In recent years, the well-intentioned consumer's desire for a healthier, greener lifestyle has launched a thousand marketing campaigns. Every day seems to bring another product, service, or eco-label that claims to be the most earth-friendly, healthy, socially responsible, or cruelty-free.

How to choose what's best? Luckily, a wealth of online "green guides" have also been launched to help you navigate the labels and claims. Here's a quick guide to a few of the best of these resources. And if we've missed one, please let us know by joining the discussion on the Scorecard weblog.

Ecolabels.org: The label maze

Before you choose one cosmetic product over the next because it's "cruelty-free," find out more about the truth behind the label. The Consumers Union's "Eco-Labels" website has the dirt on hundreds of "green" labels used for everything from dairy products to vegetables to wood to cosmetics.

For each label-from those issued by organic certification organizations to the surprising number created by manufacturers without verification from an independent source-the Consumers Union provides a list of criteria to assess what the label means, and how consistent and significant it is.

Fave feature: The "virtual kitchen" lets you click around an animated kitchen to see tutorials and fact sheets about the labels used on items from cereal to wine.

Greenerchoices.org: Information on big-ticket items

In classic Consumer Reports style, this site-a sister to eco-labels.org-has information to help make informed choices about the products that you spend big bucks on, such as cars, appliances, gardening products, and electronic devices. It's your chance to take a long-term bite out of energy and water consumption, as well as save money. Visit the "Green Ratings" pages for comprehensive side-by-side comparisons of the leading brands in each category.

Fave features: Greenerchoices shows you how to remove yourself from direct marketing lists and save paper. The toxics page allows you to find out which toxics-from arsenic to ozone-are found in what products and what the potential for human exposure is.

Coopamerica.org: Guide to green businesses

Co-op America's mission is to "harness economic power-the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace-to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society." They have tons of resources, including lists of green business networks and useful fact sheets on everything from supporting clean energy to finding a socially and environmentally conscious bank.

Fave feature: The National Green Pages is a directory of businesses that actively support social and environmental responsibility. It includes everything from community-minded mortgage companies to discounted roadside assistance for hybrid owners.

NRDC's Guide to Greener Living: Save energy, water, and more

Ever guess that the typical American household could save $400 a year by buying Energy Star products? Or that toilets can use up to 40 percent of household water, and easy-to-improvise water displacement devices can cut that in half? This section of the National Resource Defense Council's site links to resources that make it easy to take action right away, such as saving energy on the road, at work (you could reduce electricity use in your office by 75 percent!) and around the house.

Fave feature: There's an investing section that helps you find socially responsible mutual funds or long-distance phone services that donate money to environmental groups.

Ask Umbra: Advice with attitude. Finally, if you're tired of listings, stop in at "Ask Umbra," Grist Magazine's environmental advice columnist. She writes opinionated columns about one juicy subject at a time, from garden hoses to environmental weddings to federal oil subsidies. And she won't hesitate to tell you her master plan for making personal choices that are globally relevant.