Greenwashing Galore

When Betty and I started talking about producing Down:2:Earth, it came from our desire to cut through all the bull. We are both skeptical consumers that want to support businesses that are conducting themselves in a way that is good for the community and the earth, as well as their pockets. We also wanted to learn how we could make a difference ourselves as individuals, as consumers and as small business owners. So we hired a young, enthusiastic environmental major from Tufts (Jennifer Baldwin) and we put together a list of criteria. We also enlisted a board of advisors that consists of some great local sustainable experts.

Considering how much hype the whole green movement has received it is hard to decipher between what is really making strides to improve our life and what is just marketing. So we were pleased to see Beth Daley's story in today's Globe. See excerpt below.

"Just how green should you feel driving the new Chevy Tahoe hybrid sport utility vehicle?

The eight-passenger vehicle is plastered with "hybrid" labels. An automobile magazine panel that included the executive director of The Sierra Club named it the "Green Car of the Year."

But the Tahoe gets only about 20 miles per gallon - not much better than the nonhybrid Honda Pilot SUV, which also seats eight. The celebrated Toyota Prius gets around 46 miles per gallon.

"How a 6,000-pound behemoth can be the green car of the year is beyond me," said David Champion, director of Consumer Reports Auto Test Division. "It's a marketing exercise rather than reality.""

Unfortunately this brings up another question to be answered. How is the Sierra Club determining which products to endorse and should we trust them? The Sierra Club has a great reputation, as far as I know, but now I wonder. Perhaps I am looking at this from the wrong angle. Some people really need powerful vehicles to climb over mountain passes in snowy conditions and haul heavy loads. So perhaps this is a great alternative for that person. This sounds like a job for our research intern. More info to come later.

In the meantime, we will continue navigating this great gray space working to set the bar high and promote the companies that are helping us move to a more sustainable future.