Friend or Foam For some, starting a business is all about natural beauty.

Krista Ruchaber, 35, moved to Hawaii in 2000, in part because of how beautiful it is. She started Styrophobia last year to help keep it that way."I kept seeing lunch plates and boxes piling up on the beach, and it was ruining the environment," she says.

Styrophobia sells biodegradable and compostable food containers to replace the plastic and plastic foam ones that are frequently used.

Before starting her company, Ruchaber was a full-time acupuncturist. "My concerns for health issues led me to understand the harmful effects that plastic and [plastic foam] can have on the body," she says. She and her team have been surprised, however, to learn how little others know about these materials. "When you ask people about [plastic foam], most people say you shouldn't put it into the microwave, but they don't know why. They don't know that it has been linked to health ailments and environmental concerns."