Pointers to help you avoid getting 'greenwashed'

Tag : Drill Cotton
2. Energy at least. Ask about a products greenness according to its energyconsumption. Most green problems come back to energy use, Hillsays. How to evaluate a products energy story? Hill says toquestion the distance a product must be shipped, and whether it ismade with the least energy-intensive materials, contains the leastnumber of chemicals and is made with the least amount of materials.

3. Get the story. Look for companies that have an authentic story to tell,something of substance, says Sara Snow. Snow, host of theDiscovery Networks Get Fresh with Sara Snow and a lifelongfollower of the green lifestyle, specifically seeks out productsthat are made by family-run businesses, community cooperatives andother groups that share her personal values.

4. Look for labels. Some day, home goods will have the equivalent of the foodindustrys USDA Organic label  a single stamp or designationthat clearly verifies a products claim. For now, you must rely onthe industrys mixed (but trusted) designations, such as: EnergyStar, GREENGUARD, Sustainable Furniture Council (SFC), FairTrade-Certified, WaterSense, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), etc.

5. Transparent equals true. If a products ingredients or story are confusing, vague ormissing all together, its claims may not be legitimate. In itsrecent study of 1,018 green products, environmental marketing firmTerraChoice found the sin of vagueness to be rampant. Rather thansettling with slippery marketing words such as eco-friendly orgreen, stick with the facts, such as ingredients, manufacturingprocesses and company history.