Layout Image

Archive for Greenwashing Information Resources

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→

Biodegradable vs. Compostable: Don’t Be Greenwashed

Look around you. Everything you see right now is biodegradable. From the flat panel large screen TV to the plastic fork in you fast food bag. It’s the perfect term for the greenwasher because “biodegradable” only means that a material will break down “over a period of time.” It could take a year, ten years, or ten thousand years. It’s all biodegradable.

On the other hand, “compostable” actually means something. To use that term a product or material must adhere to specific scientific criteria. Essentially, a material must break down into measurably tiny and environmentally benign parts within a specifically limited time frame. The following video from VivBizClub spells out the difference between biodegradable and compostable. Don’t be greenwashed!

Enhanced by Zemanta

Will Carbon Accounting Software and Standards Put an End to Greenwashing?

Carbon accounting is required to know a companies true environmental footprintThis post is commentary on Hunter Richards‘ article “Software to Hold Greenwashers Accountable” published in the Software Advice Blog.
——
It is very much the wild west in the world of green advertising and corporate “green certification” programs. With little confirmation or verifiable standards, companies can appeal to a growing eco-awarness among consumers with little fundamental backing for such claims. Scientifically honed messages push an image of eco-friendliness and sustainability, stretching the truth at best and often peddling outright lies.

Like a parasite, greenwashing makes it that much more difficult for business and consumers alike to find a healthy balance between commerce and long term sustainability. Greenwashing is insidious, confusing consumers interested in making right choices for their families, tainting the idea of “green,” and leaving many cynical and apathetic to the idea – even as many companies make honest and significant efforts to become more sustainable and offer more eco-friendly choices.

But how to curb the temptation to go for the quick buck that some simply can’t resist? Is there a way to tame the “wild west” of greenwashing?

Read More→

The Six Sins of Greenwashing +1

Update: The seventh sin for greenwashing – Worshipping false labels

Climate Counts iPhone App

The Climate Counts Scorecard is a collaborative effort to help consumers make a conscious decision for the products and services they buy. The scorecard rates some of the largest companies on their climate impact. The non-profit now has an iPhone app, so you can have the Scorecard with you wherever you go.