Looking to green up your life?

You could car pool to work, sip fair trade coffee, swaddle your tyke in organic cotton, spend vacations saving rain forests, bank your retirement on socially responsible investments, even power your home from a low-pollution utility.

"The more of us who individually make these choices makes it possible and culturally accessible for millions of others to make the same choices," she says. "And in the process, we can transform our society."

The flaw in the eco-consumer movement is the assumption that uncoordinated individual spending can effect meaningful change, he says.


But if you are trying to save the world, here are a few tips to make sure your eco-spending matters:

-- Shop local. The environmental benefit of organic grapes is offset by the energy consumed when they are shipped from afar.

-- Use trusted brands and products that are certified green (such as "organic," a term which is government regulated).

-- Coordinate with others to get the most impact from your spending.

-- Use green products, but don't use them as an excuse to indulge. Consume less overall.

Source: Associated Press