The Dish on Green Disposables,

By Jeremy Caplan

Verterra, a hyper-green New York City start-up, the solution is simple: fallen leaves and steam. That's all it takes to make the new plates and bowls Verterra hopes will soon change how Americans serve food at parties and picnics.Verterra dishes can be used in the oven, microwave or freezer. You can even wash them by hand and reuse them.

The idea sparked in founder Michael Dwork when he was meandering through southern India during a summer 2006 vacation and spotted street vendors serving spicy snacks on broad leaves. The concept's simple brilliance prompted an entrepreneurial gamble. Knowing little about manufacturing and even less about environmentalism, Dwork grabbed some engineer friends and journeyed through Laos, Thailand and Cambodia in search of the perfect leaf for producing sturdy, supergreen plates that would appeal to American enviromaniacs. After testing dozens of varieties, Dwork settled on a palm leaf common in India. "Making a disposable product out of plastic that's going to sit in a landfill forever seems criminal," says Dwork. "Why not make it compostable?"

In a presentation for early funders, Dwork baked brownies on his plates to show that they were oven-safe.

He now heads a staff of more than 50 in the U.S. and India, and the company recently finished its second factory in India, a football-field-size facility that can produce a million pieces a month. That means making use of 100 tons of leaves a month that would otherwise be burned. Sales are heading to $1 million next year.

AS INDIA IS A RICH COUNTRY WITH ALL THE NATURAL RESOURCE'S, BUT WHO HAS THE TIME TO THINK, AND MAKE USE OF IT IN A PROPER WAY, AS ALL ARE BUSY IN THIS NUCLEAR AGE, BUT FEW HAVE THE TIME TO COME UP WITH SUCH BRILLANT IDEA'S, NOT ONLY THINKING GREEN, ALSO HELPING PEOPLE EARN THEIR LIVING,THROUGH SUCH INNOVATIVE IDEA.

HATS'OFF TO THE FOUNDER MICHAEL DWORK.

JUST THOUGHT OF SHARING THIS ARTICLE WITH YOU ALL.

BEST REGARD'S

FRANCIS DANIEL

BAHRAIN.