The Bottom Line

Putting a bounty of paper towels to the test

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:04:44 PDT

You might not give your choice of paper towels a lot of thought, but you probably should. Conventional paper towels made from virgin fiber and bleached with chlorine lead to all manner of environmental woes, from downed trees to airborne carcinogens to polluted water. Happily, there are eco-alternatives -- but how well do they work? We put five of them to the test.

A tasting of seven organic beers

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:04:44 PDT

A test of eight green bathroom-cleaning products

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:03:46 PDT

Say what you will about our Sarah van Schagen, the girl keeps her bathroom impeccably clean. Which is why she had to seek out a fellow Grist staffer's grime to test out the effectiveness of green bathroom-cleaning products. Which scrubbers cut through the muck, and what surprisingly basic product left a gleam on the shower tile matched only by the gleam in Sarah's eye? Find out in today's Bottom Line.

A family-friendly review of six eco-toothpastes

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:03:39 PDT

When it came time for Grist to test a batch of eco-toothpastes, editor Katharine Wroth knew just whom to call for help: her sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews. The four brushers put six "green" pastes to the test; we combined their feedback with our own data, and bring you the minty-fresh results today.

A review of six green laundry detergents

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:02:24 PDT

A review of six eco-chocolate brands, for your Valentine's pleasure

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:02:22 PDT

A review of six Central American coffees

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:01:28 PDT

Feeling sleepy on these cold, dark winter mornings? We've got just the thing to put a little pep in your step: a taste test of six coffees from regional roasters and national stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Which bean will prevail, and what advice does Consumer Reports GreenerChoices offer? Grind on over to our product-review column to find out.

A review of six hand and body lotions

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:01:37 PDT

'Tis the season to be scaly, with winter's harsh weather doing a number on many an epidermis. So is there eco-relief out there for dry-skin sufferers? Katharine "Chappy" Wroth and a few friends test some lotions to see if they can find one that smells OK, doesn't contain (too many) nasty chemicals, and won't break the bank.

A review of compact fluorescent bulbs

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 09:12:32 PDT

By now you've gotten the message: compact fluorescent bulbs save energy and money, and it's worth making the switch. But which kind should you buy? To help you navigate the shelves full of options, we decided to road test a few varieties in our new product-tester column, The Bottom Line. See which CFL turns us on!

A review of recycled toilet-paper brands

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:11:28 PDT

Deciding what kind of toilet paper to buy is a delicate issue. Perhaps most significantly because you want to protect those delicates -- but what about this delicate planet of ours? According to the NRDC, if every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll (500 sheets) of virgin-fiber toilet paper with 100 percent recycled TP, we'd save almost half a million trees. So the question becomes: Is it possible to protect both the earth and your bum? I was determined to find out.