Being green doesn't have to involve wearing the hemp equivalent of a hair shirt. These days you can attain eco-sainthood by wearing organic cotton, soy and the latest textile innovation, bamboo. What makes bamboo so environmentally friendly? The fast-growing grass is a constantly replenished source, and it requires fewer chemicals to process than does cotton. The result is a soft, biodegradable fabric that has a beautiful drape that flatters almost every body type. Anne's Boutique (3583B Wai'alae Ave., 737-2300) carries Hayley Starr's summer line of bamboo clothing. Adasa (2023 Young St., 218-6121) and Koko Cabana (Koko Marina; 394-9090) stock bamboo designs by Sworn Virgins.

— Lacy Matsumoto

SURF GREEN

Socially conscious entrepreneurs (and wife and husband) Morgan Fisher and Jordi Llore have come up with Wet Women Surf Wax, a nontoxic, biodegradable and compostable board topper that gives good grip. Both surfers, the pair worked on the formula for a year and mix it up in their garage on Maui. The wax is the first Hawai'i product to be certified as a Cradle to Cradle Biological Nutrient by Virginia-based McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, a firm hell-bent on promoting "ecoeffective" products. (Yes, McDonough is William McDonough, sustainability-preaching architect who is a pal of Maui Land & Pineapple's David Cole). Fisher has more Earth-compatible ideas in the pipeline under her Wet Women rubric — an online community to promote water sport for women. The surf wax is available at www.wetwomensurfwax.com; $3.95.

— Lesa Griffith