We all want to buy local and organic produce whenever possible, and that’s getting easier as many grocery stores now label their fruits and vegetables. But how do I know if I’m buying genetically modified produce? Keeping genetically modified organisms (GMOs) off my family’s dinner table just got a little easier—at Whole Foods, at least.

Shoppers pick up natural and organic food at Whole Foods in New York. Photo Courtesy Whole Foods.

Whole Foods Market recently announced it will submit its private-label (store brand) products to the Non-GMO Project’s Product Verification Program (PVP). The Non-GMO Project is a nonprofit organization made up of manufacturers, retailers, processors, distributors, farmers, seed breeders and consumers who advocate natural and organic products produced without genetic engineering. The group worked with the Global ID Group, an international non-GMO testing organization, to create the PVP. 

The voluntary program analyzes products by performing on-site audits and DNA testing of any ingredient known to be at high risk for genetic contamination. Products that meet the standards are entitled to carry the Non-GMO Project’s compliance seal. The first Whole Foods products verified by the Non-GMO Project are expected to hit stores before year’s end. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) organic standards require organic producers to comply with certain non-GMO requirements, but no standards exist for labeling GMOs in non-organic products. The majority of Whole Foods’ private label products are not USDA certified-organic,  meaning many products may contain GMOs. Products labeled as “natural” are often produced on large industrial farms using pesticides, chemical fertilizer, hormones and genetic engineering.

What do you think about Whole Foods’ pledge to verify its products as GMO-free? Tell me about it in the comment section.

Last year in a Newsweek article, President Obama claimed, “I can’t solve global warming because I f—ing changed the light bulbs in my house.” Looks like he’s changed his mind.

Obama and the Department of Energy are working on new standards for energy efficiency, beginning with fluorescent and incandescent lights. The measures, which take effect in 2012, will focus on general service fluorescent lamps (GSFL) and incandescent reflector lamps (IRL). GSFLs, commonly found in residential and commercial buildings, use 38 percent of the nation's total lighting energy usage. IRLs, found in recessed or track lighting, use 7 percent of our nation's total lighting energy.

“Now I know light bulbs may not seem sexy, but this simple action holds enormous promise because 7 percent of all the energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and our businesses,” Obama said in announcing the initiatives. With projected savings of $1 to $4 billion dollars a year, this simple action is hard to argue.

The new lighting standards are expected to cut 594 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions between 2012 and 2042 and eliminate the need for up to 14 new coal power plants. But that’s not all: The government is investing $346 million from the stimulus bill in energy-efficient commercial and residential buildings.

Obama cited California’s successful history with tougher energy-efficiency policies enacted in the 1970s, as proof that such measures work. Californians consume 40 percent less energy per person than the national average.

There’s a lot you can do before the lighting policy goes into effect. Energy Star lighting, compact florescent (CFL) bulbs and others can all cut down on costs and save on energy. But do your research. Some bulbs are more environmentally friendly than others.

Microsoft is making it easier than ever to save energy—and money. The Microsoft Hohm application is a web-based service that analyzes data about your home’s energy use and shows you how and where you can save money and energy. The program uses analytics developed in conjunction with the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Microsoft Hohm will:

• Let you view your home energy use.

• Provide tailored ways to save energy.

• Monitor your home’s energy use.

• Track and compare various trends.

• Let you engage with your community and see how your house compares to others.

• Show you ways to save money.

Charts and diagrams will help you see how much money you spend heating and cooling your house as opposed to lighting, entertaining or other activities, making it easier to see what changes may be the most effective in reducing your energy consumption.

Microsoft Hohm provides easy-to-read charts and diagrams that break down your energy consumption.

To make the process as simple as possible, Microsoft has partnered with various utility providers to feed your energy information directly into the program. So far, Microsoft has partnered with Puget Sound Energy, Sacramento Municipality Utility District, Seattle City Light and Xcel Energy. If you do not use one of these providers, you can manually enter your energy information into the program for analysis.

Similar products are already on the market. Both Google’s PowerMeter and EnergyCircle are designed to help consumer’s track their energy use. Hohm, however, has several advantages over these devices. Unlike the Google PowerMeter, Hohm will not require the installation of a smart meter to work. It also provides information on how to save money and energy that is specific to your own home.

Demand certainly seems to be out there. A May 2009 survey by Gartner, an IT consulting site, showed that 80 percent of U.S. consumers would participate in an energy-efficiency program if it were offered by their utility providers. The study also showed that cost reduction is the driving motivation behind participating.

