There was recently a little debate about the cost of green school products in the blogosphere. It started when Green LA Girl posted about Sustainable Group’s Green Back to School kit a collection of schools supplies made with 85-100% post-consumer content that retails for $44.99. After that, Chris at Lighter Footstep wrote a post about how this kit is too costly and not worth the cost AND that items like this are likely why, “Consumers are becoming jaded toward green products.” I don’t agree with the Lighter Footstep post but to be fair Chris’ post did offer some great alternative green school supply tips. Then Green LA Girl posted a rebuttal – When “green” bloggers help greenwash.
In any case, it’s just one tiny drama of the eco-blogosphere, but a not uncommon one. All the time here, and at other green places I blog, people comment on the more expensive products and organic food, saying, “It’s too expensive.”
I get it, because economic times are hard, but we all make choices with our money. When money is tight, when money is plentiful, when we’ve got just enough – we still make choices about where our money goes.
BUT this post is not about being able to afford green products, this post is about whether they’re worth the cost. In a post soon we’ll look at some easy ways to open up your budget so you can afford greener products but for now, let’s see why green products are worth the cost…
Green products are better for your health:
Organic foods are better for your health, the health of the farmers growing these foods, and the health of the planet. Organic and naturally made body care is less toxic and far better for your health than conventional chemically laden products. Riding your bike once in a while vs. driving is good exercise. Healthy indoor air quality due to green building and other green products you buy (shower curtains, paint, and so on) keeps your entire family healthier. This is actually a super long argument – that green is actually better for your health. Also some green products offer more health benefits than others. For example, soy candles are healthier than wax, but in the grand scheme of things organic foods are healthier to budget for than say all soy candles. It’s tricky and since we don’t want to be here all day, I’ll offer you some misc links to check out… BUT this is just the tip of the iceberg.
- Green kitchen pots and pans are healthier
- Dangers of VOCs – which are found in many non-green products.
- Toxic stuff in baby care products
- What’s wrong with cheaper plastics vs. eco kitchen food items?
- Phthalate in Children’s Toys and toxins in their bath toys
- Are We So Clean That We’re Breeding Super Germs?
- Conventional Household Cleaning Products Linked To Childhood Asthma
- Dangers of PVC
- Dangers of Conventional Home Cleaning Supplies
- The FDA won’t protect your health when it comes to cosmetics
- Pesticides in conventional cotton
Green products support your ethics and green ideals and educate others:
If your goal is green living then green products support this lifestyle. By taking the time to research products and make sure they’re actually green, by buying green products, by supporting companies who make green products, you’re making a statement in a private way (maybe you feel you’re doing something you believe in and it makes you feel good). You also make a statement to others. Say you have an ethical wedding ring or use natural non-toxic cleaners. Others who see your actions and ask about it may learn something new and decide that green living is something they want to know more about.
Green products are good tools for teaching kids about green:
Green living topics like global warming, emissions, and health benefits of zero-VOCs are all a little abstract to kids. However, pull out an eco-toy, reusable ice pop molds, or cloth napkins and it’s easy to talk to kids about green living. Kids who grow up with eco-products and who participate in discussions about why we choose green products over another more easily understand green living issues. My son Cedar for instance can’t, at age eight, tell you much about the greenhouse effect but he can tell you why cloth napkins are better than paper or why cheap plastic toys suck from a recycling and value stand point. Eventually kids who are exposed to green products that they understand will also get harder to grasp green topics – i.e. green products are like a gateway drug to green living.
Green products won’t ever go up in availability or down in price if we don’t support them:
Like any supply and demand deal, green products have costs related to their popularity or demand. If everyone bought green school supplies vs. toxic, resource draining, cheap school supplies then manufactures would try to meet that demand with more readily available products and better competitive prices. If people choose to ban non-ethical companies those companies would change their ways. Companies who make products really do make products with their consumers in mind.
If we buy from companies who greenwash to make a buck or who continue to sell lame toxic products, and if we don’t demand better green product standards, of course companies are thrilled – they don’t need to change because consumers just don’t care. As consumers we seriously directly affect the products on the shelves and their costs.
Green products are good for your budget and actually save you money:
Although green products can cost more at first, many save you money in the long run. Reusable products and home efficiency products are the two best examples of this. For example, you can buy paper towels, foil, school lunch sacks, paper napkins, plastic wrap, OR you can buy reusable options of these same products ONCE that last for years and years. You can invest in a solar panel set-up for your home, build a water barrel, or buy more expensive but also more efficient light bulbs and eventually you’ll reap some payback rewards by lowering energy and water costs. At the same time, longer lasting products save you money because you’ll spend less time running around replacing them and for many of us, time is money.
Soon I’ll post about some other ways that buying green can save you money and how to be able to afford green products on almost any budget – so stay tuned.
Do you think green products are worth the cost? Why or why not?
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You can get some widgets here: http://www.epa.gov/earthday/widgets/index.htm
By the way- I love your Earth Day countdown button! I don’t know enough about buttons yet and really need and want to learn this for my smilinggreenmom blog that will be up in another month- so forgive me for my ignorance on this LOL! How do you get that? THanks
Awesome! I am looking forward to hearing more
It is hard to come up with the extra money upfront- but great point, they last so much longer! I need to get some of the reusable containers soon for school-thanks for the reminder!
I think green products are usually worth the cost. For me, it is about what is better for the environment, and paying a few cents more for a serving of a certain food, or each use of a personal care product is absolutely worth it since the environment didn’t suffer to make the product and won’t suffer when those personal care products rinse off me and into the water supply/ocean/rivers.
One thing that I think people don’t think of with green products is that buying second hand items, getting items for free from Freecycle, and using items until the end of their lives is a great green option. Since this debate apparently started with school supplies, if your kid still has crayons, pencils, folders, glue, binders, etc. left over from the previous school year, why buy new of those same supplies? I don’t know why everyone thinks that kids need new school supplies every year, or why adults think they need the newest trends all the time. Think of it as vintage if you need a better term for reusing, but it’s way eco and cheaper than buying more stuff. And that green option is always worth the cost.