Green Products

The choices we make as consumers are the most important, perhaps only ways we can do to help the environment and mitigate our impact on the environment. Choosing green products every time we’re faced with a choice between a sustainable and a non-sustainable option is within reach for most of us. Below is a short but comprehensive guide to green products in different market segments.

• Electricity: in the United States most of the electricity generated comes from coal. However, the situation is starting to change and it’s becoming increasingly common for utilities to offer green products such as wind and solar power. Check with your provider whether they have such options on their energy mix. Alternatively, consider installing solar panels in order to generate your own electricity.


• Electric appliances: older electric appliances tend to draw more energy. More recent products have better green credentials for demanding less power. Look out for the Energy Star label when shopping for household electric appliances, they attest to the product’s low energy consumption.


• Food: there are two rules to make food greener. One of them is to buy as much local produce as possible. These have a lower carbon footprint and are generally healthier since they are seasonal. Another rule is to avoid livestock products. It is a widely publicized fact now that the livestock industry has the highest carbon footprint of all industries in the world.
• Transport: walking and cycling are the greenest options available. Failing those, try to use public transport as much as possible. If you must use a car, try to share it with co-workers or family members; avoid using it for unnecessary journeys and make sure you drive an economical model – there has been a lot of improvement in mpg performance. Electric vehicles became more affordable in 2010 with the launch of popular models so they may be more affordable than a lot of people think.


• Clothes: clothes can be organic, too, so favor this option whenever possible. Cotton especially can be quite harmful to the environment due to the amount of pesticides used to grow it. Wearing second hand clothes is also a green alternative and favoring quality over quantity also agrees with the green mindset. Avoid leather as the tanning process is highly toxic to the environment. Fur is also damaging to the environment as traps kill animals indiscriminately.