Have you ever read Backpacker Magazine? It's really great. We got a subscription through one of those "Your airline miles are going to expire soon" things, and it's one of the only magazines I actually like enough to pay for it when our free year runs out. Every time I read it, I feel like going outside and hiking somewhere. (And I don't even like backpacking! I like sleeping in my own bed.)
Their most recent issue is the 2008 Gear Guide, and they have a special section in it for "Green Gear". But it's not like most 'Green Product' lists. Instead of pointing you to all the fanciest bamboo-underwear and recycled-vinyl bags, they actually give you information! Backpacker has done research and compiled a report card of what exactly each 'green' company does. FiveTen, for example, uses all kinds of scrap and recycled rubber in their shoes. Chaco buys wind credits to offset their energy use, and pays employees to bike to work.
I think it's extra-cool to know exactly what companies are doing to earn the Green label. Not only does it allow you to support programs you particularly like (hmmm... should I buy from the company that recycles fleece, or the one that is powered by reclaimed methane*?), but it also puts companies on the spot. If the best a supposedly-green company can come up with is "Our brochures and packaging are 50% post-consumer content", it's not very impressive compared to a company like GoLite (carbon-neutral! Product recycling! Alternative transport!).
Way to go, Backpacker! It's nice to learn more about these green companies, and decide for ourselves which ones to support.
* CowPower is a supremely great name for a methane program.
