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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.

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3 points

I laughed out loud when I saw commercials for "Clean Coal." What a fucking joke.

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?!!!!

I lump corporations with the politicians in the "don't trust" bin. ;)

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/william_mcdonough_on_cradle_to_cradle_design.html

And here is a forum on cradle to cradle: http://community.mbdc.com/mbdc_c2c

I don't care about the environmental impact. I only care about specs. and requirements.

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

Cool link, I'm checking it out as I write this. Anything you can share about this industries green washing techniques? What companies?

Side: coal
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