“Green Monday”: Shop Green This Holiday Season

With the passing of Thanksgiving each year, we are all thrown in the midst of the holiday shopping season. First, many of us will begin looking for gifts among the thousands of different shops and department stores in our local malls the day after Thanksgiving during what is known as Black Friday. Then we are bombarded with online ads over the weekend as we approach Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day of the year. And then, today is officially referred to as Green Monday, the second Monday in December.

With all those choices out there, you may be asking yourself how to find (or you may have even forgotten to look for) the retailers who offer green/eco-friendly products. You can first go to Google to conduct a quick online search in order to find those environmentally friendly retailers and products. However, with all of the greenwashing out in the marketplace it is important to leverage independent analysis of major retailers’ sustainable business practices. The organization I like best is called ClimateCounts.org. For example, if you are looking to buy a new pair of shoes, this non-profit has rated Nike as one of the top companies in the sector with regards to sustainable business practices with a rating of 82 out of 100. On the other end of the spectrum, it has rated Jones Apparel Group (who operates brands such as Nine West) with a score of 0 out of 100. Take a look at the website to find additional ratings of other corporations in a number of different industries.

Now with a solid background of independent reviews of the many merchants who will cross your path, you can make an informed decision about where to buy your next gift. Many sites will have a list of “Green” merchants or even a specific category that lists their eco-friendly products. For example, if you are looking for a special deal online, popular sites like Ebates.com will list all the merchants who sell environmentally sound products. Click the following link to see a list of the current retailers listed in their “Shop Green” section. The added incentive of shopping through a site like this is that they will also track your purchases and give you certain percentage back as a cash rebate and even list special coupons that the retailer is offering.

More and more, retailers are discovering the value of promoting environmentally safe products so be sure to make use of their efforts this holiday season and throughout the rest of the year.