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When should you spend your money to protect the planet - and when should you keep it in your purse?

Given the thousands of green products being introduced these days, and the vague marketing claims being used to sell them, you don't want to blow your budget just to keep up with the newest "eco," "herbal," or "biodegradable" fad - especially if the claim turns out to be more greenwashing than green.

On the other hand, genuinely earth-friendly products do help minimize your environmental impact. Every organic cotton T-shirt you buy, for instance, helps reduce the use of toxic agricultural chemicals, protecting the air and water. Moreover, the same tee waves like a bright green flag in front of conventional cotton producers, reminding them that your money is filling their organic competitors' coffers.

Using your Big Green Purse to favor companies whose goods protect the climate, eliminate toxins, keep the air and water clean, and safeguard forests and other natural places creates a powerful incentive for their rivals to do likewise. The challenge is in knowing how to avoid the "greenwash" so you can promote more green. A few clear principles will help you identify an ecobargain from a rip-off, while getting manufacturers to transition as quickly as possible to the most earth-friendly practices available.

After six weeks of intense promotion, the Big Green Purse book tour has taken me to a dozen bookstores in as many locations. Though my stops have included the national chains, just as often, I've been delightfully hosted by independent book shops that are long on charm, enthusiasm and a genuine philosophical understanding of my book's "power of the purse" message.

The tour didn't start off very auspiciously. We "launched" at Philadelphia's Big Blue Marble, no doubt a terrific spot for an author Reading-unless it's pouring rain and the night of the gripping Potomac Primary, both of which dampened turnout for my event there. Nonetheless, the store's managers couldn't have been more gracious. If everyone is as friendly as Big Blue Marble, I thought, Big Green Purse will do just fine.

At Olsson's in Washington, D.C., the crowd was small, but engaged. I realized that people don't come to a book signing just to learn from the author. They also want to share what they know. This was true in spades at another D.C. event, held at Hoopla, an eco-boutique that specializes in products made from fair trade and recycled materials. In a room packed with thirty-something professionals, seasoned lawyers, neighborhood curiosity-seekers, and the store's erstwhile shoppers, I read for just a few minutes so we could get to the fun - the back-and-forth dialogue among people who are trying their best to live and shop with the earth in mind. The event was enriched when, to my surprise, the couple who sell free-range eggs and meats at my local farmer's market showed up to talk about "being green" from a farmer's point of view.

After Oprah, securing an appearance on C-SPAN's BookTV may be an author's most coveted placement. C-SPAN is a prestige network, and generally the people who watch seem "plugged in" to current affairs and the political discourse of the day. Book publishers usually report a noticeable uptick in sales after one of their authors appears on the show. I was amazed when my publicist called to let me know BookTV would be covering a stop on my promotional tour, a reading scheduled for Great Good Books in Oakland, California. Then - I forgot all about it.

My schedule was busy, I was fielding dozens of requests from radio shows, and I was tired. An East Coast girl, I generally suffer terrible jet lag when I head west. In fact, it usually takes me a week of restless nights to make up the three-hour time difference between Washington, D.C. where I live, and California. By the time I got to Great Good Books, I felt as foggy as San Francisco Bay.

The fog turned to shock as soon as I spotted the TV camera crew. "What's going on?" I asked the bookstore owner. "Didn't your publicist tell you?" she answered, eyebrows arched. "C-SPAN is taping your reading."

I groaned. In the hustle and bustle of traveling across the country and appearing at other book events, I had completely blanked on C-SPAN. I rushed to the bathroom and gazed into the mirror, appalled at my definitely not-ready-for-prime time hair, lack of makeup, and the dark circles shadowing my eyes. I brushed quickly through my locks, then added some blush and lipstick to my exasperated face. Sighing, I returned to the store.

I feel like I'm caught up in a maelstrom of green, green, green! After spending thirty years slogging through the environmental trenches, we've had an "overnight success." Protecting the planet is all anyone seems to be talking about these days. In fact, as someone who used to be leading the pack, it's now hard to keep up! Companies are frantically setting up recycling programs. Organizations are issuing reports hand over fist. Entrepreneurs are churning out new green gear and gadgets faster than a mouse breeds babies.

All of which makes for a very exciting time to have a new environmental book out - especially one that aims to make sense of what's "green" versus what's being "greenwashed." That's the question I've been asked most frequently, especially during the dozens of radio interviews I've done since the book's pub date March 1. Everyone wants to do something to make a difference. Not everyone knows where to start, or what purchases are really worth the money. Words like "natural," "biodegradable," and "eco-friendly" throw people for a loop. Do they really mean the product or service deserves Mother Nature's green star? Not necessarily, and a big part of my job right now involves directing shoppers to certified goods that actually live up to their mark! eting claims.

I've been impressed that so many people have turned out to my book signings - given that another big concern for people who want to go green is lack of time! Most people don't realize that living an eco-life can actually simplify your life - sometimes I need to roll out the light bulb example to prove my point (a compact fluorescent light bulb lasts ten times as long as an incandescent, so put one in and forget about it for seven years...).

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Diane McEachern is our guest blogger during the week of April 14th. If you have any questions for Diane McEachern, add a comment to any of her posts. Here is some brief information about Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World:

Protecting our environment is one of the biggest issues facing our planet today. But how do we solve a problem that can seem overwhelming-even hopeless? As Diane MacEachern argues in Big Green Purse, the best way to fight the industries that pollute the planet, thereby changing the marketplace forever, is to mobilize the most powerful consumer force in the world-women.

MacEachern's message is simple but revolutionary. If women harness the "power of their purse" and intentionally shift their spending money to commodities that have the greatest environmental benefit, they can create a cleaner, greener world. Spirited and informative, this book:

- targets twenty commodities-cars, cosmetics, coffee, food, paper products, appliances, cleansers, and more-where women's dollars can make a dramatic difference;
- provides easy-to-follow guidelines and lists so women can choose the greenest option regardless of what they're buying, along with recommended companies they should support;
- encourages women to spend wisely by explaining what's worth the premium price some green products cost, what's not, and when they shouldn't spend money at all; and
- differentiates between products that are actually "green" and those that are simply marketed as "ecofriendly."