A new green consumer survey along with some questionable advice from GreenGoods has made me seriously rethink how complicated it is for consumers to choose actual green products over greenwashing junk products. So in the next few posts we’ll look at why this is and how you as a green consumer can make smarter choices.

From a consumer point of view I can see why it’s complicated and difficult to choose green products. Here are some of the reasons why it’s so hard to make smart green choices…
Companies don’t make it easy: The majority of eco-companies don’t work hard enough to …read more

There are plenty of places on the web to look for eco-rated products. Some sites are amazing while others are good with a few cons. Some make you go hmmm entirely like GoodGuide.

GoodGuide notes that they provide, “The world’s largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products in your home.”
At GoodGuide you can enter a product into a search form or browse by category. They rate products on safety, health, and eco-friendly aspects. In all, they currently list about 70,000 food, toys, personal care, & household products. You have to be …read more

An nice piece was recently posted at Sustainable Business; a Greenwashing on the Rise report. It’s pretty much a must read if you’re interested in how greenwashers are getting more creative with their lame greenwashing efforts. According to the piece, “Between 2007 and 2009, the in-store availability of so-called ‘green’ products has increased between 40% and 176%, with 98% of products surveyed still committing at least one Sin of Greenwashing.” Not cool right?!

Why greenwashing matters to you:
First of all for anyone trying to go green, greenwashing immediately becomes an issues. Green products are already tricky to navigate, and …read more

Greenwashing is a complicated topic, depending on who you ask. Many have their own definitions of the term, and some of us are more flexible than others when it comes to supporting a company who may have greenwashed in the past.

Basics:
Greenwashing Index notes that greenwashing is, “When a company or organization spends more time and money claiming to be “green” through advertising and marketing than actually implementing business practices that minimize environmental impact.”
Wisegeek says, “Greenwashing is a marketing technique in which a company falsely claims environmental responsibility.”
The above are pretty typical definitions but there are shades of green involved, …read more