Any guesses? “Tastiest”, “crunchiest”, “wheat-iest”, “marshmallowy” and “spoon-friendly” all come to mind, but these distinctions sound more like five of the seven dwarves from Snow White.

In fact, the five types of cereal relate to how the grains become little morsels of cereal goodness. Some cereals are made by “puffing” wheat out of a gun. (Very double-oh-seven sounding, right?) The other four types are flaked, sheeted, shredded, and direct expanded (DX).

Cool fact: Malt-O-Meal is the only cereal company to make all five types! As you’re all cereal experts in the making, we thought we’d give you a “behind the cereal” peek at each type:

Puffed: No magic dragons here, kids. Just crispy, light bursts of wheat. Like Golden Puffs, for instance!

Flaked: No, this cereal isn’t like some reality TV stars, it’s literally flakey in an awesome way. This cereal is made by cooking the finely-ground grains under high pressure, breaking into flakey pieces, the running them through a drier. Check out Frosted Flakes for an example of this cereal science in your bowl.

Sheeted: Just like it sounds, these cereals are baked on sheets. Not the kind that are impossible to fold in your linen closet, but the cookie-baking kind! Speaking of tasty baked treats (with a wholesome breakfast twist): Cinnamon Toasters are a sheeted favorite!

Shredded: What do secret memoes, snowboarding paths, and Mini Spooners have in common? They’re all shredded, of course! Malt-O-Meal’s shredded technology is a cut-above: ours have twelve layers of crunchy wheat.

Direct Expanded (DX): Sounds complicated. Good news: it’s not! The uncooked cereal mixture is pushed through a hole at high temperature, and then dried. Presto! Berry Colossal Crunch is born.

Do you have any behind-the-scenes questions about cereal? Let us know what you’d like to see in the next installment of “Behind The Cereal”!

And a lot can happen in ten months. Take our winning classroom, for example: the River Place Elementary Titan Gardens.

Their entry proposal outlined plans to expand a school-wide garden that doubles as an outdoor classroom. They also created re-usable worksheets for students.

The fun has not stopped there, however! Titan Gardens has a great blog, which allows community supporters (which we’re thrilled includes Bag TheBox!) to follow along with their events and accomplishments. Check it out!

Recently, students have been composing garden poetry and an annual “Wildflower Stomp” (sounds like a party to us!)

Did you nominate a classroom last April? Are you a member of one of the winning groups? Let us know what you’ve been up to, we’d love to feature your efforts on an upcoming blog post!

When I started out in the environmental business, I was more “business” than environmental. As I came to realize the viability of my “worm poop” fertilizer as a mainstream product, I was fascinated by the idea of making a viable, affordable consumer product entirely from waste and finding value in what everyone else considered “trash.”

While I had the help of my friends, family and my first interns (who all worked for free), I also had the inspiration – and eventually the pleasure of working with – pioneering authors, entrepreneurs, and capitalists from a wide range of industries. I learned both business acumen and social impact from these visionaries, and they inspired me to keep pressing on with TerraCycle even when our challenges seemed insurmountable. I am excited to share some of the “giants” whose shoulders I have stood upon:

William McDonough: An architect by trade, McDonough works by the philosophy of cradle-to-cradle design, which minimizes negative environmental impact. He wrote Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things in 2002 with chemist Michael Braungart, detailing the cradle-to-cradle and upcycling concept that TerraCycle strives to embody in its processes, programs and products.  Dr. McDonough even graced TerraCycle’s factory and continues to stay in touch.

Photo courtesy of DiscoverMagazine.com

Paul Hawken:  Hawken is the author of two of my favorite books, Natural Capitalism and Growing a Business, and focuses on “natural capital,” which is capital gleaned from the ecosystems and the goods offered naturally by the Earth (what would be considered sustainable practices). He makes the argument that there is value in these practices and that this will truly be what sustains us. TerraCycle, is, once again, based off this idea, and I had the honor of having Paul write the foreword to my book, Revolution in a Bottle, in 2009.

