GoodGuide: A powerful tool for concerned consumers

When we plunk down the extra cash it takes to buy products with labels assuring us we are bringing home a greener, safer, maybe even organic product, we are often taking a leap of faith. The list of ingredients may be shorter than the ones on the chemical-laden products we've been buying for years, but it doesn't mean we always know what they are and what they do.

Wouldn't it be great if we could go to a website or use our phones to pop in a product's name and some other info and quickly find out if we are truly getting the safer, better alternative we are paying (dearly) for?

Dara O'Rourke, a professor of environmental and labor policy at the University of California, Berkeley, had a similar thought one morning after applying sunscreen to his young daughter’s face. He wondered: What's really in this stuff? At work, he did some research, and found that it contained a carcinogen activated by sunlight, an endocrine disruptor and two skin irritants, The New York Times reports. He started looking into other products and toys they bought for her and didn't like what he found. So an idea was born:GoodGuide, a website (and an iPhone app) that provides information on products' health performance,  and the companies' environmental and social impacts. The site launched in September, has venture capital backing, and is steadily building its database of products.

The more information we have the better, and this is the kind of easy-to-use tool that puts powerful information into the hands of consumers before we turn over our money. Check it out and let us know what you think.

[GoodGuide]