Blog Posts by Daily Grommet

Lots of us carry reusable shopping bags to the grocery store or farmer's market. But then we fill those thoughtful green bags with undesirable plastic that holds our fruit, vegetables, herbs and bulk food items. All those little plastic produce bags sure put a damper on the whole reuse strategy.

Wonder Thunder reusable cotton produce bagsBut it doesn't have to be that way. Wonder Thunder is solving this particular plastic dilemma with reusable vegetable bags that can be stored in the refrigerator or in your cupboards once you get home. The bags are made from unbleached cotton, have an organic cotton drawstring and come in sets of four: large, medium, small and herb.

Sasha Barr and Meagan Claire HallThe creators are Sasha Barr and Meagan Claire Hall, two Tennessee transplants living in Seattle. A few years ago they started printing pocket-size bags and totes in their hallway to keep busy during a long Seattle winter. Meagan and Sasha still make all their bags by hand - both draw the pictures, then Sasha does the screen prints and Meagan does the

Bheestie Bag to dry wet cell phones, iPods or electronic devicesThe last thing you want to hear when your cell phone slips out of your hands? Kerplunk. But it happens. An accidental dunking, a little rain or a spilled drink can quickly ruin a favorite phone, MP3 player, camera or watch.

Karen Wildman and Lisa Holmes, Bheestie After a soggy mishap, you need a Bheestie Bag. Named after the Indian word for a servant who draws and carries water, the Bheestie Bag is designed to remove moisture from personal electronics. You just drop your device in the bag, seal it, and the Bheestie pulls away the moisture. In fact, it can absorb up to a teaspoon of water. Sisters Karen Wildman and Lisa Holmes invented the Bheestie Bag after waging many battles against damaging moisture from sweat, rain, humidity and spills. The Bheestie can be used everyday to prevent corrosion, or in an emergency if one of your personal electronics gets soaked. It's designed to last up to a year, depending on how often you use it and how wet your devices are.

Adam Hawes, Eastcoastsnowboarding.com Editor Adam Hawes of Eastcoastsnowboarding.com

Invisibelt the invisible belt that stops low-rise jeans from gappingTo belt or not to belt? It's a question most of us have debated. You don't want to leave the house with a big gap at the back of your pants, yet a bulky belt buckle would ruin the lines of your fitted top. So which do you settle for, a loose waistline or a bulging midsection? Talk about a no-win situation.

Kathy Kramer, Invisibelt Kathy Kramer (left) used to tie shoelaces around her waist to cinch her pants without adding bulk, but the laces always slipped. So she used her expertise as a beauty editor and writer to invent this perfect low-profile alternative. Her Invisibelt lies completely flat. It holds up your pants without adding any bulk. Karen FinnYou adjust it to your size, so there's no trailing belt tail, then snap the clasp for a slim connection. As an added benefit, the Invisibelt is non-metallic and won't set off security alarms at the airport. We're so glad Daily Grommet friend Karen Finn told us about this slimming find. It's the perfect way to pull your outfit together… literally.

Buy

Green Garmento, hanging garment and laundry hamperDry cleaning is often reviled as being the least "green" option when it comes to laundering, but for those of us who work in an office or love cashmere sweaters, it's unavoidable. Dress shirts, business suits and evening wear just don't belong in washing machines. Still, Jennie Nigrosh and Rick Siegel knew there had to be a way to make the dry cleaning process more earth-friendly - beginning with the mountains of plastic that are used to cover laundry.

Jennie Nigrosh and Rick SiegelThe husband and wife team created the Green Garmento, a 48-inch reusable dry cleaning bag that's made of the same affordable polypropylene as your reusable grocery bags. With Green Garmento, you can skip the cleaner's single-use plastic hanging bags. But that's not all. At home, Green Garmento doubles as a hamper as it hangs up in your closet, ready to hold dirty laundry destined for the cleaners. When it's time to drop off your clothes, pull the drawstring and voila, now it's a duffel bag, ready for transport. And finally, leave the

Wanted: Strong, attractive, environmentally responsible mate. Must be willing to tote drinks, lunch, snacks, camera, maps and other essentials.

Found: Mountainsmith lumbar packs.

Mountainsmith Lumbar Packs.Just because you choose a green product doesn't mean you have to sacrifice quality or design. These packs are the perfect example. They're durable and comfortable, and they have all the compartments and features you need for an outdoor adventure. They're also made from 100% recycled polyester. The fabric is made from plastic bottles that otherwise would have wound up in landfills. The bottles are shredded and the plastic flakes are extruded into yarn, then spun and woven to create Montainsmith's proprietary fabric, called ReDura.

Lisa AustinFounded in 1979 by Patrick Smith, Mountainsmith was an early pioneer in outdoor gear and is known for its patented Delta Compression System. Our outdoor expert, Lisa Austin, raves about how the company devised straps that can be adjusted to distribute the weight

Handpresso Wild Domepod small portable espresso machineTired of paying a coffee house for a quality cup of espresso, or cleaning and maintaining your own expensive machine at home? The Grommet Team has found an easier (and greener) way to get great espresso. The Handpresso Wild Domepod is a hand-held espresso maker that requires only ground coffee, hot water and a few hand pumps to create the perfect cup at home, in the office and anywhere else you can think of.

The genius behind the Handpresso is Hendrik Nielsen who came up with the idea after drinking too much Hendrik Nielson, Handpressobad coffee while on the road. Nielsen, an inventor by trade, envisioned a simple, elegant alternative to fully automated machines and closed-pod systems - and he wanted it to be about the size of a Swiss Army knife. His solution is easy to care for (no maintenance or descaling is required) and small enough to hold in one hand and tuck into a bag, briefcase or luggage. It's also incredibly efficient. It uses 10 times less raw material than traditional espresso makers, and it

Nothing causes panic like the chime that warns your cell phone is running out of juice. And doesn't it always seem to happen just as you're trying to coordinate after-school pickups or tie up loose ends at work?

Finding a place to charge a mobile device isn't easy when you're on the go. Not to mention the hassle of carrying multiple chargers for all your myriad phones, music players, cameras and other gadgets. If you're sick of the battery drama, Ecosol's Powerstick can give you peace of mind. It's slim, just bigger than the size of a pack of gum, but has enough power to get you through a few more phone calls, or to make your MP3 player last through another tough workout.

Ecosol, Portable USB Charger, Cell Phone Travel Charger The Powerstick charges itself when it's plugged into a USB port on a desktop, laptop, car dashboard or airplane seat. Once it's charged, you can take it with you and charge virtually any portable device that's running low on batteries. Just pick one of the nine connectors that comes with the Powerstick to

Nothing puts a damper on a morning run like a pair of athletic shoes that are still moist from the day before. Likewise, no kid wants to hit the soccer field or tennis court in shoes that hold sweaty traces of earlier workouts. Wet shoes and boots used to spend a lot of time propped in front of heStuffitts dries and deodorizes shoesating vents after those soggy days. Not anymore. Daily Grommet has found an easier (and much less unsightly) way to remove moisture and keep shoes smelling fresh. It's called Stuffitts. These brightly colored, foot-shaped inserts are made out of highly absorbent eastern red cedar. Just slip them in your athletic shoes after a workout, or in your loafers after a sock-less summer day. Within an hour, 60% of the moisture will be gone. That's eight times faster than regular air drying.

The founder of Stuffitts is Mike Huebner, who was determined to find a better way Mike Huebner, Stuffittsto dry his running shoes and make them last longer. He tried to find a pair of cedar inserts that he had purchased years