How green is that brand? Ask BadBuster

Want to find out how green a company is before you support them or go on an online shopping spree? Then you need to download BadBuster, an smart tool that gives you an instant 'green rating' of businesses you come across online.

BadBuster underlines on Web pages the names of brands and goods it has ranked, with colors indicating the level or lack of "greenness." For example, giving a green score to BP, the oil company known for its "Beyond Petroleum" campaign, while marking notorious polluter Exxon a glaring red. Yellow is the middle rating.

Roll the mouse over a highlighted name, and a BadBuster mini-window pops up with details. Click that, and a new Web page provides more information, pitting that brand against close rivals. BadBuster turned up surprises. For instance, Google's rating was lower than Microsoft's, despite the search giant's well-publicized green initiatives.

BadBuster's 0-100 scale rankings are based upon various reports. Sources include Climate Counts, BusinessWeek, Calvert, KnowMore, and the Carbon Disclosure Project. It does not appear to use ratings from Alonovo, Sustainlane, FiveLimes, and other dedicated sustainability scores.

Because it's built into the browser, BadBuster allows you to stay on the page where you're surfing. Such green rating tools have been seen before -- in the US, for example, Palore flags restaurants that serve organic food. Services like these that combine ratings from multiple sources might provide a more balanced view than a single source. Although you might want to try individual sites at the same time, if you want to tailor ratings according to your personal set of values.

BadBuster is in early beta testing and runs only in Internet Explorer 6 and higher, but a Firefox version is being built.

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