You can follow the application on Facebook or Twitter, and access it through the Microsoft Hohm homepage. The application is free and available to anyone in the United States who has an internet connection.

Get paid for eating your vegetables? It sounds like every six-year-old’s dream come true.

Eat healthy foods, such as bok choy, from your CSA, and get a healthy care rebate! Photo By Joe Coca/NH Archives.

Health-care providers Physician’s Plus, Group Health Cooperative and Dean Health of Madison, Wisconsin, have united with local community-supported agriculture programs (CSAs) to provide rebates, such as the “Eat Healthy Rebate,” to families or individuals who purchase a share in CSA produce through the Fresh Food Connection CSA or MACSAC (Madison Area CSA Coalition). 

CSAs are farms that invite customers to purchase yearly or seasonal shares of their harvest. These farms produce organic fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, cheese, canned goods, wool and more. Vegetable, dairy and egg shares are usually provided on a weekly or biweekly basis, while other shares may be more sporadic and dependant upon the season. These groups can act as a growers guild that both farmers and the wider public can join. The Fresh Food Connection even requires all members to sign a pledge ensuring the produce is responsibly grown. 

The “Eat Healthy Rebate” allows up to $100 for individual contracts and $200 for families who have a produce share in a CSA and who are spending the equivalent of the rebate or more on their produce.  With the goals of encouraging organic farming, keeping local money in the community and building healthier lifestyles, this coalition is certainly building a greener, healthier Wisconsin.

Thinking of building green? Now’s the time. New green building opportunities are coming together in Washington. 

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 contains several provisions to reward green builders and accelerate green building. The bill encourages consumers to build green homes or remodel their homes to improve energy efficiency through the Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods (GREEN) Act. The act encourages the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) to insure at least 50,000 energy-efficient and location-efficient mortgages by December 31, 2012. It also requires federal banking regulators to establish “green banking centers,” which will help customers looking for information about acquiring green mortgages. 

The government is taking steps to promote green building. Photo By EDubya/Courtesy Flickr.

The bill also authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense program to reduce water use and conserve energy by designating products as water efficient. Through Watersense, the bill also provides funding for a program that will reward consumers who use residential water-efficient products, with rebates.

To more easily evaluate residential and commercial buildings’ energy performance, the bill also established The Building Energy Performance Labeling Program, which will direct the EPA in creating consistent energy performance standards for new construction.

The bill also extends the federal government’s purchasing power, allowing it to purchase renewable power for up to 20 years.

The bill still needs Senate approval. If it becomes law, it would completely alter the way the United States approaches energy use. Energy would cost more because it would be more expensive to produce, more fuel-efficient cars would dot the roads and natural gas would be used more than coal.

Buildings account for 40 percent of U.S energy consumption, 39 percent of carbon dioxide emissions and 13 percent of water consumption. We at Natural Home already know the importance of green building; we’re glad to see the government taking steps to promote it.

What do you think about the new energy and climate legislation? Tell me about it in the comments section.

When you throw it away, there is no away. 

We’ve heard that phrase about our garbage, in one iteration or another, for decades. I am aware that the stuff I can’t reuse or recycle ends up in a landfill, but I have to admit, I’ve been (kind of blissfully) ignorant about where my garbage goes. That’s about to change. 

Getting rid of your trash at the nearest receptable doesn't make it go away. Photo By wvs/Courtesy Flickr. 

MIT researchers just announced Trash Track, a project that will make it difficult to ignore just how much trash we create daily.

With the help of volunteers in New York and Seattle, Trash Track will electronically “tag” pieces of garbage with special wireless location markers. These markers, or “trash tags,” will follow the waste from volunteers’ homes to their final destinations. Throughout the journey, the tags will send location information about each trash piece to a central server, which will analyze the data in real time. By September, you'll be able to view the trash's journey through New York and Seattle’s disposal systems online. Trash Track plans to expand into London soon.

Trash Track's goal is to reveal the resources and energy it takes to dispose of trash, locate any inefficiencies in today’s recycling and waste disposal systems, and create awareness of trash’s negative effect on the environment. 

The project was inspired by the Green NYC Initiative, whose goal is to create nearly zero waste in New York (through recycling) by 2030. Today only about 30 percent of the city’s waste is recycled. 

