Pet owners have a dilemma: Just like kids, pets require toys, supplies, medicines and the like. But greener options are a bit harder to find in the pet industry if you don’t know where to look.

One particularly tough challenge is dealing with cat litter. No one wants a stinky house, but estimates say over 2 million tons of cat litter – approximately 100,000 truckloads – end up in landfills every year. This costs pet owners a few hundred dollars annually to keep Felix fresh, and let’s not think about the huge environmental footprint all that litter creates.

There are definitely some greener alternatives. One choice is to check out a biodegradable litter made from sawmill scrap or waste from wheat or corn. Many of these litters can be composted or flushed instead of thrown out, although they can be a bit more expensive.

READ: The Best Green Products for Your Pet

Another option is a new litter by EnviroKats that is made of recycled tires. The shredded tires, when properly cared for, never have to be thrown out, meaning that one box could last as long as your feline friend.

Check out the video above to see how the whole topic got kicked off. What about you? Have you tried biodegradable or tire-based litter? Tell us your experiences in the comments below.

If you have your own green question for Earth911, post a video reply here or email socialmedia@earth911.com.

Around the world, 1.5 million children die every year from waterborne illness. One in five children worldwide die from diarrhea – more than AIDS, malaria and measles combined, according to UNICEF. And this concept is never more readily apparent than after a natural disaster.

Gaylon White, director of design programs for Eastman Chemical Co., explained to the audience at the 2011 Opportunity Green conference that most deaths from a natural disaster don’t occur from the disaster itself, but rather afterward, as diseases spread. This makes bringing in clean water one of the first major hurdles and priorities to helping victims.

The Hydropack, developed by Eastman Chemical and Hydration Technology Innovations (HTI), is a less expensive and more effective alternative to bottled water. The environmental and financial savings inherent in these flat packs is huge: According to White, one helicopter carrying Hydropacks can bring in enough packs to create the equivalent water brought in by 15 helicopters carrying bottles.

“Every time that we haul water around the world for disaster response, it means that we are being 20 times less efficient or 20 times more expensive that we could be with a Hydropack answer,” said White. He also said that, had the U.S. used Hydropacks in Haiti, it could have saved more than $700,000 every day in water transport and reallocated those funds to other relief measures.

“It’s important that we recognize the consequences of doing nothing. Saving money can mean saving more lives,” said White.

So what is the Hydropack, exactly?

Gaylon White, director of design programs for Eastman Chemical Co., shows the Hydropack at various stages of completion to attendees at the 2011 Opportunity Green. Photo: Jennifer Berry, Earth911

The Hydropack is, essentially, a pouch that can create clean, drinkable water from absolutely any source – from Kenyan flood water to L.A. sewer water. After dropping the pack into a local water source, it works by forward osmosis, which is the same process by which trees draw water up their root system.

Using a semi-permeable membrane, the pack brings in water and blocks viruses, bacteria and heavy metals. It also contains calories, carbohydrates and a bit of flavor that essentially makes it taste like a sports drink.

Even though the Hydropack is a currently a single-use vehicle for creating drinkable water, the savings in fuel and transportation are significant. And beyond this, providing a reliable source of water means that one more essential element to life is taken care of for the people suffering in extreme conditions. This allows for other issues to be addressed, for recovery to begin, and for a significant stressor on parents to be relieved.

“The mothers in Namibia want the same things for their children as the mother’s here in Los Angeles […] what mother’s anywhere want for their children,” said White.

Editor’s Note: Earth911 received complimentary passes to attend the 2011 Opportunity Green conference, where it was an official Media Partner

“The value that customers get from a product or service has to be consistent,” said Annie Lescroart of eBay. “When we think about scale as sustainability professionals, we need to think about persistent consumer values like style and cost, and not ask people to make a sacrifice for green.”

Here are our fav picks from the conference that embody smart design, cost-savings and environmental savvy.

