The world of lawn decor is full of lighting options, some more clever than others, some downright junky. Solar lights can be found in pathway lighting, stepping stones, faux landscape rocks, statuary (check out this gargoyle) and even novelties like the ladybug and turtle garden lights, not to mention gnomes playing checkers. Located at the intersection of eco-consciousness, design fetishism and the impulse that gave us luminarias is the Sun Jar (pictured) in yellow or chilly blue. Manufactured by a British firm with the facetious name Suck UK, the elegantly simple lantern uses the kind of Mason jar your grandma (or, depending on your age, great-great-grandma) probably used to can produce from the garden. Housed within that watertight seal (and therefore weather-proof) is a small solar panel, a battery, and an energy-sipping LED lamp; leave it out on the patio in direct sunlight, and come dusk it will emit a warm glow to light your cookout. The lamp can also be used indoors, so long as it gets charged in direct sun — sitting on a window sill, for instance. Available in the U.S. from Elsewares ($40).

You’re going green, so, doggone it, don’t forget Fido! Environmentally-friendly and socially-conscious green pet products are popping up all over the Web. At Eco Pet Life, you’ll find the perfect green starter kit to make your own natural flea and bug spray, biscuits, cleansing wipes and dry powder shampoo ($28). The Go Organic kit is no-commitment way to see if Spot’s taste buds warm to organic dog food ($16). The kit includes a three-pound bag of dry Organix adult canine formula, two cans of Organix adult canine formula and a box of Organix chicken-flavor dog cookies, all packaged in a reusable container. At Fabulous Pooch Lifestyle, four-legged friends can get glam with everything from organic shampoo to breath drops (yes, even Fido gets morning breath!) ($11 to $15). Olive is a one-stop-shop for green pet goodies. The recycled-cotton nesting bed with recycled PET fiberfill is sure to bring Spot sweet dreams ($80). The three-eyed alien plush dog toy made from natural wool yarn treated with vegetable-based dyes and hand-knit by a women’s collective in Kenya will rev up Rover for play time ($28). Want to do a little research without jumping head first into product buying? Eco Dog: Healthy Living for Your Pet is a new comprehensive guide to environmental dog care. As a bonus, you’ll learn several do-it-yourself projects, like how to recycle worn-out sweaters into a blanket for your pup or make a rosemary conditioner flea collar ($12).

It’s not always easy being green, but you can look chic doing it. With companies like Ikea and Whole Foods Market going plastic bag-free, it pays to invest in a reusable shopping tote. Uncommon Goods offers two unique options: The Recycled Newspaper market bag ($52) is made from recycled sections of The New York Times. Each bag is handmade and coated in water-resistant laminate. The Waste Not Want Not tote ($24) is made from 80 percent post-industrial recycled cotton and 20 percent post-consumer recycled plastic and features an original illustration by designer R. Nichols. Fredflare.com’s Go Green totes are made of natural canvas and printed with water-based inks, and a portion of the sales goes to the World Wildlife Fund. Delight.com’s Think Green organic Kermit tote ($38.95) is made of organic cotton and comes with three detachable green-themed buttons. Buy a tote emblazoned with “My Bag Cares” and be in your face with your environmental consciousness. For each $20 bag purchased, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant a tree in your name in the U.S. Fashionistas can trot out a Marc by Marc Jacobs canvas tote with logo lettering on the front ($148) or Juicy Couture’s Go Green tote featuring a heart-shaped recycling graphic ($75). Shoe company Nine West has partnered with Project Green to create reusable canvas bags ($20) featuring the slogans “Green Girls Are Sexy” and “Fashion Cares, Green Is Chic.” Seeking a one-stop-shop for reusable bags? Try ReusableBags.com, a comprehensive site showcasing all sizes and shapes of shopping bags, reusable bottles and lunch bags.

