The good news is that by making small changes to our lifestyle - not changing what we do, but changing the way we do it - and by buying products that have a reduced impact on the environment we CAN maintain a high standard of living that doesn't cost the earth, literally!

In this section we show you how to be a green consumer - how to choose products that are better for the planet and how to use the voice of your dollar and your spending power to further the good green cause.

Below is a brief introduction to the concept of 'product lifecycle'. This is to help you understand how different products can be more or less green. Then we touch on the alternatives to buying new products.

On this site we've also put together some information on three basic areas of environmental consideration and we've looked at how you can buy green and the reasons for doing so.

In Be a Green Consumer - How & Why we look at the basics of being a green consumer and why it is important for the wellbeing of our planet.

In Recycle Right, Buy Right we look at the products that help us to use our planet's material resources more wisely and reduce the amount of waste we dispose of in landfill tips. This includes information on buying recycled products.

In Buy for Energy Efficiency we look at purchasing choices that will reduce your energy consumption and, in doing so, reduce your energy bills and the contribution of your lifestyle to the greenhouse effect.

In Avoiding Chemical Cocktails we look at products with a "greener" ingredient list. These products will often be better for you and your family's health AND the health of the environment.

Click on the links in the side menu to visit these pages.

To understand how products can improve environmentally it's important to first understand that each product has a lifecycle.

The main area where we, as consumers, can easily make a difference to a product's environmental impacts is at the "use" stage by buying products that don't pollute and that use energy and water resources efficiently, and at the "disposal" stage by buying products that have limited disposal issues and/or are recyclable.

However, we can also have an indirect influence on the design and manufacture stages. If we choose products that have been designed to have a lower impact on the environment and that have been manufactured in a less harmful manner, then manufacturers will be encouraged to improve the environmental performance of their designs and their own operations.

Before you go out and buy a new product, you first have to ask yourself the following questions:

If you're replacing a broken product ask yourself "Can this item be fixed?" before throwing it out.

Imagine if everybody bought a new car every time their current car broke down! In our consumerist society it's easy to forget that many items can successfully be repaired. Good maintenance during a product's use and repairs by a specialist can extend the life of your purchases. It can also save you a lot of money, compared with buying new replacements.

The other questions you should ask yourself are:

"Do I really need it?"

"Can I borrow it?"

"Can I rent it?"

"Can I buy it second hand or reconditioned?"