Organic versus Chemicals

Green means that the process used to make the product is environmentally friendly, does not waste water or natural resources, and creates a minimum of waste products, and even those are contained and do not pollute.

Sustainable means that the farming methods and other processes do not consume more raw materials than can be replaced within a few years. Replanting trees or rotating crops are typical ecologically sound sustainable techniques. The wages paid to the workers are often considered part of the sustainable equation.

Natural means that most of a product was derived from plants or animals or from the earth with a minimum of processing, such as granite slabs or mined diamonds. When is the petroleum taken from the earth natural? My dividing line would be when processing has changed its form substantially. Thus, tar and gasoline are natural, but plastics and synthetic rubbers are not.

Organic means coming from an organism (i.e., plant or animal). However, the "organic" title when used as an adjective to describe animal or plant products has come to mean that that animal or plant product has not been exposed to any synthetic (i.e., not organic) chemicals during the growing or harvesting cycle. This precludes the use of insecticides or synthetic fertilizers and the external introduction of hormones and medicines.

Humane and ecofriendly are additional terms that are used to describe the treatment of the animals and the people associated with producing the product. The people must be treated fairly, given a "living" wage. Land management techniques that do not deplete the land or other natural resources must be used.