Posted by Jennifer Escalona on Jan.06, 2009

The greenwashing is getting out of control. I cannot drive down the road, go online, or watch TV without being pelted by advertising promising products or services that are “green,” “eco-friendly,” or, and this is my favorite, “earth lite.” I am fairly skeptical that practically every company between my driveway and the end of the internet has suddenly developed sustainable business practices and it turns out I am not alone. A 2007 study by environmental marketing firm TerraChoice found that 99% of “green” product claims are misleading.

Based on their study, TerraChoice then went on to identify the Six Sins of Greenwashing. While they are all equally heinous, to me, the most insidious of the six is the Sin of Irrelevance. Companies commit Irrelevance when they emphasize their “greenness” even though every other similar product or service can also make the same claim. For example, my drive to the university where I attend graduate classes takes me past a billboard advertising a “green plumber.” This company, the billboard shouts, is green because they install tankless water heaters. Never mind that tankless water heaters were invented just after World War II and the plumbing company I temped with back in the olden days of 2005 installed them regularly.

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Posted under Eco-Friendly Ideas, Living.