Green Eye for a Great Buy

Demand Rises for Recycled and Organic Home Products

The hot gift this holiday season (in our humble, green-leaning opinion): anything recycled or organic. Demand for home products made from recycled or organic materials grew by 66 percent in 2001 and continues to rise, according to research conducted by New Hope Natural Media in Boulder, Colo. Plenty of niche sellers such as EcoPlanet.com offer organic cotton sheets, furniture made from non-toxic materials, and other eco-friendly wares. "The main reason people are demanding organic products is for health reasons, like preventing cancer and protecting groundwater," says Lester Kan, vice president of EcoPlanet. Big-time retailers are also getting into the game: L.L. Bean, for example, now offers chairs made from recycled plastic jugs, and Petsmart sells dog beds fashioned from clear plastic bottles. To find retailers selling all manner of recycled goods, check out GreenGiftGuide.com, a website produced by the California Department of Conservation.