Finally, I’ve got an enviro and people-friendly yoga mat! It’s ruddy, it’s pretty, and it matched a beautiful yoga bag — made by a local company in Venice, Calif., called Kismet that rescues vintage saris and recycles them into gorgeous products, made under fair trade conditions by women in rural India.

Until now I’d been using an old Nike mat — from a time before Nike started phasing out the eco-horror that’s PVC, aka vinyl. Vinyl creates all sorts of environmental problems and leaches phthalates — a plasticizer linked to negative reproductive health effects — to boot. Not only was my old mat not eco, it was too thin and not grippy enough. Also, it was kinda ugly.

But since reusing’s generally better than buying new (even if buying eco-versions of stuff), I’d resisted buying a new green mat. Then, I read Umbra of Grist’s recommendation to replace PVC mats, even if it means sending yet another nonrecyclable hunk of PVC into the landfill.

So yesterday, before my yoga class at Yoga Works, I bought an eKo Lite Yoga mat by Manduka and tried it out. The 24×68 mat’s very slip resistant and has good cushioning; the “ember” color also looks pretty atop hardwood floors.

The eco factors: Made mostly of natural tree rubber via a nontoxic production process, the mat’s free of PVC, oil-based products, or other toxic plasticizers. Post-use, the mat’s 100% biodegradable.

Want one for yourself? Manduka’s got a good color selection — and even has bigger sizes, though the eKo Lite’s plenty big for me. Do make sure you make your selection from the eKo line though, as Manduka also sells some less eco mats.

Of course, Manduka’s eKo mats aren’t the only green option out there. Many companies are coming out with eco yoga mats — which can be kind of confusing for the average green yogi. Some factors to consider:

>> Jute mats are very eco, but tend not to be very grippy, according to Kate Schox of SchoxYoga who reviewed 5 green yoga mats for Freshtopia.net. I’ve also heard that jute mats tend not to last very long; they fall apart in humid yoga practice rooms, apparently.

>> Rubber mats are also eco and are often grippier, though the grippiness does depend on the mat’s texture. The one downside: Rubber mats smell like rubber — especially at first. My eKo mat came with instructions to leave it unrolled as much as possible at the beginning to air it out — and to clean it with organic cider vinegar then rinse with cold water to speed up the de-scenting process even further. I’m actually not that troubled by the rubber smell — it’s noticeable, but not atrocious — but will air out my mat on my balcony later today in case it bothers fellow yoga classmates.

>> Latex-free mats are widely available for those who want to avoid the stuff. My eKo mat has a note that says it’s 99% latex free — which I take to mean it’s 1% latex and prolly not appropriate for those with latex allergies.

All in all, I’m v. happy with my eKo mat so far. Got a green yoga mat to recommend (or warn us against buying)? Share in the comments –

[crossposted on BlogHer]

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