How do you prevent unnecessary waste in your homes? Tell me your tips in the comment section.

Reacting to a law Congress passed two years ago that will take traditional incandescent light bulbs off the market by 2012, Philips Lighting has risen to the challenge of creating energy-efficient, affordable incandescent bulbs. 

Incandescent bulbs can’t compete with the energy savings of compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), which use 75 percent less energy than traditional  bulbs. But Philips Lighting’s Halogena Energy Savers bulbs (available at Home Depot and Amazon.com) are the first revamped incandescents that offer 30 percent more efficiency than traditional incandescent bulbs—at the higher price of $5 per bulb. 

The technology that makes the new incandescent bulbs more efficient is a special reflective coating applied to gas-filled capsules that surround the bulb’s filament. The coating bounces lost heat back to the filament, which is transformed into light. Previously all the energy used to create the heat did nothing to help light the bulb. 

Despite the higher price, the new incandescents may have a market with consumers who prefer the softer light and the ease of use with dimmers. Consumers may also feel better about bringing mercury-free incandescents into their homes. (CFLS contain mercury, a toxic metal, which makes them difficult to recycle.) 

Now, lighting researchers’ goal is to create an incandescent bulb that matches the energy savings of CFLs but still offers the appealing qualities of traditional incandescents. 

LED (light-emitting diodes) bulbs are another popular, energy-efficient choice. LEDs promise high energy-efficiency, but are still expensive — around $100 for one LED bulb. Currently, LEDs are widely used only in electronic products and street lights.

An estimated 90 percent of consumers still use traditional incandescent bulbs. What kind of bulbs light up your home? What do you think about these revamped incandescent bulbs? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Pesticides are all around us, from the air we breathe to the food we eat. Commonly applied to crops during cultivation, pesticides are used to repel and kill pests. Unfortunately, the chemicals used in pesticides—often dangerous carcinogens—often accompany produce to the dinner table, even after a good rinse in the sink Other pesticide-related illnesses include autism and Parkinson’s disease.

Organically grown fruits and vegetables taste better and are better for you. NH Archives.

That’s why the Pesticide Action Network (an online group dedicated to reducing pesticides throughout the world) created What’s On My Food, a web-based tool that breaks down the amount and type of pesticides found in common foods. The pesticide information is collected from the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Data Program and other reliable sources, then sorted and placed into the Pesticide Action Network’s database for easy access and reference. The website currently lists pesticide-residue levels for 89 foods—from almonds to frozen winter squash and everything in between.

If you’re concerned about pesticides, you can take preventive measures such as buying organic food, which is free of chemical fertilizers and harmful pesticides. Organic produce also has not been genetically modified.

Concerned because you can’t afford to buy all organic? It’s OK. Check out this list of the most contaminated and least contaminated foods before you hit the grocery or the farmer’s market. 

For years, Natural Home has offered great solutions for catching and re-using rainwater—which is just a smart (almost no-brainer) thing to do. But in Colorado, where I live, following our great advice would have meant breaking the law—until now.  

For the first time in decades, Coloradoans can legally catch rainwater. Many states in the West, including Utah, Washington and Colorado, have had stringent water rights laws that made it illegal for homeowners to catch water runoff that fell from their roofs or gutters. Now two new laws in Colorado allow residents with private wells to harvest rainwater and will also set up a pilot program for larger-scale rain-catching. 

Collect rainwater runoff with a rain barrel. NH Archives.

Water rights are a sensitive issue in my state. Colorado doesn’t import water from other states but is legally required to send its water to states downstream, making water a precious commodity. Previous laws against rainwater collection were enacted to make sure the public didn’t infringe on other users’ water rights. Some states, such as Arizona and New Mexico already allow rain catchment, and in Santa Fe, New Mexico, rainwater collecting for new homes and commercial buildings is mandatory. 

Colorado lawmakers were influenced to change the laws by a 2007 study indicating that 97 percent of the precipitation that fell in Douglas County, near Denver, either evaporated or was used by plants, meaning the rainwater never reached a stream and therefore didn’t infringe on other users’ water rights. 

Now, I’m pleased to see my neighbors moving their rain barrels from the backyard to the front yard. We’re all breathing a little easier, knowing we’re not doing anything illegal.

Is water-catching legal in your state? Do you use rain-catchment systems to conserve water? Tell me about it in the comment section.

