Separating Fact from Fiction

One major obstacle that we are faced with, even when consciously trying to live sustainably, is the question of, "Who is right?" or an even more disturbing one, "Who is telling the truth?"  Groups' and individuals' political, religious, or monetary agendas often (unfortunately) get in the way.  Thus we, the consumer, are charged with being active, informed, and even skeptical when considering our purchases and choices.  Yes, this will take more time, more label and fine print reading, and more internet searches, but it is well worth the effort.  Think of yourself as the sustainability detective, and as you investigate, ask yourself these questions:


1) Is my information coming from a reputable source?
    Url's ending in ".gov", ".org", or ".edu" are generally more widely trusted than ".com," which could have been created by anyone from your grandma to your crazy neighbor down the street.  And while both of those people may be perfectly nice, it does not mean their claims are based on anything other than hearsay.


2) Is there evidence supporting their claims?
    Many claims, as indicated above, are based on something heard from a friend, seen a TV show, or read in the news.  The scary thing is that even news programs may be biased and may therefore skew the data in order to better support their own claims.  Be a wary consumer! Double-check the evidence such claims are based on.  Even without becoming a professional statistician, most people can recognize when data are are being tampered with.

3) Who provided the funding for this research?
  Most businesses depend on funding from outside agencies in order to conduct research on their products.  Often, the funding agencies stand to benefit from this relationship, and therefore have their own motives behind the transaction.  Determine who is actually funding the research and whether or not they are actually interested in sustainability at all.

Don't be a passive consumer, and don't let yourself be "bought" by large corporations or groups.  Use your abundant resources to your advantage.  Find a source you trust, search for evidence, and look at who is behind the scenes supporting the product or claim. Only then can you be confident that you have made every effort to determine what is accepted as Fact and what is Fiction regarding environmental sustainability.

**To get started, try looking at some of the links on the left, which were recently voted as some of the top environmental sustainability blogs by the Mother Nature Network