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sustainability

 

Little Green Lies

KarmaKay's picture
Submitted by KarmaKay on Wed, 01/07/2009 - 11:47.
in
green_lies.png
6
points
In today’s climate of increasing environmental concern, and especially with a pro-environment president-elect about to be sworn in, many companies are rushing to market themselves as "green." But can their claims be believed? With more companies eager to capitalize on the environmental movement, eco-savvy consumers need to be able to tell what is truly environmentally friendly, and what is just greenwash. Environmental marketing firm TerraChoice defines greenwashing as "the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service." In other words, many companies are overstating their environmental virtues in the hopes of cleaning up their images — and cleaning up in profits.

Can technology save the environment?

 
Greenwashing is rampant in the energy industry. While last summer's record high gas prices had many people conserving fuel and finding alternative methods of transportation, the western world remains dependent on oil, waiting for the energy industry to develop accessible, affordable technology that can help the environment. And many energy companies claim to be doing just that, focusing much of their advertising on their environmentally friendly initiatives. A Shell advertising campaign in the UK depicted flowers pouring out of smokestacks instead of pollution and claimed, in part, "We use our waste CO2 to grow flowers." But in fact, as little as 0.325 percent of Shell's emissions are used for this purpose. Shell’s attempt to paint its pollution as beneficial to the environment struck a sour note with consumers: The ad was blasted as blatant greenwashing and banned by Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority. 

BP (which has rebranded itself as Beyond Petroleum in an attempt to green up its image) came under fire last month in The Guardian for emphasizing its investment in alternative energy — concentrating much of its advertising on images of wind turbines and solar panels — while continuing to pour at least 93% of its investment into the dirty business of oil and coal. And both Shell and BP are invested in projects to extract oil from Canadian tar sands — a process that emits between three and 10 times more pollution than refining conventional oil.

Other claims that smack of greenwash have been made by proponents of so-called clean coal and nuclear power. Despite what the coal industry would have us believe, there is no such thing as "clean coal." Burning coal is one of the single biggest contributors to global warming. And "clean" coal methods simply redirect pollution from one waste stream to another; toxins are still ultimately released into the environment. Many energy companies also maintain that nuclear power is a key component of any sustainable energy plan, but nuclear energy creates dangerous radioactive waste, and only diverts attention away from true renewable energy sources.

Is "gas-free" a reality?

 
 
 
Greenwashing abounds in the automotive industry as well. A Greenpeace investigation into GM’s "gas-friendly to gas-free" campaign revealed that despite the company's pro-environment advertising, GM still falls behind other automotive manufacturers in terms of fuel economy, and that "GM was also the auto industry's biggest lobbyist last year, working behind the scenes to stop Congress from increasing fuel economy standards." Although GM has started to produce vehicles with improved fuel efficiency, the company appears to have grossly overstated its commitment to the environment. In an ad featuring a heart-shaped leaf, GM boasts that Chevrolet manufactures seven vehicles that get at least 30 miles per gallon (highway). That may sound great, but it's only a fraction of GM's automotive fleet. According to the Greenpeace study, 51 other vehicles in the GM family do not measure up to these same standards. In fact, 35 GM-produced trucks and SUVs get less than 20 mpg. That doesn't exactly sound like a company that is committed to developing technology to help the environment.

Other auto manufacturers making misleading claims include Toyota and BMW, who have both advertised vehicles that allegedly "clean the air" as they drive. According to Fred Pearce, the Guardian's greenwash expert, these lofty claims are nothing more than a "classic case of highly selective use of statistics." Volkswagen and Lexus were both targeted by the ASA for vehicle ads promising "High performance, low emissions." Such vague claims could be interpreted by consumers to mean the cars have low emissions compared to all other vehicles, when in actuality, the manufacturers could be comparing them only to other cars in their class. Such was the case with the Lexus RX 400, which had "low emissions" only when compared to other SUVs. Ads by Renault were labeled as greenwash for claiming that its Twingo is an environmentally friendly car (print ads showed leaves emanating from the tailpipe), even though it ranks in the third-highest category for vehicle emissions. Greenwashing is so rampant in the automotive industry that some countries have had to take firm action. Norway has gone as far as prohibiting the use of words such as clean, green, and environmentally friendly in automobile advertising, recognizing that all vehicles pollute the environment, and will therefore never be truly environmentally friendly.

What can you do to guard against greenwash?
  • Don't fall for environmentally harmful products wrapped in green packaging. Even bottled water manufacturers are finding ways to market themselves as eco-friendly. Fiji Water has launched a campaign claiming "Every drop is green," on the grounds that the company is reducing some of its emissions and offsetting the rest. Ozarka claims that its plastic water bottles use 30% less plastic than other bottles. But the whole idea of drinking water from disposable plastic bottles — some of which have been shipped great distances from the source — is far from green. And organic cigarettes? If you care about your health — and the environment — enough to buy organic, please don't smoke. Period.
  • Be wary of any advertising that make vague claims, such as use of the word "natural." There are no government regulations for this language on beauty products and cosmetics. Even products labeled "natural" may still contain hormone disrupters, carcinogens, and other toxic chemicals. As the TerraChoice study points out, "Arsenic is natural. So are uranium, mercury, and formaldehyde. All are poisonous."
  • Research the company to see if there are any hidden trade-offs involved in the manufacturing process. Bamboo clothing is often touted as an ideal eco-friendly fabric, and while bamboo is sustainably harvested, the process used to turn bamboo into fabric involves strong chemicals that release pollutants into the environment.
  • Support companies that use environmentally friendly, sustainable practices in all of their business operations. Lush has proven its commitment to the environment by eliminating most of its product packaging, which saves resources in both the manufacturing and shipping processes.
  • Visit sites like TreeHugger and the Guardian to read their regular greenwash investigations.

