Fresh, clean and green.

Green products have taken over the marketplace from house-ware to furniture and even technology, and one thing is true, green is in and here to stay.

Being eco-friendly is becoming trendy these days as people are becoming more aware to the consequences of ignoring the environment. Businesses are growing around the trend, such as the Green Business Alliance, an agency that aids in providing guidance to businesses on how to live green, and the Good Housekeeping Eco-Seal of Approval which brands products that are made from recyclable material.

The online apparel and accessories company IXG, which stands for ‘I Work Green, I Play Green, I Live Green, I X Green,’ has a slogan, ‘ Be Green in all you do.’ With products such as, ‘I Teach Green’ and ‘I Ride Green,’ IXG emphasizes the importance of being environmentally friendly.

Consumers are realizing a conscious need to live and buy green. Larger retailers such as Target are beginning to sell well-known brands that produce green products at competitive prices.

Seventh Generation, a brand of environmentally safe products, has committed to making a difference by saving natural resources, reducing pollution, keeping toxic chemicals out of the environment and making the world a safer place for the next seven generations.

Seventh Generation also donates 10 percent of its profits to non-profit community, environmental, health and business organizations working to help change the world. More information about seventh generation products such as where to buy them and coupons can be found on the Web site.

From chain stores to local stores, green products are continuously being sought out. Tanya Peel, president and owner of All Green Things Inc., an online green products store located in Woodland Hills, aims to change the way we live and think through her unique line of products and ideas.

‘Some of my products come from villages in which women are helping to earn a paycheck to enrich the lives of their children as well their own lives,’ said Peel.

Peel offers many fair trade products, such as handbags made from reclaimed inner tubes of 18-wheelers and diverted tires made from petroleum, which would otherwise sit in a landfill for many years. She also carries organic green home products, beauty products, and even biodegradable baby diapers that don’t spoil in a composite.

‘Something that can be made biodegradable into the Earth like it was meant to be is what defines organic,’ said Peel. She believes in the cradle-to-cradle process, changing the way companies do business by taking into account how the product is made, how the workers are treated, and how it is shipped. The book, ‘Cradle To Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things,’ written by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, describes the process as a reshaping of the marketplace between the economy and the environment.

A video documentary on storyofstuff.com called ‘Stuff’ gives viewers a small taste of the impact consumerism has on the environment. The documentary gives insight into how things are made and where they are thrown out.

‘We are doing a disservice to humans when we purchase things and don’t know where they came from,’ said Peel.

If you’re looking to buy products that are environmentally friendly, Peel warns that people should not be fooled by the many advertisements for so-called green products. ‘Everyone needs to research for themselves about products, where they came from, and what they are made of,’ said Peel.