Frozen yoghurt is a topic we've already covered on a few different occasions: first the Korean-style frozen yoghurt trend, as exemplified by shops like Pinkberry and Red Mango, and then the arrival of self-serve contender Yogurtland. Now adding further differentiation to the industry is Sno:la, a Beverly Hills-based shop that bills itself as a socially conscious alternative.

Sno:la's shops—it just opened one in Kyoto as well, with another due to launch in Santa Monica soon—are designed to be eco-minded and plastic-free. All containers are biodegradable and compostable, with yoghurt cups made of sugar cane, verrine cups made of corn, and spoons made from wood and potatoes. Sno:la's countertops are crafted from recycled computer chips, and tabletops are based on eucalyptus, a fast-growing and sustainable tree. Wall decorations are made from recycled wood, and the concrete floors are soy-painted. Then too there's Sno:la's support of social causes: It gives 1 percent of its gross proceeds to Slow Food USA, which supports sustainable farming, and 1 percent of proceeds from its Chocolate Cremita flavour to the United Nations World Food Program, which helps children worldwide. All that on top of a range of seasonally flavoured yoghurt treats made with organic dairy products, "sweetened only by nature" and accompanied by a choice of some 40 toppings.

Need further proof that the frozen yoghurt industry is maturing? Red Mango recently launched Club Mango, a loyalty program that rewards customers for their purchases. Make no mistake: the era of differentiation has begun. Something to keep in mind for your own next big, yoghurty venture....?

Website: www.snolayogurt.com and www.snola.co.jp

Spotted by: PSFK via Raymond Kollau

TerraCycle and its ever-expanding list of eco-innovations have once again caught our eye. Not satisfied with simply making eco-fertilizer from organic waste and worm poop or turning old wrappers into eco-chic bags and accessories, the US-based company has now introduced a non-recyclable packaging collection system in several American big-box chain stores.

The collection project first began in 2007, letting the public (most often civic groups or schools) set up collection points for packaging and other waste. TerraCycle donates USD 0.02–0.06 to the charity of the collector’s choice for each unit that enters the system. The benefit for TerraCycle: a warm, fuzzy planet-saving glow, and a source of raw material for the upcycled products it sells, including pencil cases, lunch boxes and corkboards.

Now, two years later, the program is making its way into thousands of retail locations across America, thanks to partnerships with major chains like PETCO, OfficeMax, Home Depot and Best Buy. The ultimate plan is to establish permanent collection points in all of these chains’ stores nationwide, aiming for 10,000 retail locations by 2010. Consumers who live too far from one of the retail drop-offs can sign up to collect waste themselves.

Although coupling with major chains might seem to conflict with TerraCycle's grass-roots ethics, it's a highly effective way of scaling up their operation. It's not a bad deal for the retailers either, cutting a better profile where sustainability is concerned. A win-win for all concerned. Something to start up in other eco-minded regions?

Website: www.terracycle.net
Contact: info@terracycle.net

Spotted by: Treehugger via Raymond Kollau

The word "commune" may connote images of long-haired hippies and failed experiments, but in today's ailing economy, that's no reason to abandon the concept altogether. So goes the thinking behind Wanna Start a Commune?, a website now in beta that's dedicated to promoting a fresh take on the communal-living idea.

Wanna Start a Commune aims to provide members with the tools they need to share resources of many kinds, whether or not they actually live together. The site's 24-page "Tools for Commune Starters" pamphlet—downloadable for USD 3—includes a "get started" checklist, resource-sharing guide, potluck and workshop planning tools, organizational documents and technology tips for managing and growing a commune. Commune-related events are in the works; meanwhile, interested consumers can follow the organization's three pilot projects currently underway in the Los Angeles area at CuldesacCommune.org. In one pilot in Topanga, for instance, members are taking a communal approach to planting wildflowers, rodent control and building a new well, as well as carpooling and installing a communal pizza oven. The other two—one in Hollywood and one in Rustic Canyon—are teaming up to barter services, install a shared solar array, create a disaster preparedness plan and offer salsa dancing lessons. The group invites consumers interested in starting pilot projects of their own to contact the site for help.

There's nothing like necessity to make once-discredited ideas gleam anew with fresh possibility, and that's particularly true in this case given that neighbours are already forging new connections online and shoppers have begun teaming up to wield their crowd clout for discounts and other benefits. The communes of the '60s may not have lasted, but who's to say a modern approach won't make them just what we need today? (Related: Neighbourhood approach to renewable energy.)

Website: www.wannastartacommune.com
Contact: us@wannastartacommune.com

Spotted by: Alex Warren

Loews Hotels—which operates hotels and resorts in 16 cities across North America—recently announced its 'Adopt-a-Farmer' initiative. The aim is to promote local farming while providing customers with food made from ingredients that are locally-sourced, organic and sustainable.

For example, the Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego uses herbs and vegetables from its own garden, sourcing the rest of its ingredients from 12 local farming communities. The Miami Beach Hotel adds in local, farm-raised seafood. The company’s New York headquarters connected with the Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, procuring the only artesian sheep's milk made in the Hudson River Valley. Since many ingredients are seasonal, customers will have to wait until June for that strawberry tart, hopefully appreciating it all the more when it does arrive on the menu.

Furthering the brand's still made here approach, Loews Coronado Bay Resort is introducing "Farmers, Foragers and Fishermen"—a seasonal series of dinners, each of which pairs the resort's chef with a local purveyor, who dines with the guests and tells them about his or her products and methods. Although many eco-minded independent businesses already operate similar programs, it’s more unusual to see an entire hospitality chain adopt local farming. Which goes to show: size doesn’t have to get in the way of sustainability. (Related: Vacations that give back — Restaurant to close and reopen every season.)

Website: www.loewshotels.com
Contact: www.loewshotels.com/en/ContactUs.aspx

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

There are few products more eco-iconic than those that are stylishly but obviously constructed from other used goods. We've already covered a few examples—bags made from old airline seat covers, town banners or discarded wrappers, for example—but it wasn't until recently that we came across the idea of turning previously worn shirts into bibs.

Sure enough, Margo Roth, a Michigan-based entrepreneur who sells nuts and homemade jams through her company Jemfruit, has begun offering what she calls Dirt Shirts—an alternative to a tied napkin or traditional adult-sized bib that offers a more stylish and dignified way to keep messy eaters' clothes clean. Dirt Shirts are essentially regular collared, button-down shirts with the sleeves and most of the back removed. Adults in need of a little extra clothing protection while they eat simply slip the neck opening over their head, and the front of the shirt covers their own garments; most are lined, unless the fabric is heavy enough to do the job alone. Velcro squares sewn to the bottom even allow a "tray" to be formed to aid in catching crumbs. Dirt Shirts are available in a variety of styles, patterns and lengths for about USD 19. A video on YouTube demonstrates the Dirt Shirt in action.

There is no shortage of used clothing out there, making the Dirt Shirt an excellent candidate for emulation by minipreneurs with a crafty bent. A bunch of shirts, a needle and thread, and you're pretty much good to go! ;-)

Website: www.jemfruit.com
Contact: info@jemfruit.com