The day after Earth Day: Now what

From its grass roots origin in the 70s to today’s “mission from God” magnitude, Earth Day reminds us that we must become better stewards of our environment … and prompts us to make changes in our personal behaviors that collectively contribute significantly to the health of the planet.

But, how do we know what to do? There’s tons of information out there … always has been. But until recently, essential data were at best tucked away in science journals requiring advanced degrees in chemistry to comprehend—or at worst deliberately hidden from public view.

What a difference a couple of years have made. Largely through online channels, shoppers can instantly gauge the hidden consequences of what we buy. Now, a simple click allows consumers to check ratings sites online or at the point of sale, with apps for your iPhone or other PDA.

Check out www.goodguide.com, which in addition to rating household items, discloses what’s in an impressive lists of foods. It also peels back the curtain to examine ingredients, contaminates and a company’s social performance. Wow. There are plenty of eye-opening findings, including some not-so-nice practices employed by a handful of manufacturers in the Organics space.

There’s also my personal favorite, www.seventhgeneration.com whose Label Reading Guide is fascinating stuff. www.sustainlane.com rates foods and household items in down-to-earth-friendly language AND provides some great recipes. Also, www.foodnews.com offers an easily downloadable iPhone app to the Shoppers Guide to Pesticides.

Daniel Goleman, the best-selling author who brought the term “emotional intelligence” to the fore, has just released his book, Ecological Intelligence … and I’m sure it will be a chartbuster as well. The book promises to help readers raise their eco-IQ, and explores ways that consumers can hold manufacturers accountable by voting with our dollars. As explained in an excerpt:

“as we tell our family, Twitter our friends and post on Facebook what we have learned, the power of our individual decision multiplies.”

The message this industry must take away is that there’s nowhere to hide. Every decision made in our course of business—from ingredient sourcing to supply chain management to product development to packaging—will be evaluated, rated and made public. Which is ultimately a very good thing. Because as consumers are making small changes in the products they buy, consciously revising the way the food industry operates can and will contribute significantly to the health of our planet.