1. BMW ActiveE

The BMW Active E is the first all-electric car from the luxury auto-maker. Photo: Jennifer Berry, Earth911

The BMW ActiveE is everything you’d expect from BMW – design, luxury and quality. One major difference: It’s 100 percent electric, offering a range of 100 miles per charge. The car isn’t simply a gas model with an electric engine, it’s designed with BMW’s “Purpose Build,” and incorporates tech to improve range such as carbon fiber to reduce weight and active cooling to extend battery life. Like a typical sedan, it incorporates four seats, usable trunk space and rear-wheel drive.

2. Indo Teak Design

These Bali boatwood chairs from Indo Teak Designs showcase 100 percent reclaimed design. Photo: Jennifer Berry, Earth911

Indo Teak Designs produces high-quality, cost-competitive wood products from 100 percent reclaimed teak. From paneling to furniture, the custom-design based, Forest Stewardship Council certified company has zero-waste operations. On top of that, Indo Teak reclaims the wood by hand from seasoned Indonesian structures up to 300 years old.

3. BottleHood

Bottlehood not only recycles actual wine and liquor bottles, but byproducts from their manufacture, such as wine barrels. Photo: Jennifer Berry, Earth911

If it isn’t recycled, glass takes more than 4,000 years to break down. BottleHood reclaims glass from local restaurants, bars and events and repurposes it into everything from glassware to lamps to jewelry. The company even reuses the wood from barrels for platters to make functional housewares, going beyond typical drinking glasses to additional, creative designs.

4. Boxman Studios

Shipping container designs from Boxman studios go beyond the typical one-off architectural experiment. Photo: Jennifer Berry, Earth911

You won’t find your typical run-of-the-mill shipping container designs at Boxman Studios. Building everything from stages to retail spaces, the company is unique in the shipping container biz. “What makes us different is that we are a vertical company, so we do the design, the manufacturing, all the logistics,” says David Campbell, CEO. “Usually [shipping container projects] are a one-off, but I wanted to create a space where if somebody wanted to do something with us it wouldn’t be ungodly expensive.

5. Cardborigami

Tina Hovsepian created Cardborigami shelters out of simple, folded cardboard to provide easily transported pop-up homes. Photo: Jennifer Berry, Earth911

Tina Hovsepian, founder and creator of Cardborigami, saw a problem with living conditions for the homeless in southern California. The determined designer created an amazing foldable shelter made entirely of cardboard. Hovsepian told Earth911 that she hopes for the final product to be waterproof, flame-retardant and recyclable. These instant shelters can not only be customized to help give residents a sense of home, but they also have doors for extra privacy.

Editor’s Note: Earth911 received complimentary passes to attend the 2011 Opportunity Green conference, where it was an official Media Partner

Gov. Pete Shumlin of Vermont, being interviewed by journalist and author Simran Sethi, receives the 2011 Green Governor of the Year award at Opportunity Green in Los Angeles. Photo: Jennifer Berry, Earth911

Stop talking about sustainability. Cut your chatter on energy-efficiency. Take carbon offsets off the table.

This is the message of Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) of Vermont. But before you raise your voice in protest, Shumlin does not want “green” professionals and advocates to abandon their efforts, but rather, the way they talk about them.

“There are two things we need to do: One, agree that we need to talk in language people understand. I’m always struck by how good the other side is. They are so good at marketing what is so bad, and we are so bad at marketing what is so good,” Shumlin told participants at the Opportunity Green conference in Los Angeles last week where he received the 2011 Green Governor of the Year award.

Vermont has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and is making serious investments into renewable energy with a goal to derive 90 percent of the state’s power from renewable sources by 2050. According to Shumlin, for every dollar spent on renewable energy in Vermont, $4.60 is gained.

“’Energy efficiency’ means nothing to my people. ‘Sustainability’ means nothing, frankly, to my people,” he said. “I talk about this simple fact: I’m convinced that as we move from a society that’s driven by oil to other ways of powering the world, this thing is going to make the industrial revolution and the tech boom look small.”

