Put your money where your mouth is

After the December 2009 climate summit in Copenhagen, when world leaders failed to reach a substantive agreement that would address the pressing realities of climate change, I posed a question at the end of my column: What do we do now?

Some readers responded, pointing out that our personal choices profoundly affect our world. Will Conway’s letter to the editor of this paper suggested that one of the most meaningful ways to reduce greenhouse gases is to eliminate meat from our diets. Another reader felt that individuals must support business “efforts to deal in a real way with the problem.”

We do indeed have an opportunity to make an impact every time we spend money. Our purchases can make a difference if we consider this over-arching question: What are the environmental and social impacts from cradle to grave of the item I am about to buy?

For example, a friend sent me a January 17 New York Times article about research into plastic coatings that can be applied to dinnerware, mirrors, factory equipment, etc. so that they can be cleaned without using detergents that cause algae blooms and other environmental hazards.

While reducing or eliminating algae blooms that produce dead zones in bodies of water is surely a noble goal, I am concerned. What are these coatings made from? Where do the chemicals come from and how are they extracted from the earth? What landscapes are sacrificed to obtain them? Are workers exploited or is their health at risk? How are the chemicals transported? What pollutants are released from the factory in order to make the product? How are production wastes disposed of? When the product reaches the landfill, what happens to the chemicals as the item decomposes?

Industrial ecologists consider such questions when formulating a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for a product. LCA examines the total environmental and social impact of a product and provides an all-inclusive analysis of how the extraction, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal of an item affect natural and social systems.

Daniel Goleman’s “Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything,” advocates “ecological transparency,” contending that if consumers know the LCA of every product they consider buying, they will make ecologically sound purchases and the marketplace will exert pressure on companies to manufacture products that are truly green.

Goleman maintains that: “Information moves markets.” He proposes that labels, similar to the nutrition labels now on food products, provide consumers with a rating at point of purchase to summarize the true impacts of each item.

Although products do not yet carry such labels, the information can be, literally, at your fingertips. When you shop, use your smart phone to visit these two web sites:

Climatecounts.org uses 22 criteria to determine if companies such as Kraft Foods, Nike and Johnson & Johnson have “measured their climate ‘footprint,’ reduced their impact on global warming, supported (or suggest intent to block) progressive climate legislation, publicly disclosed their climate actions clearly and comprehensively,” and then assigns a final score—“stuck,” “starting” or “thriving.” The web site also offers a downloadable pocket guide.

Goodguide.com provides comparative ratings of over 70,000 brands of food, personal care, household chemical and toy products, considering carbon footprints, depletion of natural resources, suspected carcinogens or other toxins and social impact. An iPhone app allows you to scan the barcode of the product while you shop and immediately see comprehensive ratings for health, environment and social responsibility.

When you shop, you have a powerful tool to positively move markets. Spend your money wisely.

Marcia Nehemiah