Source: Rolling Stone

Adam Duritz and Adam Levine seem to have more in common than their first names, not only are they co-headlining a show across country, share an interest in each other’s music, they are also trying to save the planet. By teaming up with Reverb, an environmental non-profit company dedicated to bringing music and sustainability together, Maroon 5 and Counting Crows are among many other musicians this summer to green the planet with their music through biodegradable tours. At each show, Reverb sets up a “festival-like atmosphere” to inform fans of green technology, sustainability, and other ways to improve the planet as well as giveaways of autographed material and eco-friendly samples. To get tour dates and take part in the greening action, check out the Maroon 5/Counting Crows greening site.

What is it worth to you to buy a product that you know is green? How much would you pay for something that was made in a socially responsible way? For example, would you buy a $1000 sweater rather than a $100 sweater? Christina Binkley poses that exactly that question in an article in today’s Wall Street .

She makes that the case that the more expensive sweater has a better pedigree - if you care about fairly treated workers and green production processes. Many consumers do express a willingness to pay more if they knew the product was really clean and green, but that is easier said than done.

Price is no indicator. For example, many luxury brands do not fare well when evaluated on their environmental and social performance. WWF-UK analyzed and ranked the 10 largest publicly-traded luxury brand-owners on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. The highest grade - a C+ - goes to L’Oreal. (Forget about LVMH, Coach, Tiffany + Company.) Certifications could work, although disagreement about which certification is more valid dilutes the efforts. Some consumers opt to let a trusted buyer make the call, a la Whole Foods. A Consumer Reports rankings for environmentally and socially responsible products would help - if it existed. No wonder we find ourselves asking, what is it worth to us and find no easy answer in sight.

The upcoming holiday season means that you’ll likely buy gifts for those you care about. If you also care about the environment, then you’ll want to buy gifts that are eco-friendly. You may have noticed all of the products on the shelves that claim to be “green” and wonder if they really are “green” or just greenwashing. What does one do to determine if a product is really eco-friendly?

Well, a North American environmental marketing firm, named TerraChoice, is helping consumers determine if a product is really eco-friendly. They released a report this week called the Six Sins of Greenwashing, which details how products make a “green” claim when they aren’t necessarily green. (You can download a pdf copy of the report to carry with you.) According to the report, 57% of all greenwashed products commit the “Sin of the Hidden-Trade Off” where a company asserts that a product is green based on a “single environmental attribute without attention to other important, or perhaps more important, environmental issues (such as energy, global warming, water, and forestry impacts of paper).” To find out about the other sins of greenwashing committed by companies, visit TerraChoice’s site for the report. You can also read about this report on CNET and the New York Times.

This holiday season, be an educated shopper and don’t be fooled by products that greenwash! You’ll make Santa very proud!

Disclosure: At the time of the writing of this post, I have no financial relationships with any of the organizations mentioned.