Talking About Green

Green Is Not Black and White

With “green hype” everywhere these days, it’s difficult to see the forest for the trees. Is “green” becoming only a marketing tool that plays on our environmental sympathies? There’s a fine line between the need for public awareness and over-saturation. It’s also important to remember that green is the color of money! I’m not accusing any specific company of hoodwinking the consumer, but it’s definitely happening more often than you’d guess?

Jump onto the Green Bandwagon — But be wary about the claims of some green products. If something is labeled as green, but comes in excessive packaging, is it really eco-friendly? Organic eggs sound good, but what if they’re packaged in hard plastic or styrofoam containers? Those are NOT acceptable in our curbside recycling programs.

What can you do that’s not merely a symbolic gesture? If you have a choice, buy eggs in biodegradable boxboard containers. Buy recycled paper products or “natural” cleaning products and see if the quality meets your standards. Try out the new concentrated laundry detergents that handle the same number of loads, but use almost 50 percent less plastic for the container. Carpool to the Farmers’ Market with a friend.

Ask grocery managers why so much fresh produce now comes in rigid plastic “clam shell” cases that promise “recyclable.” But they’re #5 or #6 plastic. Only #1 and #2 plastic bottles should go into our recycling bins. Recycling other plastics is technically possible, but the difficulty and expense of sorting, cleaning, and reprocessing it currently keep that from happening.

Fight dirty — By using eco-friendly cleaning products. The Clorox company’s “Green Works” line, launched one year ago, now includes a dishwashing liquid, all-purpose cleaner, glass and surface cleaner, glass cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, dilutable cleaner, and bathroom cleaner. Green Works’ cleaning wipes came on the market in early 2009. Sierra Club endorsed Clorox’s Green Works products when they first came on the scene one year ago, and all but the bathroom cleaner carry the EPA’s “Design for the Environment” label.

Although Green Works took the lead in most areas of green cleaning, other green cleaning companies like Seventh Generation and Method did not see drops in sales. They actually increased their shares of the cleaning market, meaning that Green Works was primarily being bought by people new to green cleaners.

The “Green Seal” of Approval indicates that a product or service has been tested according to science-based procedures, that it works as well or better than others in its class, and that it has been evaluated without bias or conflict of interest. Green Seal (http://www.greenseal.org/) certifies more than 3,100 products and services, using a life-cycle assessment system.

Consumer Reports translates what other eco-labels, such as “Fair Trade Certified” and “Certified Biodegradable” really mean at www.greenerchoices.org/eco-labels You can check out all 149 eco-labels if you’re really ambitious.