Some Not-So-Green Products

There's some 'green' products out there that just aren't quite as green as they claim to be. Whether you call it greenwashing or just plain dishonesty, here's a few products that don't live up to their green hype.

"Green" Cleaning Products: To meet the growing demand for environmentally-friendly products, a number of companies have created "green" cleaning products. For people concerned with the number of chemicals in traditional household cleaners, these seem like a great solution. However, these new "green" products contain some of the same chemicals. The real green cleaning solution? Homemade cleaners from everyday items such as baking soda, vinegar, cola, etc.

Hybrid SUVs: This almost seems like an oxymoron; we've come to associate the word "hybrid" with eco-responsibility, but "SUV" is a dirty three-letter word in environmental circles. So are these hybrid SUVs green? Most of them get less than 30 miles per gallon. That's better than the national average, but there are also a lot of other vehicles out there, hybrid or traditional, that can do better. Sure, a hybrid SUV is better than a traditional SUV, but that doesn't mean you're an environmental hero if you buy one. 

Energy Trackers: There are a lot of devices out there marketed to green people that display or keep track of the electricity your electronic devices use. These trackers supposedly conserve energy by making you aware of the electricity you're using, thus helping the environment. However, these devices seem to me to be a big waste. They are made of plastics, metals and other materials, and take energy to produce and ship. And the problem is, they don't offer anything to the consumer that isn't common sense knowledge. Keep the following four things in mind, and you can save yourself from buying one of these gizmos:

• Your stuff uses electricity.
• When you turn your stuff off, it uses less electicity...
• ...But even when it's turned off, your stuff still uses electricity.
• Your stuff uses a lot of electicity (the exact amount can be found on your monthly utility bill).

And guess what? Energy trackers use electicity, too!

"Eco-shape" water bottles: These "eco-shape" bottles use less plastic than traditional bottles, and are thus labeled as "green." Unfortunately, these bottles use almost infinitely more plastic than your kitchen faucet. So fill up a reusable container from the tap (like this one) and be a real eco-hero. 

Organic /Hemp / Recycled Fabric clothing: Sure these might be a bit greener than the clothes for sale in the mall (or they might not be), but the greenest choice would be not to buy new clothes at all. Unless you absolutely need a new item of clothing (and how many of us really do), these eco-friendly clothes can't really be considered a green decision. If you do want to buy some new threads, go vintage and give some older clothes new life. Now that's a green choice!

Well, that's some of the stuff you might want to avoid. Here's some stuff you can buy that will actually make a big difference:

• CFL bulbs
• Appliances rated highly by Energy Star
• Reusable shopping bags
• Anything used!

Hopefully this will help you make your spending dollar a little greener. Happy shopping!