Dell Goes Green With Bamboo Packaging for Netbooks

In an environmentally friendly move, Dell is replacing the paper, plastic, and foam packaging material for two of its computers with inserts made of bamboo.

Beginning this week, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 and Mini 10v netbooks will ship with molded cushions of crushed bamboo, taken from China's Jiangxi province. The company said the forest is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an international organization that makes sure the bamboo isn't genetically modified or grown with hazardous pesticides.

Although bamboo replenishes itself quickly, there are some downsides: as of yet, not every city recycles bamboo. So for now, those cushions for people in those cities will go into the trash rather than the recycling container.