Greenwashing is the all too prevalent trend of either falsely claiming that a product or service is environmentally friendly or exaggerating its eco-friendly attributes.

Pay close attention to the Cotton Industry these days and you’ll see plenty of ads showing people lounging around in their comfy cotton digs. The ads give cotton credit for being “green” way before it was cool.

The problem is the only truly green cotton on the market will carry the Organic Cotton label. Anything else is full of dangerous pesticides.

As a matter-of-fact, the Cotton Industry uses approximately 25% of the world’s insecticides and more than 10% of pesticides. All these chemicals contribute to serous health problems from asthma to cancer.

According to the EPA, 7 out of the top 15 pesticides used in traditional cotton production in 2000 as described as “possible,” “likely,” “probable,” or “known” human carcinogens.

Whenever possible I buy organic cotton products for my family. And, of course, when buying a baby gift, I won’t settle for anything but certified organic cotton baby clothes.