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> These beautiful forms are made of grain hulls and natural binders. And they will last for five years of regular use before breaking down. After that they can safely be thrown in the landfill or compost pile to decompose.

Why not buy beautiful ceramic or terra cotta vessels and use them "forever," with no five-year time limit? For that matter, I use my plastic vessels "forever," too, though I can understand that maybe the plastic manufacturing process was real skanky.

That said, though, plants in plastic containers need to be watered much less often, so there is a whopping savings in water usage. And, again, the containers last way more than five years.

I agree that these vessels are pretty, but "green"? I'm not buying it.

Gigi you are one tough customer!

The point here is subtle but extremely important, that this design is a "cradle to cradle" concept, whereby natural, organic materials can be pressed into service for a time, after which they return to the earth with no harm. In fact, they are "food" for the earth. This cannot be said of plastic.

And as for "forever", we have both plastic and terracotta pots and none of them will last for forever. Plastic gets skanky, bent and old, while terracotta eventually breaks (in our house).


Everything has it's life of use, after which it's either garbage or it can be "food".

Maxwell and Gigi,

I had a very strong connection to these pots when I saw them. The reason is that I always see pots in the garbage here in NYC. Terracotta, glass and plastic. There are a good number of people using these pots and just throwing them away. I also know there are many people in this city who throw houseplants away(and definitely orchids)well within five years. I would much rather they be throwing pots like the EcoForms away.

On top of these benefits and those that Maxwell listed, their shape and color really are very nice. I was shocked that something like this was so pleasing to look at and to touch. I can easily imagine someone taking this idea and reinventing it in many exciting forms.

I imagine there are places that do not consume in the way this city does. But for NYC I think this type of product may be very good for the amount of plants and flowers we chew up and spit out every year.

I can think of another advantage for avid gardeners who are also frequent movers, especially to different states or countries. Since we're trying to live a literally lighter lifestyle, investing in ceramic and terracotta doesn't always make sense (not that we don't, but it takes extra effort to move or do the garage sale or give-away thing). But as an evironmentally conscious people, we do feel a bit guilty about the plastic pots. We're staying in our current location for about 5 years, so these might make a lot of sense.

Also, we live close to large universities, where students literally dump *everything* at the end of the year. It kills me to see what goes into the landfill, most of it very usable (I'm not above dumpster diving, so I do my part). If we could replace just a little of the glass, plastic, etc. with these pots, it would be great -- at least, great if they'll still break down after a year, since things can get pretty anaerobic in a landfill.

I love the way these pots look. It is hard for me to imagine how they feel, their weight, etc, but they certainly are pretty. And heck why not use them if they look good and they'll break down in the compost pile after their useful life is over? This makes it a lot less guilt-inducing to throw away a dead houseplant, too.
~Monica

I don't think I would use a plant pot that had a five-year life span. It does seem like a big waste of money. I agree with gigi on this one.

I also re-use plastic containers to grow cuttings, to plant inside larger pots (especially important for restraining roots so that the plant will focus its efforts on the leaves), and for lots of other purposes. Unfortunately, plastic is still hard to avoid, since most new plant purchases come in plastic containers.

On the issue of terra cotta and ceramic's lifespan...in my home, broken terra cotta and ceramic pots get smashed with a hammer (very therapeutic, but keep the pot inside a closed bag when you do it!) and the shards are used as the drainage layer in other plant pots. I never have the opportunity to throw broken pots away, because they get used up very quickly.

man i wish the larger sizes were available online! if anyone has seen them, please let me know. i think these are so nice looking and the cradle-to-cradle aspect really sells me.

also - it does say they can be composted, not simply thrown in a landfill, where, i agree, they might not actually decompose as intended.

Some of us think that it's worth paying extra money for non-petroleum based products that will not sit for 100 years in landfills.

Now, if only GROWERS would pot in them, and bypass the plastic entirely at THAT stage, we'd really be getting somewhere...

I imagine less energy goes into making pottery vessels, and they are biodegradable, even with glazes (essentially just glass). Not sure why 'concept', which is really just marketing technique, needs to be applied here.

M, pottery vessels use a LOT of energy to make, just like ceramic tiles do.

i'm not trying to start an argument or be a jerk here, but i just want to put out there that glass & ceramics are not very biodegradable & can take thousands of years to be ground up into the earth. which is good for the archaeologists and all...

i think if these kinds of pots come down in price, they'd be excellent for growers. i just can't think of anyone with a small-ish farm who could afford them at present. but it would really be something...

i'm definitely going to track a few down. my thumb isn't exactly green when it comes to potted plants -- 5 years may be wishful thinking anyway.

Okay, if these pots break down in five years of ordinary use... are they going to start biodegrading all over the floor during year four?

Growers are using use these pots(or at least something similar). I was at the nursery this past weekend and everything I bought came in a biodegradable pot.

I live in Berkeley so I realize things are a *little* different here, but wherever there is customer demand sellers always find a way to satisfy.

I appreciate the thoughts on the length it takes for ceramic and plastic to biodegrade, and I'll keep that in mind in my gardening exploits.

But do that many people really only use a plant pot for five years or less? I've got plant pots I've been using and re-using for fifteen years or more!

I do wish the plants I buy from the nursery came in biodegradable pots....