ECONOTES : You Gotta Use Things--Just Keep ‘Em Green

For anyone interested in green shopping, the 10th edition of “The Consumer’s Guide to Planet Earth” is just out. Publisher Randy Schultz of Schultz Communications in Albuquerque, N.M., scouts the country for companies that manufacture earth-friendly products.

He’s found the usual recycled paper gift-wrap, organic foods, and energy-efficient doors and windows, along with some new entries--serving trays made of recycled plastic and a new line of soft drinks that come in bottles consumers refill at self-serve dispensers in stores.

“One of the nicest things happening is that the environmental movement keeps moving mainstream,” Schultz says.

Schultz says his consumer guide is deliberately positioned as middle-of-the road environmentalism. “We recognize that living in America means you have to consume things, but we also think many of these choices can be greened up and we want to promote that.”

The guide is carried in natural food stores or can be ordered by sending $7 to Schultz Communications, 9412 Admiral Nimitz N.E., Department CG10, Albuquerque, N.M. 87111.

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Finish line: Curbside recycling, launched in Los Angeles in January, 1990, has finally rolled to the Westside. The sixth and last phase of the program was kicked off this week with an information fair in Century City. The Westside recycling district stretches from La Brea to the ocean, bordered by Mulholland Drive on the north and Westchester Boulevard on the south. The completion date for Westside service is mid-summer, 1995.

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Solar Sites: Want to see what life is like with no utility bills? Saturday’s second National Tour of Independent Homes includes 200 houses powered by alternative energy. The tour, sponsored by Real Goods Trading Corp. to spotlight technological advances in solar energy, includes a handful of homes in Southern California. For details on the tour home nearest you, call (800) 762-7325.