A growing number of online green guides help consumers choose food, toys, cosmetics and household products made by socially responsible companies. TIP SHEET provides a guide to the guides.

• goodguide.com: This well-organized site rates personal-care and household products. Seventh Generation’s Natural All-Purpose Cleaner gets top marks. Info on packaged foods is coming soon.

• cosmeticsdatabase.com: The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep cosmetic-safety database scores personal-care products based on their potentially hazardous ingredients.

• climatecounts.org: This site evaluates companies that produce apparel, food, beverages, electronics and household products for their impact on global warming. Results: Nike scores high.

 
Planting Time: Concerned about food standards, more people are growing their own vegetables
Taxi-Getty Images 

By Christina Gillham 

Yvette Roman and Fred Davis’s 1,300-square-foot front yard stands out from the grass lawns that are typical of their suburban Los Angeles neighborhood. Two large raised vegetable beds that contain colored rows of bell peppers, basil, parsley, purple cauliflower, two kinds of broccoli, onions, leeks, beets, four kinds of potatoes and three kinds of tomato plants dominate the yard. Climbing up a trellis are concord grapes, melons and pole beans. Near the driveway, there is another bed that holds tomatoes, tomatillos and Swiss chard, and Meyer lemon, tangerine and lime trees.

Roman, 43, and Davis, 44, started the vegetable garden just over a year ago (the backyard is reserved for their dogs and barbecuing) as a way to reduce their carbon footprint by eating locally and to ensure that their food supply was as healthy (read: pesticide-free) and as safe as possible. “Growing organically is super important to us,” says Roman. To read more about the Roman/Davis garden, log onto their blog.

Long a hobby among retirees, vegetable gardening is gaining popularity with a younger set of green thumbs. Many home growers are concerned about recent salmonella and E. coli outbreaks in store-bought produce and the widespread use of pesticides. “As we’ve gone toward a global food chain and away from local farming, a lot of people have become concerned about food standards,” says Robert LaGasse, executive director of the Garden Writers Association (gardenwriters.org).

By Linda Stern 

Greenwashing isn’t about salad prep. It’s what companies do when they plaster their products with meaningless but inspiring labels like EARTH-FRIENDLY and ECO-SAFE. Sounds good, looks pretty, but how do you know whether you’re really getting an environmentally sound product?

You don’t, according to the Federal Trade Commission, which is reviewing the guidance it gives consumers on green pitches. “There’s a heightened potential for deception” with green claims like carbon offsets when you can’t monitor the actual effect, says FTC chair Deborah Platt Majoras.

Ignore the fluff and look for specifics, suggests the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. The words “organic” and “recycled” are regulated by the government and have legal meaning, as do the Energy Star designations given to appliances, electronics and other products by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Department. You can look for independent certification by groups such as Green Seal (greenseal.org), EcoLogo (ecologo.org), the Greenguard Environmental Institute (greenguard.org) and the Forest Stewardship Council (fscus.org).

The more details you get, the better, says the FTC. Instead of going for the box that says “less waste,” buy one that says “20 percent less material.” If a product has those three little green chasing arrows, check to see if the box offers more info, like whether it’s recyclable or recycled, whether the symbol refers to the product or the package and what percentage is actually made of recycled materials. Be aware of what the environmental marketing company Terra Choice calls “hidden trade-offs”: products that claim one environmental virtue, like energy efficiency, but deliver another sin, like hazardous contents. Finally, don’t get smitten with the word “biodegradable.” Most of that stuff ends up in landfills anyway, and still takes a long time to go away.

Nov. 5, 2007 issue

How to choose eco-friendly holiday presents

Next time your child asks why he didn’t get as many presents as his best friend, explain that you’re just trying to be eco-friendly. Some tips on how to give good, green gifts.

To prevent waste from unwanted presents, give gift cards. “That way, they can get exactly what they need,” says green-lifestyle expert Danny Seo. His other advice: give “one good gift instead of lots of things no one really needs.” (Warning: this will work far better for adults than for kids).

Make a present, like a hand-knit scarf.  Or give a waste-free “experience,” like a bike trip, a spa visit or a gift certificate to an organic restaurant, suggests Jennifer Hattam, the Sierra Club’s green-living expert.

By Dan Oko
June 2006 issue

The basics of ecotourism are fairly easy to grasp: Businesses that cater to tourists follow special policies to protect the environment, aid the local community, and educate travelers.

But considering there's no universal set of standards, and nearly 100 groups offer various "eco" certifications and memberships, doing the right thing is a lot more complicated than one would hope.

A vacationer looking to spend time and money in an environmentally conscious manner might run across names such as Sustainable Travel International, Conservation International, Rainforest Alliance, The International Ecotourism Society, Green Hotels Association, and EcoClub, as well as regional associations like Ecotourism Australia and Travel Green Wisconsin. Each has the same idea at heart, but good values can be put into action in very different ways. Ecotourism Australia awards attractions, tours, and accommodations three categories of certificates: Nature Tourism, Ecotourism, and something called Advanced Ecotourism. The Costa Rica Tourism Board tabulates the results of questionnaires and on-site visits to rate eco-lodges on a scale of 0 to 5 green leaves. The Green Hotels Association sends members a 136-page booklet with info about noise control, composting, and other environmental issues, but the only real qualification to join is payment of an annual fee of $100-$350.

