Cheap-Good-Durable. There is a saying in marketing: choose any two.

It seems that our society is at a place where we increasingly choose only one: Cheap. We are swept in by the idea of 10 pairs of tube socks for $4.99, or a complete 5-piece dining room set for $149.99 (don’t pay until 2021!). Everyone loves a good deal, but how good does that deal look three weeks later when you have put your heel through all the socks, and the stack of matchbooks under the table leg still doesn’t help the wobble?

The point is that the Greenest product is usually the most durable one. Products built to last mean we don’t have to buy replacements, we don’t have to recycle or dispose of more materials, and we don’t have to lament “they don’t make them like they used to!” Of course, if you buy for durability, in the long run it usually means you save money. Notice how your grandparents owned the same kitchen appliances for your entire life, but you seem to be replacing your latest plastic gadget every year? Notice all the solid wood furniture in the antique store, and the complete lack of particle board? Notice how the tips of your 99-cent screwdrivers seem to wear dull and strip your screws before the job is done? Yes, a $5 screwdriver costs more initially, but it might last long enough for your grandkids to use. And the bonus is that it leaves the planet in better condition for your grandkids as well.