Do a Google search for “plastic shoes” and the first site to come up is Crocs (pictured). Originally intended as a slip-resistant boating and outdoor shoe when introduced in 2002, the bulbous, brightly colored sandals quickly became wildly popular with kids and adults around the world, much to the chagrin of the style-conscious. (See I Hate Crocs, a site devoted to destroying the omnipresent footwear. There’s even a store where haters can purchase anti-Croc T-shirts and pins.) Those who swear by their Crocs love Croslite, the foam resin from which they are made, which forms itself to the foot and causes them to be extremely comfortable and durable, not to mention relatively inexpensive when compared with Birkenstocks, another popular, much maligned “ugly” shoe. To view the wide array of shoe styles now available from Crocs, including heels, check out the company’s footwear section. But wait. These are plastic. Plastic is bad for the planet, right? It sits in landfills and ends up in the stomachs of wildlife. Aren’t we all trying to be more ecologically aware? That’s where SolesUnited comes in. Launched by Crocs, Inc., in January, the footwear donation program aims to get folks to recycle their old Crocs, which will be made into new “quality footwear for people in need worldwide.” Crocs has already donated more than one million pairs of shoes through SolesUnited, with celebs such as Madonna and Wyclef Jean lending their support to the program. Meanwhile, Brazilian-made Melissa Shoes, also plastic, are the product of a socially responsible company that employs sustainable practices and pays its employees above-average wages and benefits. Check out the Desire & Triton Red Hot Heels ($58) and other styles at Kaight. All shoes are made from Melflex, a recyclable, extremely flexible PVC. The company also recycles 99.9 percent of the factory’s water and waste and even recycles overstocked styles into next season’s collection.

Eco-fashion has come a long way since the celebration of the first Earth Day in 1970. It’s no longer just yoga pants and T-shirts spun from organic cotton. You can even get the “green” equivalent of that wardrobe essential: The little black dress. The Habitude organic hemp/silk double V tie-back dress ($209), with its empire waist and soft gathers at the bust, is an updated classic that even Jackie O might pair with pearls and black heels. Feel lucky in this bamboo jersey black dress ($140) Your girlfriends may be green with envy when you walk into the party wearing the Surplus dress (pictured) with a figure-flattering plunge neckline, under-bust panel and trendy puffy sleeves ($110). Another party-worthy frock is the Edie dress, a retro-mod mini ($68). Like many eco-fashion boutiques, Passenger Pigeon, named after an extinct bird that once populated North America, uses environmentally friendly textiles, such as organic cotton and hemp harvested and manufactured without the use of pesticides or sweatshop labor. Its spring collection includes several dresses –– some for summer days and others for summer nights –– from $182 and $222. This stylish Grace and Cello Metropolis blazer with three-quarter length sleeves and a notch collar is lined and made of organic cotton twill and satin acetate ($141). Browse for bamboo and hemp blouses at Exclusively Green. No wardrobe is complete without jeans. Earth-friendly denim jean makers create their wares without bleaching, pre-distressing, chemical sprays or resin treatments. Del Forte encourages recycling of its own product with its Project Rejeaneration: Turn in a used pair of Del Norte jeans and get a 10 percent discount on your next purchase or donate the amount to the Sustainable Cotton Project. Get the capri look with the Sequence pair from Nau made of cotton grown on land that’s been free of chemicals for at least three decades ($50).

The term “biodegradable” is generally interpreted as a good thing when it comes to talk of protecting the earth, but in fact no legal definition, set of standards or regulatory agency currently exists to make it so. The descriptor has been used for products that can take hundreds of years to decompose or that break down into harmful toxins. Which is why the Federal Trade Commission has stepped in with guidelines that limit the marketing of biodegradable products to those that “break down and decompose into elements found in nature within a reasonably short amount of time when they are exposed to air, moisture and bacteria or other organisms.” To get up to speed on what biodegradable products are available to consumers this Earth Day 2008, visit the Biodegradable Store, where the product categories include food containers, plates, bowls, utensils, cold cups, hot cups, bags, napkins, trays and accessories made from corn, sugarcane and paper. Imagine taking compostable utensils on your next picnic. Made of non-GMO vegetable starch, these forks, knives, and spoons are suitable with food up to 200 degrees, and they are 100 percent guaranteed to return to nature in 30 to 45 days “under commercial composting conditions.” Home composting may take longer, and throwing them into the landfill with your other trash will impede biodegrading ($5.95 for a pack of 50 forks or $54.93 for a case of 1,000). Another great product is the compostable Biobag for Dog Waste (50 bags for $5.49). It makes no sense to “clean up” after your dog using plastic bags that will preserve their poop in landfills for the ages. Don’t have a dog? These bags are big enough and versatile enough for many uses. I’ve seen them at the supermarket, being used to hold fresh produce. At Independent Ad Specialities, the makers of “all that promotional stuff” with company logos on it — pens from the bank, air fresheners for the car, tote bags, balloons — now has pages of biodegradable alternatives. Soon to come in consumer-friendly quantities (hopefully) but available to mass retailers: biodegradable pots (pictured) and dinnerware from Enviroarc. Plastic is forever, folks. How unnatural is that?