In today's Guardian, Lucy Aitken talks about the ethical shopper's worst nightmare: Greenwash. We're all aware that the claims to greenness made by many companies are at best, exaggerated, but how clued up are we really about being tricked into buying eco-friendly products that are anything but?

Firstly, if you've been taken in, don't panic. Marketing bods do everything in their power to make us believe the stuff they sell us is greener than freshly-cut grass, so you shouldn't be ashamed to admit it when you buy the latest bit of 'green gear' only to twig later that it came in yards of plastic packaging, or was transported halfway across the world to get into your eager hands. There is even an award for the worst examples of greenwash, whose 'winners' will be announced later this month.

So, if it's happened to you and you'd like to prevent future mishaps, we've prepared a brief guide to detecting greenwash before it hits you in the pocket. Follow the jump for the rest of the tips.

1. Watch out for over-use of jargon.

By and large, companies that make the most noise about helping the environment are the ones that are actually doing the least, and those that do make a difference will be honest about what they are doing and - crucially - what they're not. Two companies being very honest about their efforts at the moment are Eurostar and BSkyB.

If you've ever wavered over buying something - felt sure you've heard there's some sort of dirt on the company but you can't think what it is, this list from Ethical Consumer of UK companies to boycott will be your best friend.

It tells you all you need to know about organisations that have been flagged as 'inethical' in some way recently, and is entirely up-to-date as readers can add to it whenever they hear that a company is up to no good. There's no preaching here - just the facts you need to make an informed decision on what products to go for if you want to make the world a better place.

Examples of current boycotts are Kleenex, for refusing to use recycled paper; Kurt Geiger for using rabbit fur in some of its boots and shoes;
and Proctor & Gamble, for almost every conceivable sin under the sun. Read the list for yourself, and make up your mind which products you'd want to avoid in future!

Whoever these 'middlemen' are - the ones that are guilty of squirreling away our money when we shop online - they're likely to be feeling pretty badly-off at the moment.

I'm referring here to the trend for online stores to donate fees generated by site advertising and donating it to good causes. A fantastic idea that allows you to get on with your normal shopping while giving to charity at the same time.

One of the best I've seen yet is Give Or Take, which has a straightforward interface as well as interesting features like most popular charities chosen by readers. All you need to do once you've decided where you're going to make your next purchase is find that store's logo on Give Or Take, click through to that site, and shop as usual.

Yesterday, Treehugger alerted us to the newest ethical social network, Razoo. These are online havens specifically for those who wish to do good in the world, be it through encouraging greener lives, raising awareness and money for charity or simply "promote social good".

This last quote came from the mission statement of Razoo. This is a network devoted to making a difference by starting discussions about everything from sustainability and water to AIDS and homlessness, through human rights and education. And that's just a fraction of the topics. By promoting discussion and swapping tips and ideas, the entrepreneurs behind Razoo hope to inspire ideas that just might save the world (or, rather, us). And it's certainly not the only sight with lofty ideals. Just take a look at the many different ways in which social networks are encouraging us to fight the good environmental fight...

According to UN figures, more than a billion people around the world exist in a state of dire poverty and gross inequality, around 70 per cent of them women. But don't despair; today is the 20th World Poverty Day, and there are all sorts of activities to get involved with that can help you make a difference to a problem being largely driven by our addiction to cheap goods.

In today's Independent, Action Aid has produced a supplement which outlines simple ways you can join the fight against extreme poverty and hunger all around the world. The charity has recently been working to raise awareness of the appalling conditions caused by supermarket price wars and their low-cost products.

Meanwhile, People Tree has chosen to mark the event with some really fun 'price tag' t-shirts at £20 each, with a £2.50 donation to Action Aid for each purchase (you can check out the designs ). If you'd like to spread the word to your friends and colleagues, you can forward this eshot to encourage them to add their support. The more awareness we collectively raise, the more Action Aid can do to campaign for basic rights to livelihoods, food, water and services

If you're finding your daily grind unsatisfying, and you long to get up every morning with saving the world on your mind as well as paying the bills, then this guide could well provide you with some food for thought. 'The Ethical Careers Guide' offers a range of advice on different careers, as well as fascinating case studies of people in positions ranging from a Campaigns Officer in a charity to a social worker working for a local council.

I was given a copy of this book by a friend after I left university. I'd decided my next step was to find some voluntary work - with the eventual aim of doing some paid work for a charity - and I definitely found the book useful in terms of inspiring me in my quest. In particular, I think the fact that it includes a large number of case studies makes things sound a little less daunting, as the case studies make you feel as if you're having an informal chat with someone rather than reading a 'guide' per se.

If you haven't used the Giving Machine before, here's a quick lowdown on how it works. Once you've registered with the site (takes about two minutes) you can support your favourite charities every time you shop online.

There is a list of shops taking part here, and it's a surprsingly big list. Most of my most-used shopping sites are here, including Amazon, Ebay, Boots and HMV. And the list of charities is even longer: most good causes are represented here, and there are new ones being added all the time. The newest member here is Elephant Family, a young charity which works to conserve the endangered Asian elephant

So why not sign up today? It's a great way to take some of the guilt out of shopping!

After last week's charity post, we are working on creating the definitive list of charity craft projects for 2007, which should be up at the end of October. Thanks to everyone who's sent in suggestions so far; thanks to your help, we've got another great list of suggested activities this week.

