So how green is it?

What shade of green is that new product?

Gift bags and plastic bags made from recycled material and recyclable themselves are among the new items found at the recent International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago.

You can buy almost anything fashioned from bamboo, even shag rugs. Or how about molding plastic items from corn or soybeans rather than petroleum? And the word is you will almost never have to replace an LED light bulb.

Just touting something as green does not make it environmentally friendly, so we enlisted professional help in checking out new products at the recent trade show.

There is give and take when talking about green or environmentally friendly products, said Claudia Regojo, product development director for Greenmaker Building Supply in Chicago.

Also providing input was Jennifer Schellinger, who does public relations for the Green Exchange, a mall of green products expected to open this year in Chicago.

Regojo, with a master's degree in environmental urban planning, was particularly outspoken.

The only way to be sure something is nontoxic, she said, is to check a material data sheet against the state of California's Proposition 65 Web site, which includes every chemical the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has listed.

If a certain product is allowed into Japan and Europe, that also is a good sign because toxins are more strictly regulated there.

"Nothing is perfect," Schellinger said. "It's a growing movement and industry. One has to educate oneself and be aware."

Here are a few products we found at the trade show:

• Product: Nashville Wraps of Hendersonville, Tenn., makes recyclable shopping bags and gift bags from recycled paper with water-based inks. The company also works with plastics.

Robby Meadows, director of marketing, says the bags should not be more expensive than their more traditional counterparts. Visit www.nashvillewraps.com.

Why interesting: Gift bags are usually a last-minute purchase, grabbed without much thought. This product would remove some of the guilt. The bags are colorful but have a matte, not glossy finish.

Regojo: "When they're beautiful, people tend to save it. They're moving in the right direction, improving their product line and trying to make an environmentally friendly cellophane."

Schellinger: "Water-based inks are huge. Most inks are petroleum-based."

Availability: Brand new.

• Product: Perf Go Green's garbage bags, dropcloths and diapers are made from recycled plastic with an oil-based additive that makes them biodegradable in 12 to 24 months.

Tony Tracy, chief executive officer, said his New York City company made regular plastic bags till his daughter talked him into going green. Visit www.perfgogreen.com.

Why interesting: Regular plastic bags take years if ever to decompose in landfills or bodies of water, and they are so ugly hanging in trees and littering the side of roads.

Regojo: Biodegradability and recycling plastic are steps in the right direction.

"I'm interested in the dropcloths. They get used once. I have found recycled paper ones and we recommend canvas ones that can be reused."

Availability: Early June, several retailers.

• Product: The yarn in Anji Mountain Bamboo Rug Company's shag rugs is 80 percent bamboo, 20 percent cotton. Visit www.anjimountainbamboorugco.com.

Why interesting: Bamboo is a very renewable, durable product. You can find everything from dishes and cutting boards to towels made from the grass. Yes, the rugs are soft, but in the latest version a 5-by-8-foot rug retails for $500 to $600.

Regojo: Bamboo comes from Asia, but many people think sending products by ship is less polluting than transporting a shorter distance by truck.

However, Regojo said too much transportation and energy were involved in shipping the bamboo to India for manufacturing, then transporting the rugs to their users.

She said she would also have to study the dyes.

Another issue about bamboo: When companies decide to grow the grass in areas where it is not native, such as South America, it can become invasive and kill local plants, Regojo said.

Schellinger: "Definitely expensive."

Availability: Earlier version at www.brookstone.com and available at www.frontgate.com this summer.

• Product: Outdoor LED lights for water features, stone walls or encased in onyx for walkways, posts or walls. RedBird Industries of Atlanta is at www.redbirdindustries.com.

Onyx lamps that are pounded into the ground cost $85.

Jonathan Eppstein, founder of RedBird, said LEDs will continue to improve and become less expensive. LED lights that can be screwed into regular sockets and dimmable are not available yet.

Why interesting: LED lights take less energy than incandescents and can last for 30,000 to 100,000 hours or 12 years.

Regojo: "This is the direction we are going in the next few years. Little kids will not know what an incandescent bulb is.

"I will definitely consider these products for my store."

Availability: www.redbirdindustries.com.

• Product: Design Ideas of Springfield, Ill., has two green lines.

EcoGen plastic bath or desk accessories are made from corn or sugar beets and thus biodegradable.

EcoTwine place mats, rugs and baskets are very colorful and shiny. They are woven from twine made from unused sheets of plastic labels for candy and soda bottles. And the company follows principles of social responsibility in dealing with workers in India.

Why interesting: The plastic made from starch can return to the soil.

The woven baskets are very attractive, and the plastic sheeting would otherwise go in landfills.

Regojo: People throw away their bathroom accessories to change their decor or because they think they have deteriorated.

"So many stories with one company."

Schellinger: "EcoGen also has no toxins, so they are healthier."

Availability: EcoGen products are being tested in Chicago Container Stores with prices from $5 to $16. The line will be more available in the fall.

EcoTwine will be available at Cocoon in Geneva and at cocoononline.com.