You have watched the proliferation of “green” products hit the market in the past few years. However what does green mean? And who is making sure they really are green? To start with so many products really are greener than they ever were before but most of them are guilty of “greenwashing” which means they are fudging the truth to make them sound more environmentally friendly.

In order to not be led astray by false claims, you can look for certain logos on the products:

– Third party organizations that certify green: Ecologo, Green Seal, Fair Trade Certified, GREENGUARD, Rainforest Alliance

– we have a Montreal company, Ethiquette which checks out sustainable companies and covers over 1,000 products. You can see what they recommend at www.ethiquette.ca

– the city of Montreal has published a guide to reducing, reusing and recycling. It includes how to compost at home. Copies are available at Acces Montreal offices, libraries, and Eco-quartiers. There is an online version and you can look at it on the Gazette’s Green Life blog: montrealgazette.com/greenlife