Photo courtesy of TreeHugger.com

Gary Hirshberg: Gary Hirshberg former CE-Yo of Stonyfield, is a long-time friend and inspiration.  When TerraCycle started upcycling food packaging in 2007. He was one of the first people I went to with the idea, and the Yogurt Brigade was born. Gary’s approach to the triple bottom line, and his dedication to socially minded business that is good for people and for the Earth sets a prime example for TerraCycle as well as other green businesses.

Photo courtesy of SierraClub.org

As TerraCycle has evolved over the years, the places from which I take inspiration and encouragement has not changed. I’ve also been inspired by the work of my peers, such as Adam Lowry, co-Founder of Method. Method runs a Brigade with us for cleaners packaging, and Adam has dedicated his skills to making gentle, eco-friendly cleaners. The way Method approaches business as a vehicle for social change, embodying this in every aspect of their work (they even use recycled plastic from the Pacific Gyre!), is an example for TerraCycle to work by and also highlights the values we strive to work for at TerraCycle.  Also Seth Goldman, Founder and Tea-EO, of Honest Tea, with whom TerraCycle partners, is other great sustainable business leader, whose growth, success and commitment to social responsibility is an inspiration to all!

Who are your environmental all-stars? What can we do to support each other in recycling and sustainability?

What you might not know is that in addition to putting a smile on your face, these happy house plans are also generating cleaner air to breathe! Check out this excellent run-down  of plants that specifically help to detox particular pollutants from your home, courtesy of the great blog Moms Going Green.

Any tips for keeping house plants happy? Will you be adding to your indoor garden after reading this list?

Photo courtesy of Moms Going Green Blog

Literally, we’re talking about lighting renovation, not just the metaphorically lighter environmental impact.

Recently, Murphy Energy Systems presented Mark Suchan, Plant Manager, and Alex Fowler, Senior Project Engineer, at Malt O Meal’s Tremonton Utah facility, with an Environmental Stewardship Award in recognition of the positive environmental impact resulting from a major lighting renovation at the facility.

The project involved upgrading and retrofitting interior and exterior lighting as well as the implementation of lighting controls to dramatically reduce the energy required to light the facility while significantly improving overall light quality and quantity, resulting in a “lighter and brighter” workplace environment.

The fluorescent technology has increased light output throughout the plant by 20% to 30% on average, yet costs 60% less to operate than the previous technology.

“When we implement major energy efficiency projects such as this lighting upgrade, we are able to make a significant contribution to both our operational efficiency and our company’s commitment to proactively pursue more sustainable business practices for a better future.” said Suchan.

The savings are substantial. Over the new technology’s lifecycle Malt-O-Meal will save nearly a quarter of a million dollars in energy costs annually while removing over 3,000,000 kWh from the grid and reducing CO2 output by over 4,500,000 pounds every year. This is equivalent to planting 560 acres of trees, removing 432 cars from the road, and saving 277,994 gallons of gas each and every year.

Those are quite some savings, and just one more example of how we pursue our mission to find better ways to make better breakfasts at a better price.

Image courtesy of mustknowhow.com

I never craft resolutions, especially not formally or on paper. But this year is different in so many ways. I feel more hopeful for 2012 than I have for any other year in my lifetime. We have tough roads behind us, and rough hills to climb, both as individuals and community members. But 2012 rushed in with an air of possibility. We have a chance to be better this year, to grow and change and become those things we’ve always hoped for but have not yet realized. And with that kum-ba-ya spirit, here are my four resolutions for 2012.

1)   Write something kind to someone, every day. I have a rock on my desk. I keep it on the left side. Each day it’s a reminder to send a note to someone to say something nice. It can be a colleague, a friend or a family member. I will never forget, because this rock is staring at me between meetings, it’s waiting as I complete an email, and it reminds me as I grab my coat at the end of the day. When I’ve written, I move my rock from the left side to the right.

2)   Take more risks. Whether it’s building a website, registering that business plan, going skydiving, buying a house or jumping headfirst onto a more rewarding path, I plan to take more deliberate risks this year. I have committed to believing in myself actionably, and that means following my dreams in the face of potential failure. I highly recommend it. It feels excellent already!

3)   Snuggle every morning. Our days are full. My two year old and my one year old know how busy our life is. While we’re busy working to give them a better life, we don’t want to loose sight of what we’re ultimately working for. And for us, the reason is always our two little boys. It is my goal to start each day with them nestled between us, with plenty of love and hugs and kisses to propel us each into our separate lives, so that we come back together in the evening excited rather than exhausted.

