The other day I needed a boost. It was one of those cold days last week, the garden was almost stark naked — only a few intrepid lettuce seeds had sprouted (I almost required binoculars to see them), and I dumped my evening BBQ grill plans into the crock pot. In my uninspired stupor, I decided to put the time to some sort of productive application and went to tackle the grocery shopping.

Little did I know what a remedy it would be to read labels on food products. My mood lifted as I discovered gleeful promises of “new and improved,” “40 percent more,” “40 percent reduced fat,” “wholesome goodness,” and even “100 percent real cheese” (this on the Cheez-It box). And there were plenty of other labels on my aisle-wandering excursion that jumped out, singing words like “organic,” “minimally processed,” “no artificial ingredients or preservatives,” and “free Shrek hat mail-in-offer.” But after awhile all the labels began to look alike.

They drowned each other out in a monotonous din. The most common label I saw was that of “all natural,” which made me realize that the reason this is so important to announce is because so many items are composed of the unnatural. However, either something is natural or it’s not — “all natural” is redundant. My cart-pushing meditation on the idea of a more healthful world turned into confused angst.   

In general, a colossal wave of “green” terminology is washing over the land, as almost every product seems to carry some highlighted declaration of sustainable, organic, carbon neutral, earth-friendly, biodegradable, whole-grain guaranteed, blah blah blah.

The PR/marketing firestorm is creating an environment in which this consumer is so bewildered, she can’t see green because she can’t see straight. In this age of global warming consciousness, which labels mean what they say? Which ones mean nothing at all?

It’s not like false or deceptive advertising is anything new, but really important words like “natural” are losing their punch. Fortunately, after many lazy, opportunistic corporations tried to take advantage of the “organic” label, there was a crackdown. Now only items that pass our country’s official definition of organic are labeled “USDA Certified Organic.” To weed through the authenticity of other green claims, there is a helpful website. Check it out at: http://ecolabelling.org/ [1].

What is “natural,” anyway?

To discuss this question by way of example, Twinkies are not natural. I assume the “100% natural cereal,” every grain of it, is made from ingredients of the earth. The image of Ewell Gibbons exudes natural — OK, I get it. So what about the cereal that is both naturally and artificially flavored? Nope — a line has to be drawn. A line must be drawn in this time of cell phone towers disguised as trees (don’t let cell phone companies try to tell you that these funny-looking artifices sequester carbon), simply so we don’t lose our sense of what nature is.

Kristine Crandall is happy for the longevity of the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, a place and institution focused on what is natural, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. She welcomes e-mail comments at birke@sopris.net.