Choosing Environmentally Safe Products

A significant aspect of going green is to choose environmentally safe products as much as possible. Various certifications and lists of green companies and products have made life easier for consumers in this regard. But when that information isn't readily available you have to judge the level of eco friendliness in other ways. Basically you will look at three different aspect: manufacturing, using and disposing of the product.

The first step to consider is to find out more about how the product in question is manufactured. Here you need to find out what kind of raw materials are used in the product. If you are for example looking for a new cutting board one of wood would be better than a plastic one, given that it is not mad from extinct rain forest that is. The more components there is to a product, the more difficult it will be to determine if it is environmentally safe or not.

If it is a product containing many chemicals for example, you have quite a bit of research to do. Finding products of these types from green listed companies is the easy choice here.

Still related to the manufacturing process, you should also consider how much transportation is required before the end product arrive in the hands of the consumer. Try to go for alternatives that minimizes the need for long transportations.

Recycle, Reuse, Reduce

The next step to analyze is what happens when you use the product. How does it affect the environment? Various sprays may for example pollute the air when you use them while other products may break down into other components after use, that may pollute the groundwater and thus be harmful for many different living organisms. Ideally everything going out into the environment should be biodegradable.

Whenever possible you should also go for products that you can use more than one time, providing that it is hygienically acceptable of course. Also, some times products bought as one thing may be reused or repurposed for something else - various plastic containers for example can frequently be put to good use multiple times.

When it comes to disposing of the product, or what is left of it, you should look for environmentally safe products that can be recycled or that are biodegradable. If your garden has room for a compost, that is an excellent environmentally safe way of disposing of many forms of organic waste, while getting some excellent organic fertilizer for growing your vegetables at the same time. If you live in the city you should take care to sort your garbage accordingly.

Sort of completing the circle you should also look for recycled products when you go shopping. Although some claim that certain forms of recycling actually demand more energy than making brand new products, a good rule of thumb is still that recycled is better for the environment. For instance, you don't really NEED brand new, bleached and embroidered paper to wipe your behind after going to the toilet, do you?

Nobody Is Perfect

Although a lot can be done with a little planning and effort, it goes without saying that you probably can't expect everything you buy to be 100% environmentally safe. But that is no argument for not buying as much of the eco friendly varieties as you can.

Environmentally safe products are easier to find than ever before, often found everywhere from the big supermarket to the local store. For more special items you may have to consult a local specialty store or find one online. If you purchase online, don't forget to factor in the transportation aspect of your total eco friendliness.

Photo credit: kimberlyfaye