Carbon offsets are rapidly becoming the next Big Green Thing, touted as a promising solution to global warming. For a relatively small price, they offer the chance to “zero out” emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). Methods include tree plantings, renewable energy generation, and other projects that trap carbon or don’t produce it in the first place. When such a balance is achieved, offset subscribers become “carbon neutral.”

Unlike organic foods, conventional produce is often treated with pesticides and other chemicals while it’s being grown and after it’s been harvested. The pesticides are typically made from some of the most toxic substances available, and their residues often remain on the foods we buy in the supermarket.

When it comes to animal testing, we’ve got just one word: Nope. We don’t like it. We don’t do it. And we think those still engaged in this barbaric practice should stop immediately if not sooner. There are plenty of technologies we can and do use instead to verify the safety of our products, and there’s no excuse whatsoever for torturing bunnies and others in the name of commerce, or anything else for that matter. Frankly, when it comes to animal testing, we’ve got an attitude. And now we’ve got an award to show for it.

We live in a world that loves its computers. But we also need to be aware that most of the digital products we depend on are not so good for the environment. Computers, screens and laptops suck a lot of energy, and sometimes contain toxic materials. To learn how to choose products that are the most environmentally sound, here’s a web site that can help: Meet the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, or Epeat for short. The site rates computers, computer screens and laptops on a series of environmental criteria, and gives each a rating.

When it comes to disclosing ingredients for cosmetics, the laws go less than skin deep. As a result, the makers of personal care products don't have to tell you all the ingredients they use. The Environment Working Group, (EWG) has taken the industry to task in a new report that lists the top nine chemicals to avoid in cosmetics and personal care products. Here’s the rundown in random order, and it’s not pretty: • Mercury • Lead • Synthetic fragrances • Animal parts • Hydroquinone • Nanoparticles • Phthalates • Petroleum byproducts • Placenta and placental extracts

Lately, we’ve noticed that local dry cleaners around the country are touting a service called, “organic dry cleaning.” Like anything with the magic “O” word attached, this sounds promising. Or is the consumer just being hung out to dry? The answer turns out to be a little bit of both. Most dry cleaners rely on toxic solvents to clean clothing, chiefly a chemical called perchloroethylene or perc, which used by more than 75% of all dry cleaners.

At Seventh Generation, much of our thinking about the environment is based on the Precautionary Principle, an environmental philosophy created at a landmark 1998 conference of scientists, government officials, lawyers, labor activists, and environmental leaders at Wingspread in Racine, Wisconsin. The Principle offers a common-sense approach to environmental dilemmas and is based on a simple statement:

By Jeffrey Hollender Chief Inspired Protagonist Seventh Generation

When Seventh Generation was born 20 years ago, it was as a skinny digest-sized mail order catalog whose primary products were recycled paper bath tissue and an alien looking $25 dollar light bulb called a compact fluorescent light (CFL) that produced more laughter than illumination.

There’s always been something a little unsettling about the idea of revitalizing the air inside our homes by spraying things with names like “Meadow Mist” and “Mountain Breeze,” especially when these products hardly smell like either. Now, two studies have found that our suspicions were correct -- synthetic air fresheners coat our homes and fill our air with unsafe chemicals.