Friday, June 1, 2007

Green or just green washing?


www.homedepot.com

These days, it seems like every product (and company) out there is jumping on the eco-bandwagon. With all the feel-good ads and new "green" products out there, it can be hard to tell what's green-washing and what's really a sustainable choice.

The bad news: There are very few 100% green products. Many products are sustainable in some ways, and not so green in others. Chances are, you'll need to decide what green qualities are most important to you. Indoor air quality? Recycled content? Durability?

The good news: There are basic criteria you can use to evaluate the sustainability of a product, and decide if it's green to you. BuildingGreen.com offers a great free online article
that outlines how to evaluate the greenness of a product. It's meant specifically for building products, but is applicable to pretty much any product you'd bring into your home. (There's one category that I'd add to their list - and that would be the way the company treats its employees. Are they paid a living wage? Exposed to dangerous working conditions? If so, their product isn't green to me.)

Not into researching every can of paint, lamp or tile you bring into your abode? These resources will help you find green products fast.

- BuildingGreen.com's GreenSpec Directory is a comprehensive directory of environmentally preferable building products (available online or as an annual publication).
- Domino Magazine and Treehugger.com's 2007 Green List includes listings for sustainable furniture, food, clothing, travel and more.
- The Green Home Guide has helpful room-by-room information about making green buying choices.
- National Geographic's The Green Guide offers green home advice and news.