(left to right) Biodegradable plastic cutlery; Planet laundry detergent; logo for U.S. Department of Commerce dolphin-safe products

You can help people in your community learn more about products that claim to have less of an impact on the environment.

• Gather a team of students and decide on a research question and a strategy for carrying it out. For example you might select a category of products such as paper goods, canned fish, or household cleaners. Your team might develop a system that rates the products on the basis of environmental claims and how well those claims are supported.
  
  
• Once you have a plan of action, review it with others to get their feedback. The manager of your local grocery store may have useful suggestions for your project.
  
  
• How might you determine if the advertising claims are accurate? While making observations of product labels, keep a record of company addresses and telephone numbers so that you can request additional information about the product.
  
  
• Share your findings! Write news articles for your school and community newspapers.