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McDonalds: Saving the Ocean or Fast Food Greenwashing?

Is the new McBite sandwich fastfood greenwashing?Late last month McDonald’s announced the addition of “Fish McBites” to the menu for their 14,000 US restaurants starting in February. Labeled as “juicy, tender and irresistible,” the fast food chain is also touting that they will source the fish for the new product from sustainable wild-caught Alaskan pollock fisheries certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). In addition, McDonalds says it will also use the MSC-certified Alaskan pollock for their venerable Filet-O-Fish sandwich as well. Many are touting the claim that McDonald’s seafood offerings are going “all sustainable,” appearing ready to queue up at the counter for their first bite of a sustainably caught Fish McBite.

Now that sounds like a great thing, so we though we’d take a closer look. Read More→

Is Google Greenwashing? Why the Paper Industry is Speaking Out Against an Online Giant

Is google greenwashing with their Go Paperless campaign?Google, in collaboration with Fujitsu and several other companies, recently began the Go Paperless in 2013 initiative, encouraging consumers to use online services to save paper whenever possible. Two Sides, a not-for-profit organization that supports the paper industry, is not happy with Google’s campaign; they claim that the online giant is greenwashing and trying to get consumers to use their own products.

The case against Google

Two Sides has publicly admonished Google for making what they say are inaccurate claims about the paper industry; in addition, they insinuated that Google’s involvement in a campaign to save trees is hypocritical, since their daily operations could actually have a significant, detrimental impact on the environment. Two Sides further believes that Google’s “greenwash marketing” goes against standards set up by the United States Federal Trade Commission. Read More→

Sustainable Trade Shows: Green or Greenwash

More green and less greenwash with the Sustainable Meeting Standards“Eco-friendly,” “Sustainable,” “Green”  – buzzwords like these are increasingly popular. This growing interest in eco-friendly living has spawned a plethora of conventions and trade shows aimed at filling the niche of the environmentally conscious consumer.

The fact is that the trade show industry as a whole is one of the most wasteful on the planet. Approximately 60 million people attend trade shows every year. Each one of those people produce, on average, 20 pounds of trash, for a whopping total of 1 billion pounds of waste annually. Of course, most trade shows have nothing to do with our granola-crunching brethren seeking eco-enlightenment or make no effort to suggest they are “green.” But given that the trade shows are second only to the construction industry in the amount of aggregate waste produced, they probably should. Read More→

Bottled Water: the Hidden Costs

Most people these days understand that buying bottled water is wasteful and bad for the environment – especially for single-use consumption (we think folks should store large bottles of water on hand for use in emergencies).

This installment from a new “Hidden Costs” video series from InsuranceQuotes.org takes a look at the health, economic, and environmental characteristic of bottled water.

Featured image credit: ToddMorris, courtesy flickr

The Misconceptions Surrounding Biodegradable Packaging

As a typical consumer goes about their weekly grocery shopping, they are faced with numerous product differentiators, such as “all natural” or “biodegradable.”  When making a selection, those with the eco-conscious mind often lead towards the products packaged in biodegradable containers, over those without mention.  The question is which is better for the environment, the bio-degradable packaging or the one without mention?

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Fighting Against Proposition 37: Why Some Organic Companies Don’t Want GMO Labeling

Recently, a campaign to label genetically engineered foods (GMOs) in the marketplace has gained popularity with many Americans. The idea originated in California, where citizens have the ability to create laws and place them on the ballot. It is known as Proposition 37, and in a short period of time, it has attracted the attention of many passionate supporters, including celebrity chefs Cat Cora and Mario Batali. However, many popular, organic food brands oppose Prop 37, and while their motives aren’t exactly clear, it all appears to come down to money.

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Do Corporate Greenwashing Scandals have a Shelf-Life?

Corporate Greenwash: Do we forget too soon all the BS?The 2012 London Olympics, hosted in a stadium that IOC asserts is “as sustainable as it is stunning,” have brought unprecedented attention not just to the athletes competing for medals, but also to the corporate sponsors competing for air time. A number of tarnished reputations plague the corporate contestants. BP Global, Dow Chemical, and Rio Tinto top the list of what consumers may consider environmentally unfriendly Olympic sponsors. Thanks to a lively coalition of environmental activists, for a short while it was possible to vote on which of the three top contenders should win the “Greenwash Gold 2012” award. Rio Tinto brought home the gold.