Shumlin also added that he has to “tell the whole story” about how energy affects every aspect of his constituents’ lives, including transportation, food security, safety and health.

“It’s the way we talk about it – we need to be enthused about the economic opportunities that we all have. This is an exciting thing; we [Americans] are the most innovative people in the world.”

Shumlin, who says advocates are “very scared of articulating the truth, we’ve been beaten and muzzled for so long,” calls for communication that relates to basic human needs.

“I’m convinced that all of us […] if we can speak with conviction about what we believe, speak in plain English instead of the terms that we use, about the challenge that we have ahead and how high the stakes are and speak with more passion about the opportunity economically to drive the engine of this country, we will all find that it is the most single important work we can do.”

Editor’s Note: Earth911 received complimentary passes to attend the 2011 Opportunity Green conference, where it was an official Media Partner

Nail polish is a tricky thing – and we’re not talking about a clean paint job on your fingers and toes.

Recently, an Earth911 reader, dubbed “Puzzled in Phoenix,” submitted a video question asking our editors what to do with her dried out nail polish.

The first thing to know is that the U.S. EPA considers nail polish to be household hazardous waste (HHW). This is because, among other attributes, it’s flammable and contains toxic chemicals. Whether or not your polish is dried out, you can’t toss your bottles into the recycling or trash bins. And don’t even try pouring it down the drain.

So what’s a stylish gal to do? Whether your polish is dried or still in liquid form, you can take it to you local HHW facility where the pros will make sure it’s safely disposed.

Make sure to call ahead as you typically have to be a resident of the county or city who runs it, and it may have limited operating hours. Don’t forget to bring your old paint, motor oil, cleaners and the like as well: According to the EPA, the average person creates 4 pounds of HHW every year.

If there isn’t an HHW facility nearby, there’s a mail-back program you can utilize instead. Just make sure to check out the details before you send in your stuff.

If you’re tired of your polish and it’s still useable, you can always swap with a friend or find other ways to use it around the house. Clear coat works great to seal items around your house, like preventing steel cans in your shower from rusting (just paint the bottom!) or sealing a label on your prescription bottle so it doesn’t smudge. You can use colors to mark and organize items in a drawer, label plants in your garden, and the like.

Have a question for Earth911? Post a video reply here or email socialmedia@earth911.com.

If you’ve ever felt passionate about a cause, you know how doubly rewarding it is to find people who care just as much as you do and want to engage others in your issue.

But finding additional (potentially) like-minded people can be difficult, and communicating regularly and effectively with them, a challenge.

To help find the best practices for your growing movement, Earth911 traveled to Mediabistro’s Socialize West conference in San Francisco. Of course, we’re all about recycling and environmental issues, but these easy steps can have you off and running in the world of social media no matter what change you’re trying to create.

1. Identify

Hopefully, you’ve already taken this step by focusing on what you want to change or improve in your community. But what really counts in social media is finding out who your audience is and where they’re talking online. Facebook may have over 800 million users and be the third largest equivalent country in the world, but what if your audience prefers Quora, Digg, or another network?

“Create the space for people to have community, for people to talk to us and to also talk to each other,” said Suz Lipman, who manages social media for outdoor-bound the Children & Nature Network, a non-profit dedicated to reconnecting children with nature. “We have a great NING network called C&NN Connect, and we also use Twitter and Facebook.”

READ: Energy Saving Goes Social on Facebook

2. Find Your Story

Your founder may have a fantastic reason for starting up your cause, but is that the most compelling story you can tell?

Geno Church, word of mouth inspiration officer for Brains on Fire, said, “Whoever tells the best story wins. Especially with not-for-profits: what is their DNA, what is their roots?”

Church demonstrated this concept with the story of Love146.org, a non-profit working to end child sex slavery and exploitation.