Adding to the confusion are operations that eschew official recognition yet stick to rigorous environmental guidelines, such as the adventure outfit Mountain Travel Sobek.

The best way, then, to find out what a hotel, resort, or tour operator does--and doesn't do--for the earth is to ask questions. You may not completely understand the answers; what does sustainability mean anyway? But you should listen closely nonetheless. If it sounds like the employee you're talking to is making things up or has never heard the questions before (let alone answered them), there's a problem.

How do you conserve resources?

It's easy to request that guests reuse towels; hotels taking water conservation a step further irrigate lawns and gardens with gray water (from bath and laundry sources) rather than fresh water. Guests should be encouraged to walk, ride bicycles, and take advantage of public transportation and energy-efficient vehicles such as hybrids. Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, are good signs, as is the separating of trash and composting. Whenever possible, buildings should be constructed with recycled materials and timber from renewable sources. Disposable items are best avoided.

How do you protect plants and animals?

Pedestrians and cyclists should stay on trails, and vehicles on roads. If your guide hacks up trees for firewood or your group disturbs wildlife and doesn't back off, something's wrong. Outside of qualified breeding programs, wild animals are never to be caged.

What do you do to help the community?

Not every company will be locally owned and operated, but outfitters and lodges should at least hire local staff. Beyond jobs, many operations emphasize charity. The owners of Lapa Rios, a five-leaf eco-lodge in Costa Rica, helped build a school in a rural area that lacked electricity and phones, while Guerba, a U.K.-based tour company, has raised more than $64,000 for homeless kids in Tanzania. When it's time to eat, look for restaurants selling regional, organic food.

What ecotourism activities do you offer?

One of the best things an eco-resort can do is impart awareness to guests. Snorkeling above coral reefs, hiking in rain forests, and rafting in remote rivers can be both thrilling and educational. Shopping excursions should focus on goods made locally, ideally with opportunities to learn about workers' lives and culture. And of course, activities ought to be respectful and avoid damaging the environment. Cooking with lightweight gas stoves causes less harm than using campfires. If you do light a campfire, always set it up in an established fire pit or ring. When you're snorkeling, never touch the coral. Optimally, you'll bring these practices home. Truly successful ecotourism changes not just the way you vacation, but the way you think--no matter where you are.

By Kate Appleton
July/August 2007 issue

Hong Kong owes much of its success as a world business leader to its proximity to rapidly industrializing southern China. Lately, however, the city also has its booming neighbor to thank for increased air pollution. (Between 2002 and 2006, the number of smoggy days grew from 41 to 57 annually, according to the city's Environmental Protection Department.) As a result, officials are trying to add and expand green spaces. One of the most ambitious proposals calls for a new park and waterfront promenade--as well as a cruise terminal, condos, and hotels--at the site of the defunct Kai Tak Airport. Here's where to breathe freely in the meantime.

Hong Kong Wetland Park By the town of Tin Shui Wai--so close to mainland China that the towers of Shenzhen are visible across the water--this 150-acre park opened in May 2006 as an ecotourism and conservation initiative. Its airy visitors center has telescopes for spotting the more than 200 bird species living among the park's marshes, mangroves, and fish ponds. Exhibitions look at how dams and pollution threaten the vital roles of wetlands. wetlandpark.com, $4.

Ngong Ping 360 Launched last September, the Ngong Ping Skyrail treats passengers to a 25-minute ride up the lush mountainside of Lantau Island, which rises sharply from the South China Sea. At the top is Ngong Ping, a replica of a traditional village with footbridges, curved-roof shops--one devoted entirely to chopsticks--and a teahouse that gives free demos. np360.com.hk, cable car $11, village free. Note that in mid-June 2007 Skyrail service was temporarily suspended because of safety concerns.

Wisdom Path On a rugged slope of Lantau Peak, about a 15-minute walk from Ngong Ping Village, 38 towering wooden columns form a figure eight, symbolizing infinity. They're carved with Chinese inscriptions from the Heart Sutra, a text respected by Buddhists. The columns were arranged at varying heights about two years ago, and the tallest remains blank to evoke the concept of sunyata (emptiness). Free.

Nan Lian Garden Highways crisscross and apartment towers vie with mountaintops in Kowloon's bustling Diamond Hill district, which welcomed this nearly nine-acre public garden last November. Modeled after the Tang Dynasty's Jiangshouju Garden, manicured Nan Lian has rock clusters, a waterfall, 59 types of ancient trees, and ornamental wooden structures (one hosts exhibitions). A gold pavilion sits in the middle of one pond, and a bridge leads to the Chi Lin Nunnery, which is charged with maintaining the garden. nanliangarden.org, free.

Nature Kaleidoscope The stilt homes of sleepy one-time fishing village Tai O and the vegetable gardens and greenhouses of sustainable Kadoorie Farm are among a new series of guided daily excursions organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board as a way to promote the city's outdoorsy side. An advance in-person reservation is required; four booking centers include the Causeway Bay MTR station, near exit F. discoverhongkong.com, three tours are free (with a U.S. passport), plus minimal admission costs, others are $38-$46.