Green Seal’s Choose Green Report

Green Seal, 1400 Sixteenth Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036-2215; 202/588-8400 x21;

www.greenseal.org. Distributed to Green Seal Environmental Partners. Ongoing reports, 7 to 8 pages ea.

The Choose Green Report from the nonprofit environmental standards organization Green Seal is designed to help users make environmentally sound purchasing decisions. Each report covers a specific product area, such as general purpose cleaners, indoor lighting, office furniture, or paper towels. The reports provide some background on the products and their application, identify the most significant environmental issues associated with those products, and then list some preferred choices.

The Choose Green Report is produced simply, with low-resolution graphics that serve more for visual interest than to illustrate the concepts or products. Report areas range from consumer products to home furnishings to construction materials. In general, they do an excellent job of covering the key issues and providing guidelines for product selection. The product listings are typically quite thorough, except in cases where the number of possible products is very large. For example, a list of flooring products in the report entitled “Wallboard, Fiberboard and Flooring” includes a couple of products that are rarely used for flooring, while omitting many other green flooring options.

The Report is an excellent source of leads for potential purchasers or specifiers of the products, both in terms of the questions to be asked, and products to consider. The cost of becoming a Green Seal Environmental Partner varies by the type and size of your organization. Access to these reports is one good reason to join. Supporting Green Seal’s important initiatives in the green products area is another.