We may think we're helping the environment, but sometimes—oops—our earth-friendly actions are no help at all. Check out these four common goofs (and how to fix them)
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MYTH Organic fruits and veggies are the greenest foods.
MYTH Using paper bags is better than using plastic ones.
MYTH Hand washing dishes saves water and energy.
MYTH To save power, just turn off electronics after using them.
FACT Not always. When organics are shipped long distances, the transport uses lots of energy and releases tons of pollution.
FACT They're both bad. Paper-bag production kills 14 million trees a year and creates more air and water pollutants than plastic-bag manufacture.
FACT Doing dishes manually actually uses more water and energy than running an efficient, fully loaded dishwasher, a German study found.
FACT Home electronics can still use energy when off, with 75 percent of power used at this stage.
QUICK FIX Buy from local growers who don't use artificial agents—you don't always need an "organic" label.
QUICK FIX Say no to paper and plastic at stores—carry reusable cloth totes instead.
QUICK FIX Do use your dishwasher, but skip the prerinse cycle and do full loads every time.
QUICK FIX Unplug dormant devices, such as blenders and DVD players, or buy a power strip that senses idle items and cuts electricity.