4)   Do yoga. This is my answer to the stress relief and weight loss goals that everyone keeps as a backburner resolution. My goal isn’t to lose weight; it’s to gain real strength and bring the power back into my postpartum body. My body has been trustworthy and faithful across the last couple of years, and I’ve asked a lot from it with little gratitude. It’s time I give something back. Plus, both of my children love yoga, and it’s something we can all do together.

Photo courtesy of kids.baristanet.com

These resolutions are doable. They are sustainable—they don’t require any additional resources and leave only a positive impact in their wake. They will bring quality to our lives.

What are your resolutions to give you a more fulfilling, balanced 2012?

So, if you’re like some of us Minnesotans who were enjoying a second fall all the way into the New Year and skipped a few of the house-related winter preparations, don’t worry: our friends at Recyclebank have us covered!

There is a lot of information out there on how to winterize your home to save money or help the earth, but this post is great because it gives you a few easy ways that actually help your wallet and our planet.

Will you use these tips to save energy and some dough? What are your tricks for keeping things less spendy and toasty warm this winter?

Photo courtesy of Recyclebank

Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal – Ad Age: Malt-O-Meal is one of “America’s Hottest Brands”

Star Tribune – Malt-O-Meal a Hot Brand

Salt Lake Tribune – Advertising Age Top 25 List Includes Malt-O-Meal

Courier Tribune – Malt-O-Meal Makes List of ‘Hottest Brands’

Cheers to the New Year! We have exciting things planned for 2012, and hope you do too.

“Why do we need the box anyway, mom?” Tyler asked.  My reply: “We don’t!”  I took time to explain to the boys how much work, energy and waste goes into producing 2.3 billion cereal boxes each year – a lot of unnecessary packaging. Especially since the bag is what keeps cereal fresh and contained, right? As we talked further, the boys began to understand why bagging the box was important, and necessary.

I definitely expected the boys to understand the Bag The Box initiative since they’ve learned about reducing waste while meeting creative recyclers as they shoot their series, but what I didn’t expect was the boys asking me if they could do a craft with the left over cereal bags to reduce even more waste! How AWESOME is that?

Tristin and Tyler are serious crafters, so they wanted to eat all of their cereal to use the bags to craft. They called the race to finish their Frosted Mini Spooners the “CHOMP TO CRAFT” campaign!

The campaign was a success and the boys finished their cereal just in time for us to make a video to show you how we turned the bags into gift bows. Want to join in the crafting fun? Sit down with the kids, grab the materials listed below and watch the video!

Here are the materials you need:
-     clean food wrapper
-     marker or pen for tracing
-     scissors
-     hole punch
-     paper fastener
-     gift bow template or ruler

Check out Tristan and Tyler in their helpful how-to video:

Thanks, guys! Readers: what do you do with your empty cereal bags? Creative crafts? TerraCycle? Let us know!

Well, not to worry. You already know we like to do things differently, and we’ve got a perfect plan B: spend January recovering from the hectic holidays and envision fun ways to make the rest of this year your earth-friendliest one yet!

Here are three ideas that have our brains storming at Bag The Box:

1: Plan your 2012 garden!

In almost no time, those little crocuses will be poking up announcing spring is on the way, so get a jump start on plotting out what you might grow at home this year—even if it’s only a few herb pots indoors! Here are some great tips from The Suburban Jungle to get you started.

2: Reduce the post-holiday clutter.

So you got a brand new [insert awesome gadget here] for the holidays? Cool! What are you going to do with the old one that’s now sitting in the corner of your family room? Here’s the easiest flowchart ever: Is it gently used and still functional? If yes: donate to a worthwhile cause in your community. If no: find out how to recycle it at Earth911.com.

3: Get Fit, Creatively!

Yep, it’s cold out there. That’s ok, you don’t have to ditch the resolutions about working out to avoid the cold. Tiny Green Mom offers these great tips on creatively incorporating physical activity into these winter days in an earth-friendly way!

So, what are you eco-friendly resolutions for 2012?