GoodGuide.com Encourages Sustainability

Lots of activities going on in the photo above. Can you name them all? We have a man taking a photo, several children playing in our giant sandbox, a couple fascinated by something they hold in their hands. But what? Let's imagine they have an iPhone and are reading about a new App, called Good Guide ....

I identify myself as a green innkeeper and try, in my own small way, to encourage people to choose options that are better for the environment. So many people are throwing around the word "green" these days to describe what they do, or their product. Green needs to go way beyond fashionable. I believe some corporate folks, like our utility company claim to be green simply because they perceive of it as "trendy," yet officials do not blink at spraying herbicides across 150 miles of Cape Cod, despite the outcry by local citizens. In the case of these toxic-chemical advocates, I'm convinced green-washing is going on.

I listened to a NPR show last night, on the way back from Boston, on this very subject. One of the guests described a new App for iPhone that helps identify products that are good for the environment. It was said the App will pressure manufacturers to be more upfront with environmental info. Check out the site, called Good Guide. I do not have an iPhone, or even a cell, but lots of people do. I would love if this mind-set became a movement. There are many of us, out in cyberspace, proving sustainability, as a lifestyle, not only can be achieved but is a wise choice.

What do you think? In what ways have you changed your lifestyle? Do you worry about the impact of everyday products on your health, on the environment, or on society?