the 2 macs / panic by kairin

Dear 1 Green Product friends,

As you know, I am in the process of transitioning this blog away from WordPress and to Blogger.

To accomplish this, I had to change registrars and that process is still inching its way toward completion. (For reasons I don’t fully understand, the change apparently requires 5-8 days to take effect.)

Unfortunately, the domain mapping upgrade I purchased a year ago from WordPress is about to expire. As a result, you may not be able to access this site at http://1GreenProduct.com for a short while.

But have no fear, the site should shortly reappear at http://1GreenProduct.com.

In the meantime, you should be able to access the 1GreenProduct.com archives at http://1greenproduct.wordpress.com.

Also, just to give you advance notice, I was not able to import blog comments into the Blogger format. So even after the move, I plan on keeping the archived posts (with their comments) at http://1greenproduct.wordpress.com.

Thanks for your patience and support during this transition phase.

Sincerely,

Aaron Dalton, Editor, 1 Green Product

Dear 1GreenProduct.com readers,

As you know, 1GreenProduct.com is on hiatus while I transition the site to a new platform.

Meanwhile, I’d like to invite you to visit Bikeway Central, my brand new site that continues on the eco-friendly theme but focuses more closely on my interest in bikeways, greenways, bike lanes, bike trails and so forth.

My goal is to provide a central hub for news and discussion of national (and occasionally) international efforts to build bike-friendly infrastructure that knits communities closer together, provides opportunities for exercise and gives us fun alternatives to complement our auto transportation network.

So without further ado, I hope you will take a moment to visit Bikeway Central.

If you like what you see, please subscribe to Bikeway Central updates, share comments on the posts and help spread the word about the new site.

Thanks!

Aaron Dalton, Editor, 1GreenProduct.com

Dear Readers,

After a couple of years publishing 1GreenProduct.com on the WordPress.com blogging platform, I’m moving back over to Blogger.

The new-and-improved Blogger seems much nicer than WordPress in terms of usability and design.

The move won’t actually take place for a few weeks, but I wanted to give you advance now in case there are any hiccups along the way.

(I did in fact transfer all the old posts over to the Blogger platform today and there were plenty of hiccups, believe me.)

Thanks in advance for your patience and support. I hope you’ll enjoy 1GreenProduct.com even more in its new home.

Generally 1GreenProduct.com only reviews products that are available for purchase already – preferably after we’ve been able to test the product first-hand.

But rules were made to be broken.

And that’s why we’d like to contribute some advance buzz to the newly unveiled 2011 Scion iQ – projected to hit dealerships early next year. Just unveiled at the NY Auto Show, the iQ looks primed to add some serious style to micro-subcompact sector.

Just how small is the iQ. At 120 inches long, it’s about one foot longer than the Smart fortwo, but a good two feet shorter than either the Yaris or the Mini Cooper.

In my experience, the Yaris and the Mini Cooper (especially the Cooper) were both fun to drive. The Smart fortwo, not so much. Does that mean that iQ will fall somewhere in the middle in terms of excitement and comfort, or will it blow its subcompact competitors out of the water?

Scion promises that through innovative technology (ultra-slim front seat backs!), you’ll be able to fit three adults and a pet (presumably a small pet) into this car.

From an eco standpoint, Scion is gunning for an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV-II) rating, plus combined mileage in the high 30s.

I’ll be honest. I can’t wait to test drive this thing. I love small cars for their maneuverability - and of course for the fact that they take up less room on the road and presumably require fewer raw materials in the manufacturing process. Plus the iQ just looks extraordinarily fun to drive. (Of course, the Smart looked fun to drive too and turned out to be painful, so looks can be deceiving…)

And let’s hope that the tiny iQ doesn’t come with an outsized price tag.

Stay tuned. The next few years should be pretty exciting when it comes to new Greener vehicles.

I just got back from a walk in the park. It was a beautiful day and the walk was lovely, but I was a bit dismayed to see litter on the ground – especially plastic litter. That’s because plastic typically takes so long to decompose that the trash will be around for a long time, perhaps posing some danger to animals and certainly making the environment less attractive.

That’s why I was happy to see these new biodegradable pens from Paper Mate. I’m not encouraging anyone to litter, but it’s heartening to know that if someone does leave this pen in the great outdoors, at least the body of these pens is made from a corn-based material that can biodegrade in soil or compose within about one year (according to the manufacturer).

Even better, the pens come in recyclable paper packaging. And on the back of the package is a handy diagram showing how to disassemble the pen when it reaches the end of its useful life, which components should go in the trash and which can be composted.

It’s not often that you buy a product that specifically asks you to ‘dispose of these in yard soil or home compost’, but that’s the advice here from the manufacturer.

Plus it’s nice to know that the pen’s packaging is made from a renewable resource (corn) rather than from a petroleum base.

FYI, Paper Mate also makes a nifty biodegradable pencil.

In terms of quality, I have to say that I think these pens and pencils are very comfortable to hold and seem well built. They’re also affordable and attractive. In my opinion, the writing quality is even better than a more expensive (non-biodegradable) Parker pen that I bought recently.

Bravo to Paper Mate. I’d say this is a Green home run.

Where to Buy:

Amazon.com sells 4-packs of the Paper Mate Biodegradable Pens for $6.99. You can also get a 2-pack for $3.59.

As for the mechanical pencils, you can find a 2-pack of those for $5.99 at Office Depot.

Disclaimer – Paper Mate did give me some biodegradable pens and pencils for testing purposes.