Editor's Note: Today we welcome Rachael Neile-Mcgrew to the writing team. Rachael writes out of Oregon, and will be covering a broad range of environmental issues. Rachael joined her first environmental action group at the tender age of 13 - so expect a lot of great posts! Carbonfund.Org has just announced the first Carbonfree food product, and it is honey from Hawaii. Of course, my first question was, "Does that include shipping to the Mainland and elsewhere?" And the answer is yes. All carbon involved in the production of the honey, the jars the honey is shipped in, and even the shipping are being offset by "the support of reforestation, renewable energy and energy efficiency projects." (Carbonfund.org press release on CSRWire)

The Carbonfree label (seen below, below the ingredients list of 100% raw organic Hawaiian Honey & Love) is a new branding device from Carbonfund.org as just another new label that manufacturers can apply to their products. Carbon Trust has its own carbon label, as do individual companies and some industry groups. The issue with the Royal Hawaiian Honey is that the benefits of local honey are well known for helping the immune system as well as alleviating allergies, so unless I live in Hawaii, am I really getting the best honey despite the fact that it is 'carbon neutral'? Wouldn't the honey from your local farmer's market be better in the long run, because the Royal Hawaiian Honey still uses carbon, and lots of it in the shipping process especially, no matter how many trees are replanted? This is a good example of the "buzz" masking the deeper issue. Still, it's a start. The more people are aware of the "true cost" of the products they purchase, the more they will start choosing wisely.