Biodegradable:

I think everyone has a basic understanding of what this once jargon-y term means by now. (Way to go, all you environmental crusaders!) The question is, though, how big a factor should it be in your eco-friendly purchasing decision?

Unfortunately, “biodegradable” is one of those terms that seems clear enough when you read about it in the dictionary, but becomes a real head-scratcher when it makes the leap to the free market. There don’t seem to be laws governing the commercial use of the term, so you can end up with biodegradable products on the market that biodegrade over a very, very long time or that only biodegrade under certain optimal conditions that may be unlikely to occur in practice.

Furthermore, even if something is genuinely biodegradable, that might not even be a good thing, depending on what it is that’s biodegrading! Toxins that are trapped inside a mug, for example, are probably better off staying put rather than leaching into the soil or the water table.

In a way, the term “biodegradable” is a relic from the early days of the environmental movement. At that time, many environmentalists were just trying to get people to be aware of how much trash was being put into landfills. Since landfills are smelly eyesores, why wouldn’t you want things to biodegrade? Now we know that the existence of landfills is the least of our worries. Because of global warming, the viability of life on earth (as we know it) is very much in question.

So when you’re shopping around for eco-friendly products, make sure to also consider what kinds of energy went into creating the product, what the product is actually made from, and whether or not the product is recyclable.

If you're looking for a product that goes beyond biodegradable, check out the new Vision USA Biomugs. They're biodegradable, recyclable, as well as BPA & Lead Free, not to mention Union Made in the USA. Click the image for details.