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Chattanooga: Not all ‘green’ products are created equal
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| Paul Wildenberg | |
How do you know if a “green” product isn’t a whitewash? The incidence of “Green-washing,” a term for misleading environmental claims, has soared in recent years.
“There is a lot of greenwashing going on — I call it snake oil,” said Susan Moses, owner of 212 Market, which was certified as Tennessee’s first green restaurant last year. “A lot of people are selling everything, saying it’s green.”
212 Market’s owners hired a consultant and used Web sites such as www.dinegreen.com and www.greenseal.org to make sure the restaurant’s operation is environmentally friendly.
But what can ordinary shoppers do?
n “Look for the DfE (Design for the Environment) sticker,” said Paul Wildenberg, president of Advance Paper Co., a Chattanooga cleaning supply store.
Lacking existing federal standards for green product claims, the EPA created the Design for the Environment testing program. Products bearing a DfE sticker, such as Clorox’s Green Works line, can be trusted to be truly green, Mr. Wildenberg said.
n Do your research, said Neenah Miller, green consultant for Kelsan Inc.
“Toilet paper may say it’s ‘recycled,’ but is it made in China or Nashville? How far has it been transported?” Ms. Miller said.
n Question vague or irrelevant claims.
“If it says it has recycled content, ask ‘how much?,’ ” she said. “If it says ‘CFC-free’ (contains no chlorofluorocarbons), realize that those have been illegal for 30 years.”
n Ignore the words “nontoxic” and “natural,” said Lisa Wildenberg, vice president of Advance Paper.
“A product might say ‘natural’ but have only 2 percent beet juice,” she said. “There’s no standard.”
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Comments
A prime example of "greenwashing" is the hype over the Prius Hybrid car.
Not mentioned in the advertising of its "green-ness" is just how environmentally disastrous its huge nickel-hydride battery is.
The nickel used in it is mined and smelted in Canada. Because of the acids released during this process, absolutely nothing lives for 2 1/2 miles around the factory...not a stem of grass, not a tree, not an animal of any size, not a bird. Two and one-half miles of death. [It is so barren and lifeless, NASA uses the area to test its moon-walkers and mobiles.]
The processed nickel is then loaded aboard ship and sent to China for processing into a foam, which is then shipped to Japan where the car is built and ultimately shipped to the US -- completing a round-the-world trip.
How is THAT for green-wash? What a con job.
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I was shopping for cleaner at Wal-Mart and noticed a lot of bottles marked 'green' or 'eco-friendly' a few days ago, knowing full well that many of them weren't good for the environment. It's unfortunate that marketing departments are playing fast and loose with the term 'green' without making any changes to their product's environmental impact.
At the same time, people are actively choosing products they *believe* to be green. The marketability of 'green' proves that shopper's overall awareness is rising.
A good starting point to see through greenwashing is to think about the full life-cycle of any product you buy or consume. How is it made and packaged? Where was it manufactured? What will happen to it when I'm through with it?
Also, there are a number of websites with info on being a greener consumer. http://treehugger.com/buygreen offers a great primer.
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