In their eagerness to cash in on consumer demand for eco-friendly products and services, many companies are calling their goods “green” despite their decidedly un-environmental qualities. When you shop, these 5 steps can help you distinguish what’s green from what’s being greenwashed. 1) Read the label. Look for meaningful claims, not words like “natural” or “planet friendly” that […]
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When You Start Spending Money Again, Make a Difference: Choose Green Products and Services
The current economic downturn has a “green” lining: reduced consumption is cutting environmental impact almost across the board, scaling back carbon dioxide emissions and trash piles as people drive less, buy less, and pluck more goods out of neighborhood yard sales and on-line swap shops before they get redirected to the dump. These are good […]
Ask for It In “Green” At Best Buy and You’ll Get a Hybrid
When my computer’s hard drive crashed this week, every techie I talked to said it was too fried to be rebuilt. So I did some quick research and headed over to Best Buy for a replacement. In case you haven’t been there recently, there are MOUNTAINS of computers to choose from. The salesman was going […]
Forget Black and Orange. Can I Get That In “Green”?
As Halloween unofficially kicks off the holiday buying season, Big Green Purse is encouraging consumers to ask “Can I get it in ‘green’?” no matter what they’re looking for when they shop. The idea is to pressure the nation’s 1.6 million U.S. retailers more forcefully than ever before to offer the greenest products and services […]
“One in a Million” Mom Shifts $1,000 to Greener Food, Bedding, Biking
Thousands of women have joined the “One in a Million” campaign. Participating couldn’t be easier. They simply pledge to shift $1,000 of their annual household budget to products and services that offer the greatest environmental benefits. That doesn’t mean spend MORE money. It means spend money differently to make a difference. Deborah H. from Nashville, […]
Going Back to School? Go Green To Save Hundreds of Dollars
Parents can save oodles of money by taking an “eco cheap” approach to back-to-school shopping. Where to start? * Ignore the huge supply lists that come home in kids’ backpacks. Over at the blog Green Talk, “Thrifty is the New Green for Back to School Supplies” reminds parents to check their “voluminous” stashes of pens, […]
What’s Convincing Companies to Go Green? Consumer Demand.
What should you do if you want companies to go green? Demand it, of course. It’s a strategy that makes perfect sense, given that companies themselves say consumers are the biggest drivers of the sustainability changes they’re willing to make. In a recent study conducted by Ernst & Young and reported on by Mary Hunt […]
Should you use up cosmetics you already have before buying new, safer products?
When do you use up products you already have, and when do you either try to return them or just opt to throw them away? I got that question today. Here it is in full, along with my answer: “I would like your opinion. Before I heard you on Martha Stewart on Sirius, I was […]