How Big is still Green?

Like many of you, I’m very aware that what goes on my skin, in my hair and on my floors and countertops, also goes down the drain and into the world! I distinctly remember a moment, while congratulating myself for using a great, organic body care product, that I looked at the label and realized that bottle had traveled about 3000 miles!  Then I squinted and saw that Unilever was distributing the product and I was no longer giving my money to the small, eco-friendly company that I thought I was!

This New York Times article has me again pondering the crossroads of eco-friendly products and economies of scale. 

While I’m a big fan of the cleaning power of baking soda, vinegar, Borax and lemons …a decent homemade shampoo is still beyond me!  It took me a while, but I found a skin care line that I like; not only because the ingrediants are simple and organic, but because the packaging is recycleble.

• » See also: The Joy of Green Cleaning by Leslie Reichert
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  (Plant the box and you grow basil! The containers are all glass)

But wouldn’t I be better off spending less money and making less demands on the product delivery system and just settle for soap and water and a bit of olive oil?  My green-conscience says, yes.  My crow’s feet say, no!

How do you make your product purchasing decisions?  What do you think is worth having ’shipped in’ and what do you make or get local?  Should we be happy when great eco-products are brought to us by conglomerates? Or should we move on to a smaller producer who is not also involved with pumping harmful chemicals down our drains? 

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