Sometimes being green just takes a corkscrew. The jury may still be out on the best way to seal wine bottles for the wine--real cork, synthetic cork or screw cap--but just about everyone agrees that cork is the greenest choice. Cork is a renewable, sustainable, 100% biodegradable resource. Trees are not cut down to harvest cork. Instead, the bark is stripped by hand every 10 years or so; cork oak trees can live up to 300 years. The forests absorb millions of tons of carbon dioxide every year and are home to a diverse population of plant and animal species.

And now, a number of Character Approved organizations are collecting and recycling wine corks. ReCORK has collected more than 14 million corks so far, at wine shops, specialty stores, restaurants and other places throughout the US and in British Columbia. They've also partnered with SOLE, a leading footwear manufacturer, which plans to start using ReCORK recycled corks in some of their products this year. You can find ReCORK drop-off locations in your area here.

Founded in 2008, the not-for-profit Cork Forest Conservation Alliance (CFCA) has teamed up with Whole Foods to offer cork collection in all of the grocery chain's stores throughout the US, Canada and the UK. It's part of CFCA's global cork recycling program, Cork ReHarvest. You can find additional drop-off locations here.

ReCORK and CFCA are also involved in the preservation of cork forests, through education programs and direct actions, including planting new trees. So drink greener. Next time you open a bottle of wine, pop a real cork--and then recycle it.

[Images: ReCORK]