thedailygreen.com: When you see a product touted as “green,” turn on your B.S. meter to gauge whether it’s true. Here’s why: There is no standard definition for the term”green.” That’s where certification programs come in. Even then, standards among them vary. Ideally, you’ll buy products – or a home – whose green standards match yours.

Here’s the skinny on some green labels:

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Look for wood labeled “FSC certified,” meaning it’s certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Unlike other certification systems, it prevents the conversion of natural forest to plantations, prohibits genetically modified trees and takes caution in wooded areas with high conservation value, according to one analysis (see: www.fscus.org/news/index.php?article=506). A campaign by several environmental groups – Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, among others — discourages consumers from buying wood bearing a competing Sustainable Forestry Initiative label (”SFI”); see their reasons at www.dontbuysfi.com. [ read more ]