Italy has banned single-use plastic bags as of January 1, the first European Union country to do so. The move is a huge shift for a nation that uses 20 billion bags a year and is well, known for being a fantastic place to shop. For now stores can use up their plastic bags already in stock, and afterwards, can only offer bags made out of cloth, paper, or natural fibers. Naturally the plastic industry is not pleased, and has spent heavily to resist similar efforts elsewhere.

So what is better for the pocketbook or the planet: paper plates or ceramic plates? The downside to the use of ceramic plates is that they have got to be washed, and no water-free cleaning system has come around yet–and probably never will. Paper plates of course do not need to be washed, but then there is the waste issue. Well, one green “celebrity” site has decided that paper plates are the way to go.

Remember all those booms during the Gulf of Mexico oil spill crisis? General Motors has engaged in a project that to date collected at least 100 miles of the filthy, oil-soaked plastic booms, recycling them for one of its newest automobile models.

For here, to go, or reuse? By 2011, KFC claims that the company will reduce the use of foam by over 60% and total plastic use by 17%. Part of the push will be an introduction of reusable packaging. Currently 60% of its restaurants serve some of its sides in colorful plastic containers—all restaurants will feature them by next year. The company hopes that customers will reuse, and eventually, recycle, the containers.

Flush with a budget of US$3 million, the 100 Percent Cork campaign hosts events and gives away tickets to events while hosting others. The initiative scored a coup, too: Rutherford Wine Company, a Northern California wine producer, has pledged to only top its bottles off with 100% cork.

The Women in Green Forum got it right, especially during yesterday’s panel on consumer products and packaging. The emphasis was on packaging. The panel offered a balance of industry associations, manufacturers, and advocates. Valid points were brought up on all sides, and due to time constraints, the discussion was not as vibrant as we would have liked, but thought provoking nonetheless.

I admit my stomach turns whenever I see that BP logo. And 20-plus years after the Exxon Valdez spill, I have a hard time buying Exxon- or Mobil- branded gas. But participating in a boycott misses the point.

Even if you dislike football, admit that the emotions and pageantry make the World Cup a riveting event every 4 years. And then there are those vuvuzelas. What will happen to them after the World Cup Final on July 11?