Am I supposed to be placated knowing that the 'green' approach is to make a Mordor of the fields where biodegradable targets, whole or in pieces fall? When will some folks wake up?

There are no known instances of skeet ingesting lead pellets nor are there any lead pellets known to have been found in their gizzards ;-)

"inexpensive alternative" ?? Hahahaha!

There were Ritz cracker throwers and BB guns, but even they are regulated in many places today. I'd consider the crackers to be biodegradable, in the quick sense. As for BB's, rust never sleeps.

A better alternative may be to become politically active. A letter, email or polite phone call to your Senator or Congress person is never inapproprite .. votes still count and money always talks. The recent OSHA bidness is one of un-elected officials attempting to promulgate rules for their own agendas .. stuff that is both arrogant and frankly distasteful. If you don't make your thots known to your elected officials in an objective manner, shame on you. Appointees are hardly infallable, but it helps to remind ourselves of that fact.