Climate Counts

Retail therapy has a siren call that few can resist. Want to use your spending spree to better the global picture for all people? Here’s a place to start your shopping list: www.climatecounts.com. Climate Counts, a consumer-advocacy group, has a Web site that is sponsored by Stonyfield Farm, an organic dairy collective. The site is a user-friendly interface that rates hundreds of companies on whether they are “stuck,” “starting” or “striding” toward solutions to offset their individual contributions to climate change. You can join the online discussion, browse the site and see how different companies measure up, and generally get more informed about the big picture. Your support as a consumer of the companies that are doing the right thing can count for more than you might realize, with almost no discernible effort on your part. Indeed, the more you consider where to spend your cash, the more you can make the kind of changes that matter, simply by supporting businesses that support environmental stewardship and human rights. And, you get to shop with a free conscience.