Happy Earth Day! Celebrate with a gift to yourself and a gift to the earth with these innovative, ecologically sound products.

Vapur – Reusable water bottles are de rigueur nowadays.  Vapur takes it to the next level with their flattenable bottles.  With liquid inside, Vapur stands like a bottle.  When it is empty, you can fold, roll, or flatten the bottle, making it easier to slip into your pocket, purse, or gym bag.  The company calls it the anti-bottle – rightly so.  The flexible BPA-free plastic resembles an IV bag or an ice pack, which is great for weirding out people.   Vapur comes with a removable carabiner clip so you sporty-types can attach it and go.  It is freezable for those extra-hot days, and is dishwasher safe.  Plus, it is fun to play with.

Activeion Cleaning Solutions – This is one of those too-good-to-be-true products.  I did not test this product, so I will have to take the company’s word for it that this works. According to the literature, “The ionator is a new handheld appliance that uses advanced ionizing technology to convert tap water into a powerful cleaner, eliminating the need for chemicals or harmful toxins.”

Verterra – Here is an interesting one: dinnerware made from fallen leaves.  I’m gonna let that sink in for a minute. It is pretty much as ecologically friendly as you can get with single-use dinnerware.  Sometimes you just don’t want to do dishes after a big BBQ.  The leaves and stems are collected from the ground, so living plants are not touched.  No chemicals, binders, dyes, plastics, or bleaches are used in the creation of this dinnerware.  The plates, bowls, and trays are sanitized and formed with steam, pressure, and heat.  They a clean, simple look and shape, are remarkably durable, biodegradable, and compostable.  They are even microwavable and oven safe up to 350 degrees.  The downside?  Saving the environment doesn’t come cheap.  Depending on the size of plate you want, it can cost up to $1 per single-use, dinner-sized plate.