Some useful information, some anecdotes, some rantings, and some inspiration
from my quest to make my family and perhaps the world around me A Little Greener Every Day

You know the stuff that mouse pads, water bottle sleeves, and laptop sleeves are made out of? You might now know the name, but you know what I’m talking about. It’s kind of stretchy and  spongy and has a bit of a migraine inducing smell (if you’re prone to chemically induced migraines – which I am). If you’re looking to cushion a blow to your laptop  or your metal water bottle it’s kind of helpful. But if you’re looking for something healthy for both you and the earth, it’s not so good in that area. The material is called neoprene, by the way.

Now there is an alternative to neoprene, called neogreene (clever, huh?) by GreenSmart. It’s healthier for you and healthier for the earth and does just as good of a job cushioning things from getting damaged. I was sent one of these neogreene laptop sleeves for my Macbook, and after using it for several weeks, I’m comfortable recommending it to you.

Here’s the eco-lowdown on neogreene:

• All water based adhesives
• No Chlorine
• PVC & Lead Free
• No Formaldehyde
• No VOCs (which means no neoprene stink!)
• 25% less petroleum than neoprene
• 25% less energy (compared to producing neoprene
• Even the green coloring of the Neogreene is a water based dye (neoprene cannot be dyed)

You can see from the picture that there is nothing funky or particularly stylish about my laptop sleeve made from neogreene, but hey, it’s a laptop sleeve. It gets stuck in my decidedly not stylish black backpack where it serves its function of protecting the laptop that provides me with my livelihood. I don’t need it to be neon-pink. I need it to function properly. And it does.

GreenSmart also has neogreene water bottle totes as well as bags as well a bottles to bags collection of various bags that have been made from recycled PET polyester — a product made from plastic water and soda bottles.

The neogreene laptop sleeves come in various sizes so you can get one that will fit your specific laptop and they range from $25  - $40 on their website. Here are a few specifics about the bags themselves.

The sleeves have 4mm walls for optimal protection and minimum weight. This sleeve also has a specially designed gusset and mesh interior to breath for your laptop. Ever think about putting your hot laptop in an insulated sleeve? Now your laptop will cool down that much faster. The neogreene is waterproof, too, so if you spill on the outside, no problem. Easy to grab zipper pulls (2, by the way) round out the thoughtfulness.