In the past 50 years, the number of residential pools in North America has grown dramatically—from a few thousand to almost 7 million. More pools means more pool maintenance—and more chemicals. While keeping pools, especially public ones, clean and safe for swimmers should be a top priority, the chemicals used in pool maintenance are toxic to both humans and the environment.  

How do you keep your pool clean? Photo By Snap Man/Courtesy Flickr 

Thankfully, this summer EcoLogo, the largest environmental standard and certification mark in North America, initiated its first environmental standards for pool and spa chemicals. The EcoLogo mark goes only to products that meet strict and scientifically relevant criteria and that are third-party certified. Eco Logo certifies everything from body washes and bookshelves to flooring and insulation.

EcoLogo standards are developed in an open, public process with a broad base of stakeholder participation. The process for developing pool and spa chemical standards will begin by outlining environmental and health concerns the standard should address. Anyone is allowed to participate, including pool and spa chemical manufacturers, government agencies, nonprofit advocacy groups—and you.

If you’re interested in being part of the process for developing standards for pool and spa chemicals, contact Terri Cundy at tcundy@ecologo.org or  (613) 247-1900, ext 242.

Determining a product’s true greenness can be difficult. Manufacturers aren’t required to disclose ingredients, and unless you know what to look for and what to avoid, a quick glance at the ingredients listed may not tell you much. Sometimes you just can’t do it on your own – and now you don’t have to. 

The GoodGuide, a website and now an iPhone application, breaks down the eco-friendliness of more than75,000 general products. Consumers can type in the product name on the website or on their iPhone to uncover its health, environmental and social impacts. The next version of the iPhone will let consumers scan barcodes, making it that much easier. 

The GoodGuide iPhone application lets you quickly check a product’s rating or browse the top-rated products in a category while you’re in the store./Photo Courtesy GoodGuide 

The GoodGuide’s scores are based on a 10-point scale that looks at the product’s health, environmental and social performance—everything from how the ingredients affect our health to the number of chemical spills a company has and its workforce diversity. 

Based in San Francisco, GoodGuide employs 12 full-time and 12 part-time employees, evenly split between scientists and engineers. The employees conduct their own research and use more than 200 sources to review the products, including government databases and studies by nonprofits and academics. 

Because federal law does not require manufacturers to list ingredients, holes remain in GoodGuide’s research and reviews. However, in light of recent consumer concern and a wave of greenwashing law suits, some companies have agreed to reveal more about their ingredients, which will help GoodGuide fill in these gaps. 

The basic website will always be free to use, even though GoodGuide does not and will not sell ads. In the future, GoodGuide may offer a subscription fee for personalized sites, and it may also license data to governments and retailers.

It’s one small step for America — and one giant leap for clean energy.

A recent study found that jobs in America’s emerging clean energy sector are growing more rapidly than jobs in the fossil fuel industry. The study, conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts, found that while employment in the traditional energy sector grew just 3.7 percent between 1998 and 2007, jobs in clean energy technologies grew by 9.1 percent.

Clean energy jobs are diverse — as are the salaries. They include engineers, plumbers, administrative assistants, construction workers, machine setters, marketing consultants and even teachers, with salaries ranging from $21,000 to $111,000. This sector has a ways to go in catching up with the number of workers employed by traditional energy, however. In 2007, the fossil fuel industry employed 1.27 million workers; clean energy provided 770,000 jobs.

Pew defines a clean energy economy as one that creates jobs, businesses and investments while expanding clean energy production, increasing efficiency, conserving natural resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste and pollution. Pew includes five categories in its definition of a clean energy economy: clean energy, energy efficiency,  environmentally friendly production, conservation and pollution mitigation, and training and support.

Increasing consumer demand, venture capital investments, and federal and state policy reforms are expected to dramatically expand green jobs, Pew reports. Already, investors are spending more on alternative energy sources than on fossil fuels. Federal and state reforms are also under way. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocated $85 billion for direct spending and tax incentives for energy and transportation programs.

States are also jumping on the bandwagon. So far, 23 states have adopted initiatives that will help reduce pollution from power plants, 46 states have offered tax incentives for renewable energy use and energy-efficient systems, and 29 states and the District of Columbia now require electricity providers to derive at least part of their power from renewable energy sources. Pew’s website has an interactive state-by-state map where you can learn more about green jobs in your area.

Interested in one of these green jobs? Check out Great Green Careers, a website that connects employers and job seekers.