GreenWashing: Is it occurring again?
Greenwash (a portmanteau of green and whitewash) is a term used to describe the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources.[1] It is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing. The term green sheen has similarly been used to describe organizations that attempt to show that they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment. link
I'm curious to see how much the CD community knows about Greenwashing and do you still buy from companies that do. How does Green Washing negatively effect the economy? The environment? Consumers Trust? etc.
Do you believe that this is occuring in this most recent green initiative? Have you noticed it in the government?
If you are interested in finding out some more information, feel free to read this. It's titled the 6 sins of Greenwashing.
1
point
As do I when GE claims to be this environmental giant! I live in chicago, which mayor Dailey claims to be one of the greenest cities in the US, yet I find those cfl lights switched on during the day on the "non underground" parts of the el-our name for the subway. The main reason I've even heard of Green washing was due to working with a group of interior designers and listening in on their stories. It's funny to see how many of us are conned into thinking we are making environmentally sound choices when in fact it's the opposite! Where are the trail cases?!!!! 3
points
1
point
So what do you do when it comes to buying items you need? Do you do the research and find the ultimate product? Do you just buy whatever with no regard to its impact? Or insert your own question and answer here __________________________________. (just curious) There is a very interesting concept I ran across recently named cradle to cradle. Here is a great TED video on this concept: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ And here is a forum on cradle to cradle: http://community.mbdc.com/mbdc_c2c 1
point
3
points
The coal industry is constantly at it. Check out their latest crap at www.americaspower.org/factuality A faked "tour" whereby these two coal flaks visit mountaintop removal sites and discuss how much the industry is doing to restore nature or visit a coal plant (to come, apparently) where they talk about all the non-existent clean coal technologies. Side: coal
1
point
2
points
Lies! Seriously, they twist facts, use statistics out of context, etc. Classic greenwashing stuff. For example, they've painted the clean coal debate as one about things like SO2 and NOX scrubbers, not about the real issue of CO2. They cite a stat that the industry has been working on clean technologies since the 1890s -- in order to keep coal dust down in one's home. What garbage! Also. they've painted it as a debate about jobs and family costs, not global warming, trying to make one think that to oppose clean coal is opposing American families. This is classic demagoguery. Here is their own list of companies. All big coal miners, most utilities, some railroads (they move the stuff), some big energy users, etc. ALCOA Allegheny Energy, Inc. Alliance Coal, LLC Alstom Power AMEREN Corporation American Electric Power Arch Coal, Inc. Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc. Basin Electric Power Cooperative Berwind Natural Resources Corporation BHP Billiton BNSF Railway Buckeye Industrial Mining Co. Buckeye Power, Inc. Bucyrus International, Inc. Caterpillar Incorporated CONSOL Energy Inc. Consumers Energy CSX Corp. Drummond Company, Incorporated DTE Energy (Detroit Edison) Duke Energy Corporation E.ON U.S. Express Marine, Incorporated First Energy Corporation Foundation Coal Corp. Freightcar America, Inc. General Electric Capital Corporation Jennmar Corporation Joy Global Mining Luminant Midwest Generation Mirant Corporation Murray Energy Corporation Natural Resource Partners L.P. Norfolk Southern Co. OG&E;Energy Corp. Oglethorpe Power Corporation Peabody Energy Corp. Progress Energy, Incorporated Seminole Electric Cooperative SEP Corporation (Sunflower Electric) Southern Company Tri-state Generation & Transmission Assn. Inc. Union Pacific Railroad Western Farmers Electric Cooperative Western Fuels Association Side: clean coal greenwashing
|