 100% recycled cardboard instead of plastic for the bottle. [More]

Inventor Makes Fuel Out Of Brewery Waste

Inventor Makes Fuel Out Of Brewery Waste

Beer is known for fueling ill-advised hook-ups and spontaneous bar brawls, and now the waste that breweries produce can result in fuel for operating the plants. [More]

What To Do With Your Old Laptop

What To Do With Your Old Laptop

Once you shove your slow, beat-up laptop aside for a newer model, you need to decide what to do with the older machine. While it’s tempting to take a baseball bat to the laptop, as the guys in the movie The Office did to the copier, there are plenty of useful functions for your digital ex. [More]

Cut Down On Water Use With These Tricks

Cut Down On Water Use With These Tricks

Modern society has created the illusion that water is infinite and free, but the environmentally and financially conscious know that’s far from the truth. [More]

White House Wants To Slap Fuel Efficiency Grades On Vehicles

White House Wants To Slap Fuel Efficiency Grades On Vehicles

By proposing the assigning of letter grades onto cars to rank fuel efficiency, the Obama administration either wants to shame car manufacturers into making their cars more efficient or stop larger vehicles from getting into Ivy League schools. [More]

Want To Rent A Hybrid? Be Prepared To Pay A Lot More Green

Want To Rent A Hybrid? Be Prepared To Pay A Lot More Green

When it comes to car rentals, I’ve rarely cared about the make and model of what I’m driving, so long as it’s in my (low) price range, it has a working radio and the driver’s side door operates properly. So it’s a good thing I’ve never tried to rent a hybrid, because the New York Times says I’d be paying anywhere from 30-70% more for the thrill of it all. [More]

Pay $230 For Recycled Chair That Lets You Advertise Coke

Pay $230 For Recycled Chair That Lets You Advertise Coke

Coca-Cola is making up for ensnaring poor little ducks in six-pack containers by making chairs recycled from its bottles — understandably stamped with the company logo — and hocking them for $230, the Atlanta Business Journal reports. [More]

AT&T Tries To Save World With New ZERO Charger

AT&T Tries To Save World With New ZERO Charger

In case you didn’t know — though if you’re a Consumerist reader, you probably do — that cell phone charger you have plugged into your wall socket is pulling power even when you’re not charging your phone. AT&T figures that enough power is wasted in the U.S. alone to power 24,000 homes for a year. That’s why they’ve gone all eco-savvy on us and announced their new ZERO charger. [More]

T-Mobile Coupons Save Your Cash AND Your Environment

T-Mobile Coupons Save Your Cash AND Your Environment

Fashioning itself a jolly green giant, T-Mobile USA is getting in on money-saving and environmentalist fads by offering a Green Mobile Coupon application that lets its customers access coupons they can scan at cash registers to save on environmentally friendly items.