Becoming more environmentally aware of my actions and of those around me has actually become a double edged sword. On the one hand, of course it’s a blessing. It’s a blessing for me to be able to adapt, quite easily, to making better choices and for educating my children with the facts they need to further promote these ideas in their own lives. However, it’s also a curse.

A curse when I see a neighbour wasting gallons of precious water, hosing leaves off their driveway for 20 minutes or seeing the devil incarnate (aka Styrofoam) in cup and plate form at social events (and, according to TIME magazine, “Americans trash an estimated trillion disposable plates and utensils every year”).  Just tragic.

So,  imagine how fabulous it was when Paul Smith – founder of the excellent Green Smith Consulting, contacted me with news that VerTerra, THE  company to go to for disposable, leaf-based plates and platters have just completely revamped their line for 2009! What better than disposable plates made from a 100% renewable source? …. fallen leaves!

VerTerra (based on the Latin phrase Veritas Terra or “true to the earth”) are on a mission and that is to produce the highest quality products using sustainable production methods and fair wage labor for the environmentally and socially conscious consumer. The end result is pure genius. Using pure materials that they borrow—and then return—to the earth. VerTerra’s hope is that this practice will conserve resources for generations to come.

“From start to finish, the impact we make on the earth is our top priority. We start by collecting fallen leaves from plantations without cutting down any trees. Normally, these leaves would be burned on the side of the road. Instead, they are brought to our factory, sprayed with high pressure water, steamed and UV sterilized. We recapture over 80% of the water we use. No chemicals, lacquers, glues, bonding agents or anything toxic are ever used. The entire process uses only a fraction of the energy used in recycling.”

Nicely de-granolafied in execution, VerTerra offer everything from tiny event friendly 4″x4″ plates to huge platters, with some beautiful bowls rounding it out and which have also been proven to be washable and reusable – up to 10 times and counting (probably due to the fact that these babies are forged from one piece of material and not a composite of fibers so they are more structurally sound). In fact,  in comparison to other eco plate options, they compost and biodegrade faster (and without special circumstances to do it), maintain their shape with heat and liquids, and are completely natural (so no binders, bleach, lacquers, nuclear waste, etc.)

They’re great for restaurants, parties or caterers in need of a substantial amount of plates that wouldn’t require washing, yet they look nice and, since they’re  leaf -based, rapidly go back to nature upon disposal.  Budding domestic EcoDivas could also make a huge green statement at home by using them for their next soirée! Hey, they’ve even just been selected for use by the NBA for their 2009 All-Star Game VIP party in Phoenix and also for use at one of the NFL’s official Super Bowl Parties – so if these big guys can get in touch with their green side, then surely we must be able to!

Apart from being washable, microwaveable, compostable and biodegradable (in less than 2 months, actually), what amazed me was the fact they’re also able to be used in an oven for up to 45 minutes at 350 degrees!!

So, if you’re in the market for some fab, sustainably correct and super sexy dinnerware to wow your guests then click here and let’s get cracking! Oh, just one thing to note – due to the extremely high popularity of this brand, lead time for orders is around 8-12 weeks (yikes!) so you’ll need to think ahead and order now for those summer BBQ’s!

What? You think these plates grow on trees, or something?…