Green living has never been more important than it is now, and at Greener Country, we offer products that provide sustainable living solutions for:

• Preserving natural resources
• Reducing your energy costs
  
• Water conservation and water quality
• Choosing non-toxic products
• Reducing your carbon footprint
• Recycling and reusing materials
• Buying local products
• Lessen your exposure to harmful chemicals
  
• Being gentle to the Earth
• Consider the waste stream and what you put into it
• Supporting the Rain forests because we need oxygen to breathe
  

  What Makes a Product Green?
 
  A product can be called green for many different reasons.
  Green products can be energy-efficient, made from eco-friendly materials, be non-toxic, or meet other types of criteria.

  Greener Country carries a broad assortment of green products for homes and businesses. To qualify as green, products can have one or more of the following features:

• Are low- or non-toxic
• Do not off-gas
• Contain recycled content
• Are made from natural materials
• Have been salvaged for reuse
• Are produced locally
• Do not overtax natural resources
• Are manufactured responsibly with fair labor in mind
  
• Employees must be paid an appropriate living wage for the area and country they work in. The workers in the facility must not be under sweatshop conditions and must have regular breaks.
• Afford cost savings
• Have a longer life cycle
• Conserve energy or water
• Can be recycled or disposed of safely
• Are rapidly renewable
• Will not clog the waste stream
• Protect water quality for all
  

  And so there is no definitive way to define green, but if we can make new choices that are better than conventional ones, we've taken a big step in making things better overall. The challenge lies in identifying the products and features that are in line with your priorities and green goals -- whether they are motivated by health issues, a decision to reduce your carbon footprint, a way to lower energy costs in your home, or another reason.

  To simplify compliance with green standards and guidelines, a number of organizations have taken the lead in developing certification programs.

GreenAmerica: A non-profit organization based in Washington DC and long a proponent of green business and initiatives. Greener Country considers their National Green Pages as the de-facto source for truly green companies in a socially responsible way. Greener Country seeks to become a member of these pages in the near future (aka:  Co-op America).

  Green-e: The nation's leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy. The Green-e logo identifies superior, certified renewable energy options, and is used by businesses to communicate the purchase and / or generation of certified renewable energy.

  Green Seal: Provides science-based environmental certification standards to help manufacturers, purchasers, and end users make responsible choices that positively impact business behavior and improve quality of life. Hundreds of products and services from major companies such as 3M, Benjamin Moore, and Andersen Windows are certified to meet Green Seal standards.

  Energy Star: Established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to help protect the environment through certification of energy-efficient products and practices. Since its inception, the program has grown to encompass more than 35 product categories for the home, workplace, new home construction, and organizational energy management.

Fair Trade and Fair Labor:  Greener Country is proud to offer products that help preserve the Rainforests of the world. We hope our partnership with Global Exchange for more fair trade and fair labor products creates a powerful message to all who design and manufacture that we take worker treatment and fairness seriously. Greener Country will soon add more products on-line to match our commitment.

We have begun an aggressive campaign to inquire about employment conditions with all of our suppliers to make sure they adhere to higher worker standards. Many of these statements are available within the product descriptions on our web site. Many more will be forthcoming as we check and double-check our vendor compliance.

Water Sense: WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, makes it easy for Americans to save water and protect the environment. Look for the WaterSense label to choose quality, water-efficient products. Many products are available, and don't require a change in your lifestyle. Explore the links below to learn about WaterSense labeled products, saving water, and how businesses and organizations can partner with WaterSense.