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Magazin  Greenwashing Index
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Greenwashing Index |
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Greenwashing Index
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Promoted by Enviromedia Social Marketing
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IceBox Water
This company is promoting an "ecological" alternative to bottled water. Boxed water from melting glaciers...shipped across the world for your enjoyment.
They claim that the box is better for the environment. Ok.
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Build a home farming community
http://www.kraftbrands.com/homefarming/Pages/default.aspx
This is a scam by Kraft to make us think Trisket is food, and make kids think they can grow Triskets.
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SuperGreen webhosting?
This company claims it is carbon neutral, but provides no legitimate verification of the claim anywhere. Nor did the live chat person offer any evidence.
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It´s up tu you
No mor plastic... reduce the plastic, reuse a green bags...
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Mighty Mac Shredders
The MacKissic Might Mac ads are rather simple in design. There is a picture of a shredder alongside copy that reads: ?GO GREEN! GO ORGANIC! GO MIGHTY MAC!? The simplicity of this ad helps it stand out through the clutter, but does it stand out in terms of being a truly green machine that consumers should use?
The principle behind the Might Mac shredders is the promotion of sustainable yard. The objective of this particular advertisement is to get the consumer to recycle everything. Mighty Mac shredders are equipped to shred anything from leaves and branches to kitchen scraps such as leftover meals and fruit rinds. This is a positive principle to promote because the Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that yard trimmings and food residuals constitute upwards of 26 percent of the municipal waste in the U.S, increasing the number of vehicles needed to transport waste. This extra waste also directly contributes to the methane gas that is released by landfills into the atmosphere.
Composting these materials not only helps to reduce these associated wastes, but also has other benefits. Compost naturally enriches the soil, so it decreases dependence on other chemicals and fertilizers, and composting can also help to clean contaminated soil, as it has been shown to absorb and treat certain toxic chemicals that have seeped into the soil.
However, I am skeptical that the product itself ?runs? green. This hesitancy is primarily based off the fact that the Might Mac website does not offer any information that backs the claims that their product is green. If a product is green, then the company will explain how, because it only serves to increase revenue. Might Mac shredders require gasoline, emitting carbon dioxide as it runs. Spilt oil can also leak into and contaminate ground soil and nearby water sources.
The Mighty Mac also encourages cutting down trees, even though the end product (mulch) can be beneficial for reduced lawn mowing. Mulching itself is a complex sustainability issue that needs explanation. This ad provides very little.
While the Mighty Mac shouts: ?GO GREEN! GO ORGANIC! GO MIGHTY MAC!? in large, capitalized letters, they fail to demonstrate their own validity as a green product.
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Neuton: battery-powered lawn mowers
The need for environmentally sustainable lawn mowers is apparent. The EPA released statistics that said pre-1997 lawn mowers contributed to 5% of our nation?s air pollution as they can release upwards of 87lbs of CO2 into the air. Neuton, a lawn and garden equipment manufacturer, has recently produced a battery-powered lawn mower that they claim is environmentally sustainable that meets this need.
The validity of this claim is backed up by several facts:
First and foremost it should be highlighted that Neuton produces a battery-powered lawn mower instead of relying on gasoline. Battery-powered lawn mowers produce less pollutant than gasoline so fewer emissions are spewed into the atmosphere. Along these lines, users of battery-powered lawn mowers do not have to worry about spilling gasoline, which can seep into and contaminate the soil and surrounding groundwater. Finally, the Neuton lawn mowers are quieter than traditional lawn mowers. Thus, Neuton also succeeds at reducing noise pollution compared to other brands.
The Neuton lawn mowers also have several benefits that directly relate to the consumer. The ease of use of this brand of lawn mowers is greater than others. Neuton lawn mowers are not as heavy so they are easier to maneuver and push. Also, as they are not gasoline powered, users do not have to inhale bad exhaust fumes as they mow their lawns.
If there were one downside to this brand, it would be the finite battery life. This means that you will have to remember to recharge your battery after each use. This requires energy, and, if the consumer leaves the battery plugged in for an extended period of time or simply forget to unplug the charger, he or she will be wasting energy. Having a limited battery life also means that the consumer will have to periodically replace sealed, lead acid battery. Consumers should be warned to bring the battery to an appropriate recycling center to properly dispose of the battery.
However, another key perk to the Neuton brand is the fact that East Penn Manufacturing produces Neuton?s battery. East Penn will accept all depleted batteries and they have over 100 distribution centers throughout the country, which is convenient. Finally, to demonstrate that they truly strive to be a sustainable business, Neuton gives 1% of their profits to non-profit organizations that work to clean up the air.
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BioNova: Natural Swimming Pools
Here?s a novel idea: green swimming pools.
Natural swimming pools have been the rage in Europe and in the U.S. they have been steadily gaining popularity. Natural swimming pools are unique as they are designed with the natural environment in mind. Instead of being intrusive, their intent is to incorporate the surrounding landscape into their design.
