Aug 22. 2008 - Is America really ready for a change? We'll find out later this month when biodegradable hotel key cards made of wood debut in Denver hotels during the Democratic National Convention.

The manufacturer, Denver-based Sustainable Cards has donated more than 70,000 of the cards in a flashy promotional move designed to promote the cards as an environmentally preferable alternative to traditional plastic key cards.

The cards, emblazoned with the Denver 2008 Host Committee logo, are made exclusively from sustainably harvested wood. Details are available here.

A typical 200-room hotel churns through about 12,000 plastic keys a year, sending 1,300 tons of plastic to landfill, according to Sustainable Cards.

The company's wooden cards are entering an already active market for biodegradable alternatives to plastic. In May, card manufacturer Advantidge introduced a hotel key card made of bioplastic derived from corn.

The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee is trying for its greenest convention yet this election year, even creating an official directory of green vendors participating in the event.