5 Easy Things You Can Do to Green Your Wedding

Kate L. Harrison's picture
Submitted by Kate L. Harrison on Fri, 12/19/2008 - 17:00.
in
Compass on a Nautical Chart_thumb[2].jpg
21
points

This week I have decided to offer a few general tips to help you decrease the impact of your event. Here are five big pictures ways to green your wedding:

1. Location, location, location
With friends and families so dispersed these days, it is important to pick a location that in convenient for the majority of your guests. Not only will it decrease their travel costs (which they will be grateful for), but it will also decrease the carbon footprint of your wedding. Also, because couples spend about half of their budget on the reception venue, choosing a place that gives back to the community makes a big difference. Good examples include community centers, museums, and public gardens. 

 
seasonal flowers
                                                                                                  Image: The Meadow
2.  Choose local seasonal flowers
Couples spend an average of $2,000 on flowers.  Flowers are one of the most heavily pesticided crops in the world and more than half of the  flowers available in the United States are imported from overseas (which uses fuel and contributes to global warming). By choosing seasonal flowers you not only decrease the cost of your wedding, but you decrease your impact on both the environment and human health.  You can see what's growing at nearby farms by checking the database at Local Harvest.
 

pumpkin soup
                                                                     Image: Better Health
3. Go organic
Ask your caterer about including a few seasonal, organic elements in your menu.  If you can't find a green baker, see which vendors are willing to substitute in organic flour, sugar, eggs and milk (all of which are easy to get at most large supermarkets). 
 
 
bridesmaids
                                      Image: Bridesmaid.com
4. Reduce
The average wedding produces 600-800 pounds of garbage! Try to cut down on waste by skipping one time use items like disposable aisle runners and kitchy favors. Let your bridesmaids wear something they already own or pick dresses in a specific color so they will wear them again (we all saw 27 Dresses - bridesmaids dresses are never as re-wearable as you think they are). 
 
 
recycle
                                      Image: Givinghand.org
5. Recycle
You can have a luxurious wedding, save a ton of money, and decrease your impact on the environment by borrowing, renting or purchasing pre-owned items.  For example, for my wedding I bought a pair of once worn Vera Wang shoes for $50 on eBay.  After my wedding I resold them on eBay for $50 - so I only paid the cost of shipping. Because nothing new was created there was no waste and very little environmental impact (just the shipping). You can now rent wedding dresses and jewelry in addition to table linens, glasses and chairs - take a look!  I also recommend donating as much as you can after your wedding.  I gave my dress to Brides Against Breast Cancer. Before your wedding, make arrangements to donate leftover food and flowers and make sure your venue recycles cans and bottles. 
 
Tags: eco-chic, recycling, reducing waste, diy, location, venue, fl

Sustainable Urbanism with David Baker

cristele's picture
Submitted by cristele on Wed, 12/26/2007 - 14:03.
in
Jan 17 2008 - 19:00
Jan 17 2008 - 21:00
Etc/GMT-8
66
points

Location(s)

Ecology Center
2530 San Pablo Ave near Dwight Way
Berkeley, CA
United States
See map: Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, MapQuest

Back from a recent tour of major European cities in which he was armed with just a folding bike, David Baker will reflect on the different approaches to sustainable urbanism that he encountered. He will share ideas and images from the optimistic Towards Car-Free Cities conference in Istanbul, the sleek success of Paris's Velib' bicycle program, and the effects of London's congestion tax as well as the city's architecture festival, Open House London. David Baker FAIA has been practicing architecture for nearly 30 years, and in 1996 was selected as fellow of the American Institute of Architects. With a focus on sustainable affordable housing, his award-winning firm David Baker + Partners has come to be known for combining social concern with a signature design character. A progressive urban activist and bicyclist, he has also been a teacher, a union carpenter, and a philosophy major.

More: 510-548-2220 x233 http://www.ecologycenter.org

 

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Yurtitude

Green Blogger's picture
Submitted by Green Blogger on Wed, 09/26/2007 - 20:14.
in
yourte.jpg
49
points
A yurt is a traditional habitat of Mongolia. It is made of wood and fabrics, like a round tipi, with a pick in the middle. I found the most amazing ones in the Cevennes, ...in France! These state of the art habitats are used by a very small community who is fighting peacefully the consumerism, by living in those self made, beautifully crafted Yurt. Not only they do not pollute, but they also take care of the environment where they establish their nomadic yurt. Look at the light that comes inside! It's just beautiful. No cars, minimal water, cleaning of the surrounding abandonned wilderness (fighting summertime fires!), dry toilets (I'll come back to this concept in another blog)... The Queen of the Yourte , Barbesse, is the most talented artist and designs and makes her crafted yurt, and the stories she writes on her blog are just amazing. And, she is the kindest person! Yes, everything is in French (she apologized for that when she replied to my email) but her website's pictures speak her mind well enough to get who she is... For those who really dig it, and are curious about how/ what/ where?..you can actually rent a yurt and live a nomadic life! Just try it! website, here enjoy!
 
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