But how long will the collective memory of Greenwash Gold 2012 last? If the shared memory of environmental abuse itself is any indicator, “not that long” may be the best answer. The iconic image of the oil-slicked pelican (or sea turtle, or tern, or plover) no longer airs during prime time, but BP’s post-spill “public service” ads, featuring standard greenwashing fodder, mostly certainly do.

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Sustainable Tourism: It’s Not Only About the Environment

Sustainable travel can be achieved just by knowing what wonders there are to visit nearbyGuest Post by And Lloyd

Ecotourism has become something of a buzzword in recent years, but what does it really mean? Hotels that change towels and sheets every third day call themselves sustainable, but this is an over-simplification. According to Newsweek, this is a symptom of greenwashing: how everyone has been led to believe that going green refers only to environmental issues, such as recycling and turning off the heating. However, according to TIES (The International Ecotourism Society) sustainable tourism includes responsible travel that leads to the conservation of natural resources and the upliftment of local communities. Here are some reasons why sustainable tourism should become more popular in Australia – minus the greenwashing.

It’s is no longer a niche market

A few years ago, to travel sustainably meant you had to go way off the beaten track and spend your holiday with hill tribes. According to Watoday.com.au, sustainable travel is becoming more mainstream. An excellent example is that of Kangaroo Valley. It was the first town in Australia to ban plastic bags and its green principles draw people from all over the world. Sustainability is encouraged by the usual environmental methods, like enforcing recycling and collecting rainwater. But it’s also achieved by supporting local businesses. One of the most popular restaurants in Kangaroo Valley has its own permaculture garden, so you know all of your meals come from organic, locally produced vegetables.

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Message of The Lorax Co-Opted by Mazda to Push SUV: Pure Greenwash

Are Mazda and Universal Pictures true to the original message of The Lorax?

What is Mazda thinking? Dr. Suess’ The Lorax was created to introduce children to the environmental issues of the early 1970′s. The Disneyfied version from the soon-be-released film now hawks the Mazda CX-5, a compact SUV worthy of a Certified Truffula Tree Seal of Approval, mostly, we are told, (about “one billion times”) because of Mazda SkyActiv Technology.

There’s information on Mazda’s website about SkyActiv technology, with a slick intro film describing it as “innovating the emotion of motion.”

Whatever SkyActiv technology really is, it seems particularly cynical to usurp the message of the Lorax to an unsuspecting and uncritical audience made numb by a barrage of meaningless messages designed as pure greenwash. For the Lorax to grumpily (but lovably) endorse the CX-5 with the “Certified Truffula Tree Seal of Approval” is a reason to buy a Toyota Prius and feel sad for Dr. Suess.

Mazda and Universal Pictures, you oughta be ashamed of yourselves.

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The Pipe: One Set of Laws for the People of Rossport, Another for Shell Oil

Shell Oil sows conflict in Rossport, Ireland

A person might want to think  twice before suggesting to a resident of Rossport, Ireland that “corporations are people“. For them, the struggle with Shell Oil proves there is one set of laws for the residents of this tiny fishing and farming community and another for the global corporation intent on accessing the resources along the coast of Rossport, trampling the land, the sea, and the very heart of this quiet town.

It is a modern-day telling of David and Goliath, but without the romanticized ending. The story of Rossport, Ireland is a stark example of the growing conflict that cuts through society, tears communities apart, and sets people’s lives asunder.

The award-winning documentary The Pipe tells the story of how the small Rossport community takes on the might of Shell Oil and the Irish State. The discovery of gas off this remote coastal village has led to the most dramatic clash of cultures in modern Ireland. The rights of farmers over their fields, and of fishermen to their fishing grounds, has come in direct conflict with one of the world’s most powerful oil companies.

The film is now available on demand via FilmBuff. Watch the trailer below.

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