TOOLS FOR GREEN LIVING.

Resources for eco-awareness and action

BABY ON BOARD

You're never too young to enjoy the outdoors. With Tough Traveler backpacks, even babies and small children can get in on the action. Its baby carrier backpack has easy-to-use adjustment straps, trampoline-mounted hip belts, and a large zippered storage pocket under the child's seat, providing both comfort and convenience. The packs can be further customized with diaper bag additions, stirrups for larger children, rain or sun hoods, and a whole range of other features. The packs come in several sizes and styles and are designed to support children up to 60 pounds. Prices for the carriers start at $90. CONTACT: Tough Traveler, (800)GO-TOUGH, www. toughtraveler.com.

--Hillary Young

DISHING IT OUT

There is perhaps no stronger test of environmental ethics than the family gathering--even the best of intentions can pale in the shadow of Aunt Ruby armed with a looming pile of styrofoam. This year, slip Enviro-Ware into the stack. These attractive, unbleached plates and dishes are not only disposable, but compostable--biodegrading in only 100 days. Petroleum-derived foam and plastic and tree-consuming paper are the unsustainable choice compared to the tropical plant matter base of Enviro-Ware (bamboo and sugar cane stalks that quickly regenerate). The long fibers create a material that can be microwaved, won't soak through, and is strong enough to support even a heaping portion of that secret-recipe lasagna. CONTACT: Enviro-Ware, [phone], www.enviroware.com.

--Jennifer Bogo

BEAUTIFYING THE BATH

Clearly Natural soaps are exactly that --clear and natural. In fact, the soap is so translucent that the company can, and does, put objects visibly inside your bar--from loofahs for ladies to rubber ducks for kids ($6.69). And if you prefer your soap to be just that, the company offers object-free bars as well (starting at 74 cents) that are beautifully tinted with pulsating waves of color.

These hypoallergenic soaps are made from 100 percent natural ingredients, including pure vegetable glycerine, aloe vera and vitamin E. They're not animal tested and don't use animal products. CONTACT: Clearly Natural, [phone], www. clearlynaturalsoaps.com.

--H.Y.

SANDWICH SAVERS

It's time to kiss those landfill-clogging sandwich baggies goodbye and move into the waste not, want not 21st century. Thanks to Bonnie Stromme, an enterprising mother of four, you can make the move with style. She's designed and patented reusable sandwich wrappers from her home in Loveland, Colorado. Each Wrap N' Mat comes in one of 15 fabric designs lined with plastic and closed with a Velcro strip. They're machine washable and incredibly durable, with uses ranging from veggie sandwiches to doggie treats. So give up the baggies because blue and yellow definitely doesn't make "green." Each mat is $5, plus $3 shipping and handling, for an order of up to four. CONTACT: Wrap N' Mat, PO Box 2664, Loveland, CO 80539/[phone].

--Meagan Boltwood

YOUR OWN KIND

As a reminder that the childhood lesson "be kind to others" applies to animals and the environment as well, the National Association for Humane and Environmental Education (NAHEE) publishes the classroom newspaper KIND. Articles, activities and celebrity interviews in this colorful resource are intended to foster compassion and respect, and are tailored to three reading levels for students in grades kindergarten through sixth. A magazine with reproducible worksheets, student ID cards and a classroom poster come with the $25 subscription, which includes 32 copies of the newspaper and a teacher's guide delivered every month of the school year. If you'd like to subscribe directly, or give KIND as a gift through the Humane Society's "Adopt-A-Teacher" program, CONTACT: NAHEE, [phone], www.kindnews.org.

--J.B.

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Although the E staff has doggedly reviewed many products over the years, it endorses none quite so enthusiastically as the mysteriously titled "Veat." There's no end to innovative meals concocted with this soy-based chicken substitute, which gives delicious new life to the much-maligned vegetarian "meat" category. High in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, but low in fat and cholesterol-free, Veat comes in both nuggets ($4.39) and breasts ($3.69). Now we're delighted to try our hands at its (mercury-free!) version of salmon, too ($4.39). Available in the freezer section of your natural foods store. If Veat ever needs a cookbook collaborator, they should definitely look us up. CONTACT: Veat, (888)321-VEAT.

--J.B.