It’s likely you’ve seen this Chevron commercial on TV, or something similar. Endearing pictures of everyday people going about their lives, and Chevron helping to lead them into the future. There is nothing necessarily wrong with an oil giant like Chevron presenting themselves as part of the solution – at least potentially. I think it is vital that fossil fuel companies bring to bear their enormous resources on developing clean energy. But the total picture must be considered, and the good balanced with the bad. Then the picture changes…
– Editor’s note: this post is a followup to our recent post on the “Fur is Green” campaign by the Fur Council of Canada –
It’s really not worth the rebuttal, but I just can’t help but comment on the “Fur is Green” campaign by The Fur Council of Canada. Their desperation to appear hip, timely or relevant couldn’t be more transparent.
Claiming that fur and fur-trimmed products are “green”, “ecological”, or “environmental” is the equivalent of saying, “have a nice day”. There are no restrictions or regulations on using these terms and the fur industry has no independent endorsement or certification of its so-called commitment to the environment or “eco” practices.
Monsanto is claiming their sustainable agriculture motives which are completely transparent to anyone who listens to farmers. Watch this video first, then spit up a little in your mouth when you realize the utter hypocrisy demonstrated by this claim.
Monsanto streamrolls farmers and monopolizes agricultural markets to make the most profit possible, rather than cultivating their customers’ businesses as if they were a crop.
They’re right about the need to increase food production. They’re wrong that genetically engineering crops and aggressively spreading them to un-wanting communities.
When will large industry realize you can’t just put up a fancy website and change the world.
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.
Some companies think they can jump on the green bandwagon (thereby sharing in the dramatically increasing sales in the green market) without really trying. We wrote about steps to greenwash your product here. But some companies don’t even read our guide and trying half-assed, half-witted attempts at greening their products. Cracked did a lovely job of calling out 6 half-assed attempts at greenwashing here.
Seriously? The Fur Council of Canada has the nerve to call the sale of fur an “ecological choice in harmony with nature”. Last time we checked, the processing of fur requires the death of an animal. There is no amount of carbon credit or offset you can purchase to make fur an environmentally friendly clothing option.
Among their claims: “If we don’t use part of what nature produces, we will use petroleum-based synthetics or other materials that may damage the environment…”
Read more about this afront to the environmental movement.
This post is written in a sarcastic tone. We apologize if anyone is offended but it was necessary to write in this tone to get the message across. The Greenwashing Blog is all about greenwashing. Greenwashing is the act of making misleading claims about environmental friendliness. If you’re a business without morals or ethics, here is your very helpful guide on how to greenwash your product.
Redesign your label to include the color green, leaves, trees, or the recycle symbol.
Change the name of your product to include the words “eco, green, or enviro”. (For example: a Widget becomes an Eco-Widget)
Market your product in green living magazines and websites like Treehugger.com, Grist.org or WebEcoist.com. Their eco-conscious readers will assume your product is environmentally friendly just because it’s on their favorite green blog.
Describe your product with an eco-friendly spin. For example, “Go Green with this crude oil burning SUV!” Sounds nice and eco-friendly doesn’t it?
This is a stretch from actual greenwashing but is close enough that we thought it to be a good topic to bring up. This whole idea of “going green” is not a new concept. Many of us see this as a recent trend… a movement even. However our elders have “gone green” quite a bit. Perhaps not with the whole industrial revolution period, but in other ways. Here’s what we mean:
Drying clothes on a line instead of in the clothes dryer. (This was an economic choice more than an environmental one, but it’s the result that matters)
Paper towels are a new thing. Our parents and grandparents used cloth towels over and over.
They bought second hand. Not everyone did, but it was a much more common way to save a few bucks. With the advent of Craigslist and Freecycle, this should be a bigger tool of the eco-conscious.
Remember Victory Gardens? We don’t either, but learned about them in school. Growing your own food is one of the biggest steps a consumer can take to green their diet and our forefathers relied much more on their own food.
Canning use to be a bigger thing than it is today. Along with growing your own food, storing it long term is a very eco-conscious step that was taken by our elders.
Making your own clothes/mending clothes was a no-brainer yesterday. Today we tend to think “time for a new one”.
Our grandparents cleaned with things like Vinegar, not Magic Erasers (who knows what they put in that thing to make it “magic”.
Reuse and repurpose – again, a standard practice in the old days. Now our culture tends to look at new things as the only option. Heck, we even have things for which there is no practical need just because someone on TV said we needed it. (Read: plastic christmas tree garland holders)
And finally: turning the thermostat down. Heat = money my grandfather might have said. We are a little spoiled now with our heaters, air conditioners, air filters and ionizers. Instead of turning the heat up, go put on a sweater you just mended and eat some canned peaches.
The CFL (compact fluorescent lights) thing is really overdone. That is the go-to go-green tip and the first thing people say when defending their greenness.
However Sylvania took it to the next level by offering an “EcoBright” bulb for headlights. Good rule of thumb: if it says “eco” in the name, it’s probably not.
The bulb apparently reduces watt usage by 9-21%. However, the watts used to power headlights generated by the alternator in your car is negligable at best. Therefore this wattage savings is hardly helpful, let alone “eco friendly”.
Here is a bit more greenwashing from Coca-Cola. Although they are encouraging consumers to recyle, which is a good thing, they imply a bit more eco-friendliness than is accurate. See this post to learn more about what Coke does to “be green”.
This is a good time to mention that just because a company is discussed on our blog, doesn’t mean we think all of their efforts are a sham. Coke is doing a big thing by spending advertising dollars to help people remember to recycle. Greenwashing or not.
Guest post by Lesley Fox