If any you've heard about aren't covered here, please email me. Here's what's come in this week:

Warmwoolies: Knitting for orphans

Warmwoolies is a non-profit organization whose volunteers knit warm clothing for poverty-stricken children who would otherwise suffer from the cold.
In 2007, they'll be focusing
on supplying woolen clothes to orphanages in Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia and on the Rosebud and Pine Ridge tribal reservations in South Dakota. Most wanted items are baby blankets, followed by mittens, hats, gloves and scarves. You can find out how to contribute, here.

Follow the jump for more causes.

Do you ever want to do something creative to help those less fortunate than you? Or do you have a compulsive knitting habit that isn't being put to any purpose other than keeping your fingers busy? Here's a great list of good causes that those of a crafty disposition (or even eager amateurs) can put their talents to between now and Christmas, first published on Crafty Crafty.

1. Innocent's The Big Knit

The Big Knit is a great idea for keeping older people warm in winter, devised and run each year by Innocent. Hundreds of volunteers send in miniature bobble-hats (in all kinds of inventive styles!) to fit on the tops of smoothie bottles. Then each time one of the hat-wearing smoothies is sold during the run-up to the festive season, Innocent donate a very generous 50p to Age Concern.

Innocent are currently seeking more knitters to take part in the project, and reach their ambitious 400,000 hat target (last year, they received £230,000 hats)...

Fridays are designed for feeling good - long lunches, shopping on the internet and other warm and fuzzy activities. And here's one you can integrate into your Actual Working Day. Everyclick donates to a charity every time you use them to search the internet. The searches themselves are powered by Ask.com, so you won't be downgrading to a sub-standard service, and you can even pick what charity gets your contribution. It works through advertising, so the money that the search engine would normally receive from clients every time their advert is displayed or clicked through, is instead donated to charity.

Wugging (web use giving) takes advantage of that fact that whilst most people would like to give more to charity, they just don't find the time when it's not integrated into their day-to-day life. So what are you waiting for? Get charitable.

There seem to be lots of events and celebrations on this weekend, the Autumn Equinox, but one which will be pleasure to observe is British Food Fortnight, 22nd September – 7th October. It started in 2002 as a response to the Foot and Mouth crisis but has gone from strength to strength since then as people realised the benefits of seasonal and regional produce – and just how much variety Britain has to offer, without using up those food miles.

British Food Fortnight encourages us all to seek out our local specialities, to get to know local butchers, greengrocers and farmer's markets, to eat seasonally and to learn what is in season at any particular time, to grow your own fruit and vegetables, to go to local pick-your-own farms, and to sample local beers.

A week ago, a few intrepid denizens of Shiny Towers agreed to make green pledges towards a year of Living Generously. Just seven days in, I decided to check in on Stuart, Susi and, of course, myself, and update you on our progress. Here, Stuart tells us of his battle with Barnet council over their confusing recycling schedule, Susi makes friends with the low-battery sign, and I forgo my favourite form of stress relief, all for the sake of the planet. Follow the jump for all our reports, but let's start with Susi...

Susi pledged not to leave any gadgets plugged in or charging for longer than necessary -- a tough call for a tech journalist. She told me: "I’m so pleased with myself! I’ve unplugged all the stuff I don’t use by my bed, and I only charge my phone every other day. I’m trying not to panic when I see the red bars on my mobile, which is a Big Step!"

I bet you’d never thought of sewing as a subversive or a sociable act, but this is the very nub of the idea of Morsbagging, which tags itself as sociable, guerilla, bagging.

The idea is to start little groups, called ‘pods’ who get together with old scraps of fabric, a bottle of wine and have a fun evening sewing bags. Once you have enough bags, you distribute them free in local supermarkets, thus replacing the need for plastic bags. While doing so, you also try to educate shoppers about the dangers to wildlife of old plastic bags and urge them to re-use the morsbags instead of using up new plastic carriers.

UK-based website A year of living generously is an online experiment based on a shared hunch that looking after this planet and its people is what we are all here for and that if many of us can make small changes in our everyday choices then over time we can make a big difference for everyone. To this end, readers are invited to change their actions for the good of the planet, and embark on a year of living generously.

The actions range from one-off pledges like becoming a blood donor to more regular lifestyle changes like not over-filling your kettle. And we at Shiny Media have decided to set our own goals, and chart our progress here to see how we get on. Here's what the Shiny staff have decided to do:

'Gadget Queen' Susi Weaser Editor of Shiny Shiny has set herself a huge challenge as a technology journalist: she's going to unplug all gadgets she's not using, avoid over-charging her phone and never leave it charging overnight.

It is something probably every environmentally-aware person has struggled with – exactly which ethical and green option should take priority? Food miles or fair trade? Carbon reduction or organic? Now the Co-operative supermarket group is to actually ask its members and shoppers what they think, as well as clarifying some options which, although at first sight seem to be ethically sound, may have unforeseen negative repercussions.

Paul Monaghan is the Co-op’s Head of Ethics and has designed the survey to be given to members and consumers. So strongly does he feel on this subject that he has actually directly criticised some rival firms for their ‘lazy thinking’. He is keen to clarify the Co-op’s stance: “The drive to reduce 'food miles' and reduce carbon dioxide could have real social impacts on third world growers as supply chains are redirected more locally. The carbon produced by Kenyan roses is a fifth of that used to grow Dutch roses because of the heating and lighting.”