How To Cut Your Carbon Paw Print

Newsweek, October, 2007 by Joan Raymond

Derrick Mains, 34, of Mesa, Ariz., considers himself a green kind of guy. He recycles, doesn’t litter and eats organic. But Mains, an environmental consultant, still feels eco-guilty. That’s why he buys his two rescue dogs, Copa and Lola, all-natural, organic food. And instead of plastic bags that wind up in landfills, he’s using a biodegradable box to scoop up their waste. Next on the agenda? Leashes made from earth-friendly hemp. “My dogs and I are trying to save the planet,” Mains says.

Since neither Copa nor Lola can vote for the Green Party, it’s up to humans like Mains to make “the right choices that can help pets be more in tune with the environment,” says Anthony Zolezzi, coauthor of “How Dog Food Saved the Earth.” And more consumers are making those choices. According to market-research firm Packaged ...