Quality plays a major role in any consumer goods organization. The traditional definition of quality as “fitness for use” takes on a new dimension in a company claiming to be “green”. Not only should the product ‘work’ but it should also meet other criteria important to our community and to the planet for sustainability. Consumers today are being bombarded by organizations claiming to be green, but we have all heard that sometimes these claims are, at best, not substantiated or, at worst, fraudulent.

Our aim at Green Cricket is to help consumers be confident about what they are purchasing and also provide information to help people make more informed buying decisions. When you purchase an item, it is at the end of its “supply chain” to you, the customer. Many things can impact the final product along the supply chain in its quality and integrity - raw materials, method of manufacture, packaging and transportation. Our aim is to be transparent and sell products that we have confidence in. We do this by scrutinizing the products and our suppliers against our Green Criteria and by keeping aware of increased understanding of environmental and health issues.

This blog is your opportunity to express your opinions and to ask questions to our ‘expert panel’ and to contribute to thoughts from other consumers.

We want to hear from you!

Ever get overwhelmed by the number of products claiming to be biodegradable, non-toxic, recycled or recyclable that you encounter on store shelves? Ever wonder how many actually are? Greenwashing is the act of misleading customers about the environmental practices of an organization or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

The reasons for a company to greenwash are numerous, not the least of which is to get consumers to purchase their product or service over another which, actually may be more environmentally responsible but also more honest in the claims it makes. Others may include convincing investors the company is an ethical place to invest their money, satisfying regulators or avoiding critics.

(more…)

Carbon taxes and credits are tools to correct our economic systems and prices so that they more accurately reflect the reality of our finite planet.

Our current pricing system does not take into account the way that our business and industries affect the water, soil, plant and animal life, and the biosphere, which supports all life on Earth. When prices are set by buyers and sellers, the market just assumes that we have unlimited resources that we can draw on to expand. This is because up until very recently, economists did not imagine that we would become so populous that our industrial systems would put a real stress on the planet’s resources.

(more…)

You are probably asking “What are we doing here?”. Through the many late nights that our team at Green Cricket has endured getting to this point, we’ve all asked ourselves that same question many times.

Timing is important in business, but so is doing the right thing. At the time that I was thinking about a “green emporium” earlier this year, I was motivated by the desire to get the right information to the consumer in a marketplace where many of my friends expressed frustration over the amount of research needed to “shop well” for their children and husbands, AND help the planet all at the same time! Who has time to do it?

(more…)