1) What does “Green” mean, anyway?
In general, the term green refers to a business or product that is providing a benefit to the environment in some way, by either reducing its negative impact when being compared to a similar non-green business or product, like flip flops made from recycled rubber, or by actually providing a direct positive impact, like a winery that uses biodynamic farming methods that improves the quality of the soil.
2) What do they mean when they say green?
When coming across a business that claims to be green or to offer a green product, consider what exactly is environmentally friendly about it. Is the product or service they are offering really green, or are they just slapping the word green onto their promotional material then going about business as usual? For example, a newspaper that claims to be green because they offer a section just for green advertisers while continuing to print on virgin fiber paper is greenwashing.
3) Any third party certifications?
If a business has gone to the trouble of applying for a green certification of some sort, that is probably a good sign. Beware, however, that some certifications mean nothing more than that the business coughed up some money in exchange for a seal to put on their promotional materials. If you are suspicious, look into what it takes to get the particular certification. Green America (www.greenamericatoday.org) is a highly respected organization with a rigorous certification process. Also, certifications from local city and county green business programs are usually trustworthy.
4) They talk the talk, but do they walk the walk?
If a business calls itself green and they mean it, chances are they will give details about their sustainable business practices somewhere on their website. Are they taking steps to reduce their energy use, using recycled paper, offsetting their carbon, encouraging carpooling? Do a little snooping, and if you don’t find any details, chances are they are not as committed to the environment as they would like you to think. The Better World Shopping Guide is a good resource to find out more about large companies and how they rate in their environmentally and socially responsible business practices.
5) Where does their money go?
If a business is truly green, it is likely that they support other environmentally friendly/socially responsible organizations or non-profits. This support could be in the form of donations of a percentage of their profits, volunteering, or donations of products and services. Information about this is often available on a business’s website. If you can’t find anything it doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t green, but knowing they support other organizations with green values is a huge point in their favor. Check out resources like www.opensecrets.org to find out about larger corporations and what kinds of politicians they support.
Kim Isley is the founder and director of Trees for a Change, an organizationa that plants trees as gifts in U.S. National Forests that have been destroyed by wildfire. Learn more about Kim <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http:” target=”_blank”>www.treesforachange.com/info.html”> HERE
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