From environmental consultant Simon Gruber

?????After organizing many   conferences and workshops at which we ended up using conventional  paper or  plastic plates, cups, and cutlery (at one of the green  building conferences I  did have the caterer use real china and  cutlery); and, after repeatedly  promising to myself I will not do this  again, I finally did a bit of research  into the alternatives.  I  was inspired to do this after attending a party  where biodegradeable  cups were used.  I did a bit of research about  biodegradeable  dishes and found a certification organization for these  products:

http://www.bpiworld.org/

 ??And at that  site,  noticed that one of the manufacturers they have certified is  Genpak, which is  based here in Orange County.  I contacted the  company and indeed they  apparently manufacture some of their  biodegradable dishware, made from  renewable materials,  in  Middletown .  So, we can use products that  are locally made   and are biodegradeable.   The product line is   at??
http://harvestcollection.genpak.com/

 ??Note -- I have  not done any research  to compare these  products with others  in terms of environmental impact,  full  lifecycle costs (environmental and economic),  etc.  I assume (but  haven't checked) that they cost  more than standard paper or plastic.   They apparently don't manufacture  biodegradeable cutlery but  there are others listed at the bpiworld site that  do.??