Green-washing by Hummer

Don't know if you can see this, but it took me by surprise today when I logged onto the Weather Channel website:


It's a banner ad that reads "Green is Universal" and "Green shines here" sponsored by... Hummer! Of course! Because Hummer is just SO green...

Gotta love that green-washing!

Posted by Amy Shaw for Greenjeans.

Futerra's Greenwash Guide

If you run a "green" business, you probably want to avoid the pitfalls of greenwashing. And if you're a consumer of "green" products and services, you probably want to avoid the pitfalls of buying into greenwashing.

Luckily, the London-based sustainablility communications firm Futerra has released a very thorough guide to greenwashing, describing what it is and how to avoid being perceived as a greenwasher yourself (assuming your green efforts are in earnest, of course!).

Download the Greenwash Guide here.

It's a helpful resource to be sure, although I have one criticism: I think some of their graphic design, with it's pseudo-hand-drawn graphs and charts, might fall into the realm of hand-washing...?

[via LOHAS]

Posted by Amy Shaw for Greenjeans.
Image sourced here.

Two-Faced Attempts at Greening Products

There's a great article in the business mag Fast Company this month about Procter & Gamble's new efforts toward greening their products ("P & G's Chemistry Test"). Written by Melanie Warner, it questions the earnestness of P & G's efforts when many other products it makes still contain questionable chemicals like phthalates.

Bottom line? A product like Tide Coldwater is great for reducing our reliance on hot water for washing (and therefore reduces our carbon footprint). But if it's fragranced with chemicals that may be reproductive toxins, the production of which pollutes ground water, is the effort any more than one step forward and two steps back? In other words, is P & G just greenwashing?

It's a strong article and recommended reading for those of you following these important, and under-reported, issues.

Posted by Amy Shaw for Greenjeans. Image sourced here.

Consumer Culture: Is "Handwashing" the New Greenwashing?

You've probably noticed over the past year or so practically every company has declared it's "gone green." From sneakers to cars to clothing and grocery stores, it's all eco-this and enviro-that. And in many cases, this is a good thing.

On the flip side, it is leading to a great deal of "greenwashing." Since green has become the hot new trend, companies are scrambling to highlight the ways in which they fit in, whether their green measures are substantial or not. For instance, a big-box store peddling low-energy light bulbs but handing them to you in non-recyclable plastic bags? Total greenwashing.

Well, I read a bit in Grist today about how such marketing trends tend to have 18-month life-cycles, which means all these suddenly "green" businesses must now start finding new ways to further distinguish themselves and appeal to what consumers crave.

And I wonder if I didn't see a hint of the next big marketing trend today on the cover of the graphic design magazine HOW: "Incorporating Handmade Elements." They actually call it "Design 2.0" suggesting the techie look is out and the handmade look is in.

We saw it in the opening credits of Juno, countless music videos, and anything by Michel Gondry. We see it in TV commercials like these. And I have a feeling we'll be seeing it everywhere else soon enough, too. It's the Moment for the Aesthetic of the Handmade.

Why? I think perhaps because handmade makes us feel safe, and makes huge corporations seem kinder and gentler. And in today's struggling economy, those companies that can make consumers feel warm and fuzzy will have a huge advantage.

But what is sure to follow are simulated versions of handmade, kind of like the quirky blue-ink printed "handwriting" font that spells out my address on fund-raising letters from the DNC. The handmade equivalent to greenwashing.

I'm going to call it "handwashing."

There's certainly nothing wrong with employing talented graphic designers to make handmade typography. That's completely awesome and I love the idea that creative hands will be in high demand. But if this trend becomes contorted by simulated effects, won't that cheapen the value of truly handmade work? Or will it actually raise the profile of the truly handmade over the simulated?

In any case, my prediction is that we'll be seeing a good deal of "handwashing" in the coming years if this next trend takes hold. For better or for worse, let's see how it plays out...!

Posted by Amy Shaw for Greenjeans.