Mike Simpier laughs when he thinks about "Kona" coffee that has about 3 percent Kona mixed with ... shudder ... that other stuff.

"There are a lot of products out there taking advantage of (the) situation," said Simpier, who teaches a class on saving energy at the Pearl City Home Depot. "Is it something that's going to save me, save environment?"

He talks about a certain brand of paint that shall remain nameless (he works at a hardware store, after all) that was billing itself as "greener" than others.

Was it water-based? Nontoxic? No, he checked the ingredients and discovered it listed just as many chemicals as the next brand, but cost a whole lot more. Who wants to pay a premium when it's just the packaging that's recycled?

Simpier is a big believer in checking out claims. Independent comparison guides, such as Consumer Reports, are his bibles.

UBIQUITOUS LABEL

Much like the word "organic" was used loosely years ago, the word "green" and all its synonyms are appearing everywhere in commercials, advertisements and marketing lingo.

Its misuse has become so widespread, it has earned its own term — "greenwashing" — and the Federal Trade Commission has sped up plans to regulate the marketers' tactics, though FTC's final report (known as the "Green Guides") may take more than a year to be finalized.

"A quick search on the Internet can usually turn up a few reputable editorial sources and most likely some readers' comments and ratings," said Graham Hill.

Hill's Web site, www.TreeHugger .com, features its own "Green Guides" section, which breaks down the top environmental attributes and concerns among major product categories, such as lighting, electronics and gardening.

"Most green problems come back to energy use," Hill said.

How to evaluate a product's energy story? Hill says to question the distance a product must be shipped, and whether it is made with the least energyintensive materials, contains the least number of chemicals and is made with the least amount of materials.

In its recent study of 1,018 green products, environmental marketing firm TerraChoice found the "sin of vagueness" to be rampant. Rather than settling with slippery marketing words such as "eco-friendly" or "green," stick with the facts, such as ingredients, manufacturing processes and company history.

Home Depot has started identifying items that meet an independent standard, called Eco Options. These are certified as either eco-friendly or having met criteria by the Scientific Certification Systems. One example would be a heat-blocking window film, which Simpier talks about in his presentation; it can cut heat from the window by up to 25 percent.

SIMPLE STEPS

Simpier starts his class, "10 Things You Can Do To Cut Your Electric Bill," by asking about energy bills.

Are you using a half-full load for the washer or dryer? If you're cooking with a small pot, are you using the large burner? Do you leave the shower running while you shampoo?

Say it ain't so.

What about "phantom power"? Do you need all those digital displays telling you the time?

"We have to look at our habits," he said. "We're all spoiled. Energy, all our lives, was cheap."

And if you want the most bang for your green buck, take an audit and see how much you really use a day.

From there, you learn what habits can change. Say you're keeping the electric water heater running all day — likely the biggest energy beast in the house. Sure, you can buy a $20-ish insulated blanket that wraps around the heater, but in Hawai'i, the weather stays pretty toasty, so you might be more pound-wise to invest in a $40 or so water heater timer, which shuts off the heater while the family is sleeping or out of the house.

Consumers are jumping on the bandwagon, too.

As Simpier talked, Stephanie Anguay of 'Ewa listened carefully while her husband was picking out a sustainable bamboo rug. Partly, her interest was piqued by saving the environment, but she had an even better reason to hear about low-energy tips:

"I have to go with my pocketbook," she said.