Today is Earth Day 1997, a worldwide day of environmental awareness.

But officials say solutions to environmental problems can be as simple as the choices shoppers make daily at the grocery store.

“Eco-labels,” an all-encompassing term that groups a product’s claimed benefits to the environment, can be found on many products today.

Green buzz words like “all natural,” “organic” and “environmentally safe” can cause some confusion among consumers.

Examples of vague terms found on store shelves are “recycled,” “biodegradable” and “environmentally friendly.” Recycled products often have the universal recycled symbol, the triangled arrows, on packaging and the gray interior of boxes.

If a product is made from or packaged with unprocessed materials, such as plastics bonded with vegetable oil or cornstarch, it is more likely to biodegrade in a short time.

“Environmentally friendly” products usually contain no bleaches, dyes, styrofoam or excessive packaging.

Wheatsfield Grocery, a cooperative in downtown Ames, has been selling health food for more than 20 years.

Ben Nauman, a former ISU student and employee of Wheatsfield, said the term natural is vague but the term “organic” is often protected by organic-food organization standards.

“The best way to determine if something is natural is to read the ingredients. If there are more words than you can pronounce on the label, it’s probably not natural,” Nauman said.

“Natural is such a vague term that the [food] industry is beginning to use the terms ‘clean’ or ‘no pesticides used’ to be more specific,” said Gretchen Zdorkowski, Wheatsfield advertising and promotions representative.

“Certified organic” means the product has undergone an inspection to verify organic qualities by a reputable, certified organization, Zdorkowski said. Certified organic also means the product was produced under ecological production, promoting and enhancing safe, biological activities.