credits: The New York Times

She's gonna spill it!

And I'm gonna cry.

The issue of a filthy planet used to a bipartisan one, with left and right arguing over whether or not global warming even existed. Those were good times.

Now, everyone seems to be on the same side. Local patriots can get up in arms over the environment thanks to China’s role as a polluted ‘other,’ and those who’ve sided with mother nature all along have all the undiscovered, helpless Indian tribes they need to plead a case for cleanliness.

With everyone in agreement that Earth is toast if we don’t change our tune, it’s become an absolute joy watching which products get greened next.

Plastic bags nuged out by canvas ones, green-roof dog houses, green vodka. Vegas offers lean odds for betting in this area: Green Condoms by 2009 5:1, Green Fuel by 2010 2:1, Green Gunpowder by 2011 17:1.

The latest product reborn in a greener, cleaner package is the ubiquitous gallon of milk. A bit of a curve ball, it turns out that a few simple tweaks to the familiar jug drastically reduce its impact on our planet.

A flat top means that jugs can be stacked, reducing the need for milk crates and the water used to wash them between shipments. The stackable containers hold 50% more milk per square foot than their predecessors. This means more dairy per truck, per shipment, and half as many belching 18 wheelers making delivery runs. Lots of good stats.

The best part of the redesign? It’s being adopted by our country’s largest retailers like Sams Club, Walmart, and Costco. The second best part? It’s incredibly hard to pour - tradition be damned, you’re going to have to re-learn how to make a bowl of cereal if you want to save the earth.

The new gallon is one link in a long chain of the products taking our futures seriously. Like WORK AC’s sustainable farm-canopy at PS-1 and Russel Robertson’s streamlined tax, its a change agent. It contains very large thoughts. And calcium.

You can read all about the square jug at the New York Times.