Tired of thinking pink? Skip to the green

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Note to the socially conscious: Don’t forget to clip the $2 coupon for ReNu contact lens solution -- the company will donate $1 of the purchase to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

And come manicure time, you might as well use OPI Pink of Hearts polish, which calls attention to the company’s commitment to Komen and, by extension, yours as well.

Then there’s the matter of shoes. Who doesn’t need comfortable shoes? Especially if they also send a message of hope for a better world ... Easy Spirit’s Travelcure shoes (pink of course) are there for you, commemorating the company’s donation to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

And truly, another T-shirt is always useful. You could just as well order from the Ford Warriors in Pink collection or from the limited edition ‘Army Wives’ line, for which 100% of the net proceeds go to Komen.

You could even show it all off at a Cook for the Cure fund-raising party -- featuring pink Kitchen Aid products.

And everyone needs to stock up on batteries, paper towels and wipes. Energizer supports breast cancer patients, survivors and caregivers with a mobile spa after all. And Viva paper towels and Huggies baby wipes have their own donations and plans. Vitamins? Good Elements is in on the breast-cancer-research-and-awareness act this month too. Have a need (in a ‘why not?’ kind of way) for a pink portable speaker case? HMDX Audio‘s is donating $1 from each sale to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Heck, pick up a lock while you’re at it. Master Lock is offering a pink padlock to raise awareness of breast cancer and its donation to research.

Toss in some mints and snacks and lip balm and candles and paper and stuffed animals and cooking products and ...

October hasn’t even arrived and already there’s enough pink on store shelves to thrill a 5-year-old in full princess mode and a shopper desperate for an excuse to feel good about his or her purchases.

Buy all you want. Make every consumer product scream your commitment to breast cancer awareness and research. But if you truly want to help find better treatments, read the fine print. Some companies do explain just how much of your cash goes to support the cause and in what form. Bloomingdale’s, for example, says in its ads that $5 of that $16 special-edition umbrella is going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

But some companies cap the amount of their ultimate donation. Some make the offer only during October. (The product may still work, but the color is no longer valid.) Some call attention to a specific donation they’ve already made. And some are downright vague: ‘donates a portion of the proceeds from each sale to the fight against breast cancer.’ A portion is in the eye of the donor.

A few companies simply color their product or its label pink, hoping consumers will be naive enough to assume their money is going to a white-coated researcher toiling away in a lab.

Don’t have the time or energy to ensure your money is going where you want it to go? Tired of buying products you don’t need? Just don’t like pink?

Cut to the chase and donate directly -- and spend the rest of October guilt-free.

American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Research Foundation

National Breast Cancer Foundation

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

For more on the sometimes confusing world of breast cancer awareness and product tie-ins, there’s this: Blushing for a cause.

Ultimately, you may even save money by shelling out cash up front. Although the appeal of a pink padlock is hard to deny.

-- Tami Dennis