Put Your Money Where Your Values Are, Choose Eco-friendly Products - by Diane DiCostanzo

An emerging cadre of shoppers are choosing with their values in mind. These "compassionate consumers" object to the destruction of the world's rain forests and other pristine habitats, to slave labor and unhealthy workplaces and to the eradication of fish, coral reefs and sea mammals. They're aware that some products are made in environmentally responsible ways that help protect against these tragedies-while all too many others contribute to the harm.

"Maybe there's a reason, after all, why money is green," says Bob Scowcroft, executive director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF). By choosing healthier, eco-friendly products, we can help change the world.

Fair-Trade Clothing

Co-ops are being established worldwide that allow women to care for their children at the same time they earn a living wage. Garments certified by the Fair Trade Federation can take you and your family comfortably from summer into fall while helping to support families half a world away. (See www.fairtradefederation.org for retailers, or call 202-872-5329.) For example, the Tibetan Handcraft Development Project offers clothing, hats, pillows and handicrafts through dZi, a company that employs about 150 Tibetan refugees in India and Nepal. (See www.dzi.com, or call 202-882-0008.)

Sustainable Wood Furniture and Decking

Summer's long, warm days mean a life lived as much outdoors as possible. Wouldn't it be great to find lawn furniture that allows you to truly relax, knowing that its wood was both acquired from well managed forests and not treated with toxic chemicals? The same goes for decking, since this kind of lumber is often pressure-treated with arsenic. It can be done. Look for products with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label. While there's room for improvement, FSC remains the most eco-friendly choice for now. Garden furniture can be found at www.eco-furniture.com, 800-233-8438. For decking, try the Environmental Home Center: 800-281-9785, www.built-e.com. Also see www.certifiedwood.org.

Organic Food

Organic foods and vegetables contain only about a third as many pesticide residues as conventionally grown foods, according to a 2002 study by Consumers Union and the Organic Materials Research Institute. More good news: This October new national standards will go into effect. What's next? "Now that we have a uniform organic definition in place, I see manufacturers starting to appeal to consumers with products that are locally grown, adhere to fair-trade practices or come from family farms," says Scowcroft.

Locally grown produce doesn't re- quire major fossil-fuel use to transport it to you. And look for the CERTIFIED ORGANIC label.

Eco-labels

While many certified eco-labels honestly reward production practices that benefit the environment and farm workers, "unfortunately, some companies also make general, less-than-meaningful claims, such as 'natural' or 'free range,'" says Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., senior research associate at Consumers Union. To the rescue: CU's eco-label website, which provides assessments of 100-plus claims (www.eco-labels.org).

Some eco-labels you can trust:

*The BETTER BANANAS and ECO-O.K. labels are given to banana, coffee, cocoa and orange growers who comply with standards that protect rainforests and support farm families. Both labels are monitored by the Rainforest Alliance and its Latin American partners (the Sustainable Agriculture Network). See www.rainforestalliance.org, or call 888-MY-EARTH.

*A BIRD FRIENDLY label, awarded by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, appears on organic coffee that is also certified as shade-grown. For brands, see www.thegreenguide.com.

*The GREEN SEAL label can be found on some household and office-supply products, such as cleaners, paper, air-conditioners, food packaging and lighting. All undergo a life-cycle evaluation of their environmental impact at each stage, from resource extraction, production and use to disposal. See www.greenseal.org.

Organic Cotton

In addition to eating organic, we can wear it. About 25 percent of all insecticides used worldwide are applied on conventional cotton fields, sometimes causing massive fish and bird kills. Some sources for 100 percent certified organic cotton products:

*Maggie's Organics socks, shirts and sheets: 800-609-8593, www.organicclothes.com *Patagonia's sportswear for men, women and kids:800-638-6464, www.patagonia.com

*Lifekind Products' bedding, towels, baby's needs and more: 800-284-4983; www.lifekind.com

*Organic Essentials cotton balls, swabs and tampons: 800-765-6491, www.organicessentials.com

Recommended Reads

*The April 2002 issue of Harper's Magazine reports on how industrial cotton ruined the Aral Sea and human lives. Call 212-420-5720, or see www.harpers.org.

*Julia Alvarez's lovely A Cafecito Story (Chelsea Green, 2002, $8.95) tells the human story behind a fair-trade coffee cooperative in a new bilingual English/Spanish edition.

*For many more Product Reports and Part I of this article, see our website, www.thegreenguide.com.

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