“Love146 went from an organization to a story – other people could share it for them.”

If you’re looking for a more compelling story, Church suggests being among the people or situation you’re trying to help as much as possible: “Get your hands dirty; find out what they’re really going through.”

READ: 20 Years, Our 20 Favorite Stories

3. Channel Passion into Action

Once you have people inspired, action is the next step to taking your cause to a movement. The key to doing this is to provide your audience with the tools and resources they need to go out into their own community and bring in new members.

Love146.org has more than 160 Task Forces worldwide and a dedicated website, 146taskforce.org, where members share ideas, encouragement, photos and what they are working on locally.

Children & Nature Network offers its audience original research, digests of other studies, news and toolkits so community members are empowered to go forth and actually make the changes the organization is working towards.

“Our toolkits are for families who might wish to create their own clubs, for individual leaders 18-30, for pediatricians and others, and they’re in English and Spanish. The toolkits help people engage and find where they fit in,” said Lipman, who added that you must “offer tangible resources.”

READ: Organize an America Recycles Day Event

4. Personalize

Show your community how their daily actions not only affect your cause as a whole, but help change the lives of real people.

“People are willing to give when it’s at an individual level versus a group level,” said Church. “Try to get stories out where people can give to follow the story […] I think part of it is what can you do to make it easy for them to see that their money is a reward [to someone else].”

Social media is certainly amazing, but you can’t forget the power of individual interactions. By bringing in real stories of the people or places your organization is helping, you will enable both your donor and recipients to feel more connected.

5. Give Up Control

“Amazing things happen when you give up ownership,” said Church, who defines a movement as, “The magic that happens when people share their passion for a brand or a cause, and it sustains itself and gets a life of its own.”

According to Church, movements are rooted in passion. While a simple campaigns has a definite start and end, and also involve an organization talking about itself, movements are “about others talking about you.”

To give up control, you have to trust your audience. “Trust gives permission to your employees and customers to share their passion in authentic ways,” says Church. This trust also builds your connection further and more deeply. “Would you have real relationship to fall back on if all social media came down?” he mused.

6. Have a Dedicated Manager

Last, but certainly not least, do not neglect the real, human element in your work: your community manager.

“I’m sort of a hub. I know lots of different parts that are going on,” says Lipman. Who is also a blogger for Slow Family Online. “Also, I’m a human presence online so when people comment on our Facebook page, I comment back, I thank people for sharing, I share my own personal stories. You have to be genuine and have a distinct voice.”

Lipman also advises listening to ensure your continued communication gives your audience exactly what they need. “What are people wanting? Why have they come here? Give them space to add their piece to it.”

Editor’s Note: Jennifer Berry received a complimentary press pass from Mediabistro to attend this conference.

Project Green Challenge empowers students to make their lives more sustainable, from gardening to fashion. Photo: Courtesy of Project Green Challenge

The Project Green Challenge (PCG) is a brand new competition that’s making waves. A 30-day eco lifestyle initiative designed “to inspire high school and college students to transition from conventional to conscious,” it runs through the month of October with simple, high-impact daily steps.

Participation in the challenge is skyrocketing. More than 2,600 students  from more than 500 schools have signed up since its kickoff on Oct. 1, with participants in 48 states and 20 countries.

Dreamed up by the creative minds at eco-student organization Teens Turning Green, PCG runs till Oct. 31 – and there’s still time to join.

Although participants are vying for cool prizes like a green dorm makeover, a bicycle, or a $5,000 scholarship, the daily challenges are more about empowering students to make small yet impactful changes in their everyday lives.

READ: Students! Win $5K, Dorm Makeover and More

“Amidst the craziness of class, work, friends, and sleep, it’s hard to always make time in your life for the environmentally-friendly practices you believe in and want to support,” writes Raychel, a PCG participant. “Being a part of PGC has allowed me to set aside time each day to do just that, and hopefully by the end of the month, this time and these habits will become so ingrained in me that I can’t help but live them out everyday!”

