Green Guide

These days, every skin lotion and dish detergent on store shelves gloats about how green it is. How do you know which are good for you and good for the earth?

NY Times reports that it was a similar question that hit Dara O'Rourke, a professor of environmental and labor policy at the University of California, Berkeley, one morning when he was applying sunscreen to his young daughter's face.

He realized he did not know what was in the lotion. He went to his office and quickly discovered that it contained a carcinogen activated by sunlight. It also contained an endocrine disruptor and two skin irritants. He also discovered that her soap included a kind of dioxane, a carcinogen, and then found that one of her brand-name toys was made with lead.

And in looking for the answer, he hatched the idea for a company that used his esoteric research on supply chain management. "All I do is study this, and I know nothing about the products I'm bringing into our house and putting in, on and around our family," Mr. O'Rourke said. But when he wanted to find that information, he could. Most consumers would struggle to do so.

Hence GoodGuide, a Web site and iPhone application that lets consumers dig past the package's marketing spiel by entering a product's name and discovering its health, environmental and social impacts.

NPR reports that it truly is eye opening. For one thing it allows you to input a product and come up with a better choice in the same price range. Who knew that it does not cost extra to go green. For example, the third highest ranking shampoo is Finesse. Yes, the same Finesse that costs $4.99. The worst, Bvlgari BLV Pour Homme Shampoo and Shower Gel, costing $49.99. So, by reducing your costs by a factor of ten you also help the environment. WOW!!!