Certified greenwashing

Next time you purchase an "all natural," "organic," or "green" item, you may want to think twice about what you're really buying. According to research by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, 98-percent of products that advertise their "greenness" are bending the truth.

And a growing trend is to imply third-party endorsements – whether they're real or not. Adopting fake labels is now the newest sin of greenwashing. And cosmetics, cleaning products, toys, and baby products are the top offenders in this area.

For an eye-opening look at greenwashing – and a sampling of the legitimate eco-labels available – download Greenwashing Report 2009.