Moreover, students are learning how to understand how their actions impact sustainability as a whole.

Even through the challenge is almost up, there’s still time to jump in and participate in its last week to make a difference and check out PCG’s Green Guides. Plus, you’ve already got a head start being an Earth911 reader, as a day completely focused on recycling is coming this week.

Editor’s Note: Earth911, Inc. is an official media partner of the 2011 Project Green Challenge. It was not compensated for its participation, but rather, Earth911 was utilized as a resource throughout PCG.

Photo: Flickr/Velo Steve

Home repairs can be a costly (and wasteful!) endeavor. Especially if you need a new roof, the upcoming winter may feel like more of a gamble than it should.

Earth911 and Owens Corning are teaming up to make sure you have a better winter. All you have to do is read this story and jump on Twitter or Facebook for a chance to win. Here are the details for where you can win this week:

• Facebook Quiz: Read this story to get all the answers then show off your smarts with our latest Facebook quiz. One lucky participant will win a 30 percent ($1,000 value) off discount for a new, residential roof. Translation? You save $1,000 and your shingles will be recycled responsibly. The quiz won’t last forever, so go now!
• Thursday, Oct. 6, join @Earth911 and @Owens Corning, along with top green building experts to talk about how recycling shingles can make a huge difference in the environment. One lucky participant will win a 30 percent ($1,000 value) off discount Owens Corning shingles for a new residential roof! All you have to do is follow the #RecycleShingles hashtag from 8-9 a.m. Thursday and chat with us! [Editor's Note: This Twitter chat has already finished and only the Facebook quiz is still live]

Owens Corning is a pioneer in roof recycling, and they’re helping more and more contractors around the country make sure that shingles get recycled, instead of trashed. Shingles persist in the landfill for more than 300 years – a waste of valuable petroleum that could be recycled into new asphalt for roads. Your roof can make a big difference: So far, Owens-Corning has recycled enough roofing material to drive a car around the earth 3,000 times.

If you need a new roof, you can also visit Owens Corning to find out what contractors have taken their Roofing Shingle Recycling Pledge and make sure that your renovation is greener than ever.

Read the Official Rules of the Giveaways here.

The new Project Green Challenge calls on all high school and college students to improve themselves and the environment with one “challenge” each day for 30 days, starting Oct. 1.

These challenges will be based on a daily theme and come complete with resources, tips, a glossary, experts, videos and more. There are even green, greener, and greenest levels, which students can complete and share with their peers on ProjectGreenChallenge.com utilizing Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

The amazing prizes up for grabs include a $5,000 college scholarship, $1,000 Whole Foods Market gift card, weekend trip for two to southern California, bicycle courtesy of Natracare, full eco-dorm or room makeover, a year’s supply of Nature’s Path breakfast and snack foods, organic and ethical clothing, natural body products and more.

Ten finalists will be flown to San Francisco for an educational and inspiring two-day eco summit, called Green University, where leaders like Josh Dorfman and Rachel Sarnoff will be speaking. And, if students don’t want to go it alone, groups and even entire schools can sign-up to participate.

“I want to inform and inspire, showing my peers that small changes in our daily actions really can have a positive effect on our health and the environment,” says Erin Schrode, co-founder and spokeswoman for Teens Turning Green, who created Project Green Challenge. Teens Turning Green is a student-led movement devoted to education and advocacy around environmentally and socially responsible choices for individuals, schools and communities.

Earth911 is proud to be an official Media Partner for Project Green Challenge. We’ll be participating in daily challenges throughout the campaign, so consider yourself one-step ahead of the competition! Check out Project Green Challenge now and register in time for the kick-off Oct. 1. You can also like them on Facebook and follow on Twitter for updates.

Homepage image: Hannah Gross and Ally Zarin via Project Green Dorm. See the video here.