Company Practices

You already spend time looking at the products you purchase and how your purchasing behavior can impact the environment, but what about looking at the companies behind the products? Is a green product still green if it's made by an un-green company? Should a company be considered green if it treats the environment well but not its employees? We're getting so philosophical here! Before I start asking about trees falling in the woods, let me urge you to take a look at the Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire. It's a great resource to learn about socially responsible steps that companies are taking. The great thing about it is the wide range of topics that are covered. Not only can you sign up for news on the environment, green building and renewable energy, but also on such topics as diversity, fair trade and socially responsible investing. CSRwire can provide you with a wealth of information on which companies are taking socially responsible actions in today's marketplace.

It's All Good...

I am a frequent user of the Environmental Worling Group's Cosmetic Safety Database, so I was extremely excited to see another product database called GoodGuide. GoodGuide ranks products not only on environmental performance and health performance, but also on social performance. Rankings go from 0 (the worst) to 10 (the best). This "higher number is better" scale is the opposite of the Cosmetic Safety Database, so be careful. GoodGuide also goes beyond personal care products to include toys and household chemicals. I, for one, am excited to dive deeper into this new resource!