Schools and non-profits get two cents for each juice pouch they turn over to Terracycle, which scours, sorts, then double-stitches them into bags. Last year alone, 42 million pouches were saved from the landfill and made into funky, durable bags like these—great for overnights, camping supplies, beach necessities and more.

Incidentally, the story of the young “eco-capitalists” behind Terracycle is fascinating enough to warrant its own TV show, Garbage Moguls, which debuts on Earth Day (Wednesday) evening on the National Geographic Channel. The company was founded by a Princeton student so taken by a friend’s worm box that he quit school to make all-natural, all-organic worm-poop plant food packaged in used soda bottles. Products created from and packaged in waste are Terracycle’s thing, and their ever-expanding product line now includes kites made from cookie wrappers and the juice pouch tote above.

And hey—good news! You can win that earth- and travel-friendly Drink Pouch Tote by leaving a comment on this post before 9 PM CST this Tuesday, April 21st. Anonymous comments and those without a valid email address will be disqualified. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on Earth Day, April 22nd. If I don’t hear from the winner within 5 days, a new one will be chosen. Please enter/comment only once per giveaway. Good luck!

For instant—if fleeting—ambiance. Keep them together in the book, or break one off to turn dessert into a birthday celebration, any time, any place.

Yet another way to avoid purchasing the dreaded convenience store plastic water bottle, even when you’re away from home—and your usual filtration system. This brand new unit, made of food-grade silicone, squishes into popular wide-mouth bottles including Nalgene and Camelback, making tap water cleaner and better tasting. Comes with two filters, good for about 100 liters each.

Between now and December 18th, use the code “tapguard” during checkout on Guyot Designs’ site to get 25% off your entire order.

That’s a dishwasher-safe ceramic cup with silicon lid disguised as a disposable fancy-coffee-shop cup. If only the warm glow that comes from being environmentally friendly somehow made hotel coffee taste better.

Also: Congratulations to Anna and Jen P. who won the Yak Pak Chinooks. And please, don’t despair if you didn’t win anything this round of giveaways. I’ll be doing them more often in 2009, so check back.

Next up: A selection of magnetic travel games, for kids of all ages. You’ll get the backgammon game pictured above, as well as sudoku, hangman, bingo and dominoes, plus another that features dinosaurs. It’s good to limit screen-time, maybe get some friendly back-seat interaction going on, no?

To enter: Leave a comment (see the comments tab up at the top of the post there) before 6 PM CST next Monday, November 24th. Anonymous comments and those without a valid email address will be disqualified. The winner will be chosen at random, then announced and contacted via email next Tuesday, November 25th. If I don’t hear from the winner within 5 days, a new one will be chosen. Please enter/comment only once per giveaway—and check back tomorrow to enter to win another item!

OK, here goes. The first TrustyPony giveaway: Two Plane Comfort sets. One features the exact blanket-pillow set you see above, plus a few various comfort-inducing travel items. (My favorite: A pair of Spandexy red and blue travel slippers that look like what Wonder Woman would wear if she went coach because, say, the invisible jet cost too much to fly, what with the price of gas and all.) The second set features a chocolate brown blanket plus socks and matching eye shade, and goodies including a little book on Travel Yoga.

To enter: Leave a comment (see the comments tab up at the top of the post there) before 6 PM CST next Sunday, November 23rd. If you have a preference, do mention which set you’d prefer. Anonymous comments and those without a valid email address will be disqualified. The winners will be chosen at random, then announced and contacted via email next Monday, November 24th. If I don’t hear from the winners within 5 days, new winners will be chosen. Please enter/comment only once per giveaway—check back tomorrow to enter to win another item.

That stainless-steel grate tucks into the grill, allowing the whole 8-pound deal to fold flat—and just one inch thick. Easy to transport, easy to store.

Comfortable travel slippers with a recycled-rubber sole, making them durable enough to double as shoes around the lodge, plane or campsite. They roll up small enough to fit into an available pocket or cranny.

Went to the preview party for The Container Store here in the Twin Cities last week. I wasn’t surprised by the two brands of luggage they carry: Baggallini and Eagle Creek. One’s more feminine, the other more masculine, but both are high-quality and definitely geared toward well organized travelers. I’d already featured lots of items in the travel aisle, but not yet these scary-cute kids’ stuffed animals/travel pillows. They’re made from machine-washable fleece and filled with buckwheat hulls.

Touted as a tent replacement. Good for the cheapos, and the car campers ready to call a spade a spade.

Via The Gear Junkie, which just launched a cool choose-your-adventure sweepstakes, where the winner (plus lucky travel companion) selects one of five professionally guided REI trips, such as a Yosemite snowshoe trek or Mount Washington winter climb. Includes all gear and some extras, like a post-adventure party. (Woo-hoo!) The contest runs through December 17, but you might as well enter now. While you’re thinking about it.