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Thanks for creating such a useful resource! I have a quiz for you: What do weddings, 15 tons of Palm leaves, and the Statue of Liberty have in common?

I’ll tell you: Verterra. They are an elegant use of what would otherwise be burnt – fallen Palm leaves, to make beautiful, strong, affordable, and highly compostable plates, bowls, and platters, made in a highly efficient factory (see below). They’ve improved on so many fronts since even a year ago – Cost, distribution, quality, and sustainability of the factory. And I’d love your help in more people knowing about it by doing a review. You cover such a wide, beautiful range of wedding related things, this clearly is something your readers and you will enjoy.

There are so many “green” serviceware out there these days, it’s hard to tell which are walking the talk, work well, and are having a positive impact on the planet.

It turns out, if you look a bit below the surface, there’s much to be considered: How much energy does it take to recycle paper? To turn biological material into useable plates? How fast does a “compostable” or “biodegradable” plate really do that? What do they do/add to the plates to give them structure and durability?

If you’re looking at anything other then Verterra, you’re probably talking a fair amount of energy use, slow, condition specific composting, and chemical binding agents/lacquers to give them structure, that may release when in contact with hot food.

Verterra plates are entirely based on fallen palm leaves, 15 tons of them monthly, that would have otherwise been burnt as agricultural “waste” Now they’re turned into finely executed plates, bowels, and platters, that many people mistake for wood on first glance. Through strategic layering, the leaves bind to themselves, are sturdy enough to be usable in both the microwave and regular oven, and are have great structural integrity, each layer being made from one piece, rather then fragments bound into a whole.

Some fascinating stats:

None of the leaves are thrown away, and their total waste in a month is 2-3 consumer sized trash cans.
They just won, for the second year in a row, Best New Green Product at the influential Natural Products Expo East http://expoeast.com/expoeast09/public/Content.aspx?ID=1003103&sortMenu=109000
They are used in the concessions of the Statue of Liberty
Through improvements of the manufacturing process, they cost half what they did last year.
Their factory uses 10% of the energy it takes to make recycled paper plates
84% of their factory water gets reused, clean enough that the CEO drinks from it. This is up from 50% 2 years ago, and they’re aiming for 90%
They now powder the scraps from production, usable as fertilizer, brought back to the farmers that supply Verterra with leaves.

Thanks very much for considering this story, and helping more people know about an option making a big impact. And if I can answer any questions, fill in any blanks, you know where to find me.