Home Depot to label its green products

'Eco Options' stickers expected to be placed on 2,500 products

Video: Environment

Drought and sandstorms, Iraq's latest battle
July 14: A devastating drought has left Iraq bone dry. Swaths of farm land have turned to baked dirt, drinking water supplies are threatened and to add to the misery, a massive dust storm has blanketed the country. NBC's Steve Wende reports.

Homeowners keep chickens to save on eggs

Pawing it forward: Animal shelters go green

Forecast calls for weak El Nino

'Clean diesel' cars ready to roll

Environment slide shows

Getty Images

Calif. farm areas drying up
California’s farming areas aren’t dust bowls, at least not yet, but a three-year drought and water restrictions have slashed crops and jobs, undermining rural communities.

Lights out for Earth Hour

New U.S. marine sanctuaries

'Nature's Best' awards

Earth from above

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

'Nature's Best' awards

'Nature's Best' backyards

Guarding gorillas in Rwanda, Congo

'Nature's Best' photos by youth

Breaking news alerts (about 1 per day)
Click here to sign up or text NEWS to MSNBC (67622).

Find more alerts at alerts.msnbc.com

updated 10:37 a.m. ET April 17, 2007

ATLANTA - The Home Depot Inc. said Tuesday it will put labels on products in its U.S. stores classifying them as environmentally friendly.

The world’s largest home improvement store chain started the program in Canada in 2004 and now will roll it out to stores across the United States, a Home Depot spokesman said.

The program will allow customers to easily identify products that have less of an impact on the environment, the Atlanta-based company said in a statement.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

The company said it has identified more than 2,500 products that are environmentally friendly, including all-natural insect repellents, front-load washing machines, organic plant food and vegetables in biodegradable pots.

The company said it will expand the line of products carrying the label as items are identified.

Products that will carry Home Depot’s “Eco Options” label are either environmentally friendly by definition, such as solar lights that use natural power, or have met certain environmental performance criteria verified by an independent certification company.

Home Depot operates 2,167 stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China.

The company also said it will give away 1 million CFL bulbs on Earth Day, April 22, and it will also launch a dedicated Web site for the program.

The retailer, which operates nearly 1,000 stores in the United States and Canada, also plans to replace the bulbs in its lighting-fixture displays with CFL bulbs.

Additional program details are online at www.homedepot.com/ecooptions.