Posts Tagged ‘Greenwashing’


Listen to this Green Air Minute:

Greenwashing 101

by The Green A-Team

Blinded by the barrage of eco-friendly stickers on your everyday products?

Deafened by the earthy tones of green marketing verbiage?

Greenwashing is the process by which companies mislead consumers regarding environmentally friendly products.  You see it everyday, stickers that read, “natural, green, earth friendly…” you know the drill.

Here are some key terms to watch out for:

1.) Organic - according to food industry standards, organic food is grown without conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge.  If you see the USDA Organic Seal, that’s a safe choice.

2.) Environmentally Preferred
- There is nothing about plastic or rubber that the environment prefers, so watch out for this term alongside unnatural or inorganic products.

3.) Sustainable - there is no standardized definition of sustainable in the context of commerce.  Sustainability implies permanence in nature so be especially aware of this term.

While there are many well-intentioned companies doing good things, protect yourself from greenwashing by understanding certain simple terms.

For more on greenwashing, click here.

Photo by MU_313679.

Share:

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • StumbleUpon
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Reddit
  • del.icio.us
  • Technorati
  • Google
  • Hugg


What’s the opposite of Green? - Part 1

by Rich Awn

According to the color wheel, it’s red.

According to the sassy young lass I recently met milling around the meat pop hors d’oeuvres at the last Internet Advertising Bureau cocktail party, it’s purple.

Our candid conversation regarding her exasperation with the landslide of questionable Green information spilled all over the media and in advertising lately is what prompted her conjecture.

“I don’t give a s*%t about being Green,” she said bluntly, “I mean, my building actually requires it’s employees to use the stairs instead of the elevator.” I bit my tongue and asked if she was disabled. “No but I can’t stand all these companies and newscasters using the environment as a sales pitch.”

To that I couldn’t help but agree.

Read the rest of this entry »

Share:

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • StumbleUpon
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Reddit
  • del.icio.us
  • Technorati
  • Google
  • Hugg