Your Very Own Eco-Shopping Mall

By Adam Eisman and the Great Green Home Show, GREENandSAVE
Posted on Sunday 5th April 2009

Shopping eco-consciously can be hard sometimes. It is not always easy to determine if a product is truly eco-friendly, or just “green washed” and dressed up in sustainability with no real environmental benefits. This is a rundown of some great eco-stores where you can find really sustainable goodies at very reasonable prices.

After scouring the internet for green products at good prices we came up with a, certainly not comprehensive, list of five companies looking out for the environment, and your wallet. These sites were also screened by the experts at ConsumerWebWatch.org to make sure they comply with the guidelines for customer service and disclosure of key information. So without further ado I am going to give you five eco-friendly sites of good quality for products and product lines that we probably all need and hopefully some that we all want.

  • LocalHarvest.org
    This is a local food products site. This site has a really cool map and search directory for local farms and produce stands. The directory lists organic food from local farmers markets, food co-ops, restaurants and more. Click on shop to order products such as organic black mission figs from California's passion fruit farms and honey apple butter from Arkansas and a lot of products that you can buy locally without being driven too far, which can help reduce a lot of energy costs that are associated with shipping food to our grocery stores from other areas. Another benefit of shopping locally is that the money stays here in our local economy, which helps to ensure that farms stay healthy for the future. This site should also list local places and products to visit and to buy from online.

  • The GreenLoop.com
    At this site you'll find eco-chic fashions including recycled cashmere hats and scarves. Also the sexy Anna is a tank top made from bamboo fabric. They also have fun accessories like eco-lists confetti shoulder bag made from recycled candy wrappers. Take a walk around the site and you’ll notice that some of the products are a little more expensive than what you can probably grab off of the shelves at your local discount clothes store. But it is important to remember that organic products and recycled products can be better manufactured and should last longer with the little bit of forethought and care. It's a reminder that we probably can't live any longer in a throwaway society.

  • EnvironmentalHomeCenter.com
    This site has everything you need for your Green Home Remodeling projects, including low or no volatile organic compound paint, low flow shower heads, recycled glass tiles, flooring made from Forest Stewardship Council (FCS) certified wood, and a knowledgeable staff that can answer your questions at 800-281-9785. I found this site a little hard to navigate, though I still think it's a pretty good site and gives you an idea of what you can buy that is safe to use in your house, or is a great recycled product. Even if you don't buy from this website you'll know what to buy when you get to your local store, especially when it comes to paint.

  • TheGreenOffice.com
    Click on supplies for office and school necessities such as Earth Soles made from recycled newspaper and other products made from recycled paper as well. When shopping here for paper, look for products that are processed chlorine free, which will be marked PCF, and with at least 30% post-consumer recycled fiber (PCR).

    This site has a really cool carbon offset calculator and it's great because it's got a lot of information that simply explain what a carbon footprint is and what offsetting means. It takes about five minutes but it is a real education as to what is being measured in order to calculate your carbon contribution to global warming. If it's your first time checking out one of these calculators, this is a good one because it's laid out in a very logical and educational way.

  • Re-modern.com
    Gifts and home accents. The goodies here are very nice and functional you’ll love that many are made from reclaimed materials. Look for glass vases made from recycled wine and beer bottles, clocks from recycled detergent bottle plastic, and doormats from surplus foam rubber from flip-flop factories.

    Physical site does it was really easy to get around and really easy to shop from it shows simply how easy it is to go green and being a green business. Smart and functional products for everyday use.

GREENandSAVE.com is a free resource for anyone that wants to save energy, money, and the environment. The articles, product reviews, online tools, and return on investment calculations are researched from a diverse range of public and private sector sources. Overall, the company is passionate about saving money as well as creating healthy homes, offices, and lifestyles.

For information from another great Green internet resource, take a look at GREENandSAVE.com for some Green Home Remodeling projects that can actually pay you back in less than a year! And take a look at the Master Return on Investment Table for some Home Remodeling tips.

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