Michael Dwork, 31, is Jewish, born and raised in New York and graduated from Columbia Business School. Hard to imagine what he could be doing in the middle of nowhere in rural Karnataka.

Dwork is the founder of VerTerra whose hip, eco-friendly serveware is devised from fallen palm fronds and bulk-produced in a factory that is a seven hour drive from Bangalore.

The disposable bowls, plates and trays which retain the natural color and patina of the palm fronds are the epitome of green chic. They are efficiently bio-degradable.

They have been used in the NBA All-Stars game, the NFL Superbowl VIP party, VHI concerts and events for Starbucks, Google and Pixar. They retail at 300 upscale stores such as Whole Foods for $3.99 to $6.49 for a pack of eight.

VerTerra, which means True to the Earth, is capturing the imagination of a growing number of Americans who are increasingly embracing a green lifestyle. But its origins are completely humble and totally Indian.

Dwork first came upon the idea of setting up VerTerra (two companies by the same name one registered in India and the other incorporated in the United States) when he was driving through a village outside of Bangalore. Dwork saw two poor women on the roadside press the areca palm spathes pre-dunked in a barrel of water to fashion them into plates and bowls. “I thought it was totally cool,” says the chatty Dwork, who was then a summer intern at Infosys Technologies.

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