Shop greener, cleaner

Green living and social justice seem to go hand in hand, especially for my sister, Emily, who recently referred me to the Responsible Shopper Web site by the nonprofit, D.C.-based group, Co-op America.

It’s a great, user-friendly place to look up the labor and environmental track records for a variety of corporations, from Google to Gap, ExxonMobil to Eddie Bauer, Costco to Chiquita. You’ll even find financial institutions such as Vanguard and Bank of America.

You’ll get the dirt on each company’s workers-rights scandals, ecological disasters, even animal welfare incidents, if any. None of the companies come out very clean, but the site does offer some Go Green ideas and alternatives.

You’ll also notice links to efforts you can join, such as the Clean Clothes Campaign, to make a difference in Co-op America’s vision to “use economic power to create a more just and sustainable economy — and a brighter future for us all.”