Does green label = green product? It should.

How do you decide which products to buy? Price tags, product labels and ads likely play a part in your choice. They tell you about ingredients, how much product you get for the price, and whether a product has qualities that matter to you — like being environmentally safer. Since labels, ads and product claims influence our spending choices, it’s important they give us accurate and complete information.

The FTC sets guidelines for truth in advertising, including green advertising, and holds companies accountable for the claims they make. According to the FTC’s Green Guides, if a marketer puts a green seal or certification on products, it has to explain what the seal or certification is based on and it has to be specific. For example, a marketer could say the product is ‘biodegradable’ or ‘recyclable.’ It’s not enough for a seal to just say ‘green’ or ‘eco-friendly;’ in fact, that could be deceptive. After searching online, the FTC found 32 marketers and five certifiers using seals with vague or incomplete wording, and sent letters warning them to review their ads.

You can read more from the FTC about green advertising claims, shopping green and making choices that are good for the environment.

All About the Super Greenies

From JJ Hill:

Lots of folks are spending lots of money on Green products and services these days. Maybe you or someone you know also has a great idea for the next big Green product. But who exactly are these environmentally conscious consumers that are willing to pay big bucks to “Go Green”?

Scarborough Research, a market research firm, has put together a detailed report entitled All About the Super Greenies. The consumers they profile in this report are “those adults who engage in 10 or more green activities, such as recycling, using rechargeable batteries or re-using grocery store bags”, a number Scarborough estimates as 5% of the adult population in the U.S. The report covers income, media preferences, political affiliations, activities, online habits, and more.

If you need to get a better grasp on just who the Green consumer is, this report is a great start. You may also want to start hanging out at local gardening centers; Scarborough says that 68% of Super Greenies participate in gardening. Time to get your hands dirty!

Green Technologies & Practices - August 2011

About three-quarters of business establishments reported the use of at least one green technology or practice during August 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Green technologies and practices (GTP) are those that lessen the environmental impact of an establishment’s operations. About 854,700 jobs, representing approximately 0.7 percent of total U.S. employment, were held by workers
who spent more than half of their time involved in green technologies and practices in August 2011. Over one-quarter of these GTP jobs were in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations or in installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.

These data are from the Green Technologies and Practices survey, a survey of business establishments designed to collect data on establishments’ use of green technologies and practices and the occupations of workers who spend more than half of their time involved in green technologies and practices.

Green Power Partnership Top 50

The Green Power Partnership works with a wide variety of leading organizations — from Fortune 500 companies to local, state and federal governments, and a growing number of colleges and universities. The following Top Partner Rankings highlight the annual green power purchases of leading organizations within the United States and across individual industry sectors.

These green power purchases help reduce the environmental impacts of electricity use and support the development of new renewable generation capacity nationwide. Purchase amounts reflect U.S. operations only and are sourced from U.S.-based green power resources. Organizations can meet EPA purchase requirements using any combination of three different product options (1) Renewable Energy Certificates, (2) On-site generation, and (3) Utility green power products.

U.S. economy generates 750,000+ green jobs

First Metro Green Jobs Report Projects 4.2 Million Jobs by 2038. "The report, released...by The U.S. Conference of Mayors, Mayors Climate Protection Center, is the first calculation of its kind to measure how many direct and indirect jobs are in the new and emerging U.S. green economy."