One of the leading natural swimming pool design companies in the U.S. is BioNova. I came across this company through an advertisement in Landscape Architecture magazine. This particular ad claims that these pools are completely free of chemicals and use plants to provide biological cleaning.
But are natural swimming pools truly green and what are their benefits?
Natural swimming pools, for the most part, use both gravel stone and clay as their foundation. In comparison, traditional swimming pools rely heavily on the use of concrete for patios and the pool itself. Concrete requires copious amounts of energy during production and it is also an impermeable surface so rainwater cannot penetrate into the ground. Thus, gravel stone and clay not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of natural pools, but they are also environmentally friendly.
As the ad suggests, natural swimming pools do not use chemical additives and mechanical filters to clean pool water. Instead, they rely on plants for filtration. There are two sections to natural swimming pools: the swimming area and a regeneration area. The aquatic plants are placed at varying depth increments within the regeneration areas. These plants help to naturally enrich the pool with oxygen and support good bacteria.
Instead of using a pump that runs all day and night, natural pools use aquatic plants and bacteria to naturally cycle water through the pool. During peak swimming seasons, a pump can be turned on to further filter the water. Further, natural swimming pools do not necessarily need heating systems as they generally have slightly higher water temperatures than traditional pools. This is due to the fact that the regeneration sections of the pools typically tend to be shallower and they also act as natural solar collectors.
There are several negatives when it comes to natural swimming pools. First, there is a higher cost associated with these pools, mainly due to the cost of the aquatic plants. However, because these plants act as natural purifiers, over time they will pay for themselves, in lieu of chlorine and chemical purchases. Also, algae at times can be a problem with natural swimming pools, but it is relative in comparison to the time spent cleaning traditional swimming pools.
Circling back to the ad itself, the supporting evidence backs BioNova?s claim that their natural swimming pools are design with the environment in mind.
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7th Generation Dish Liquid
Seems harmless and legit. They are a pretty reputable brand.
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Sara Lee's EarthGrain
This company was cited by several sources as overstating their "green" aspect. The Cornucopia Institute broke the story.
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Change the way you think about everything
I think this Ad does a great job at explaining step by step how harmful we can be to the environment collectively. When I first saw it I thought to myself: ?they have to be exaggerating, 50 gallons of water for one latte!? But then I started thinking: that is what everybody must think. We think these statistics are made up and do not listen and that is exactly what this Ad is inviting us to do. To change the way we think about everything.
How easy it would be to just bring a reusable mug to our favorite coffee shop everyday instead of wasting away a paper cup. This sounds easy but in reality it is inconvenient. Perhaps the task of reducing water consumption should not be placed so much on the consumers and more on the manufacturers. The Ad starts with a focus on consumers and makes a spin to the big corporations who are in fact producing the coffee. The big corporations also have to think about the way they are doing things and become more conscious about their impact on the planet.
The Ad makes the viewer reflect about their consumption habits. ?Do you know all the ways you could be doing more with less?? This Ad is not accusatory and it does not mean for the viewers to feel guilty about themselves. On the other hand, I think it does a great job at encouraging people to take action and start finding ways to efficiently use and reuse their resources.
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GM Going Green
I believe this ad is a fairly decent ad, which is why I didn?t rate it very high or very low. The ad is a picture of the GM symbol surrounded by green, which resembles the fact that GM is going green. I believe that this is an attempt to dilute the fact that all the GM products; big trucks, big SUVs, sports cars that make up the majority of its sales, have a huge affect on the environment. They are making this claim, I believe, on the basis that the very limited amount of their hybrid and flex fuel vehicles produces and sold, make the company a ?green? company. While the attempt to produce low emission eco friendly vehicles, GM still produces a majority of gas guzzling vehicles which pollute our environment. In the future, GM may be able to claim that they are a green company if they are able to convert to a company which produces a majority of environmental friendly vehicles. But I don?t find that very likely since people love their big trucks, big SUVs and fast sports cars.
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Houston Rockets Clutch the Bear's "Clutch Goes Green" video
From April 1st thru April 9th of 2010 the National Basketball Association (NBA) is promoting a ?Green Week?. During this week many of the uniforms and sports apparel that players wear have been altered to use the color green. The video ad I selected involves the mascot for the Houston Rockets basketball team. It is a short two minute video that can be found on youtube.com, nba.com and rockets.com websites. The purpose of the video is to promote the phrase or term ?Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle?. In the promotional ad for the green week campaign ?Clutch?, the Houston Rockets mascot stops several people from wasting energy, not recycling or using an unnecessary amount of products.
The ad does not necessarily mislead with any words or visuals because the purpose of the ad is to promote awareness and action on becoming more ?green? and not about large changes the team or organization has made. The ad uses a comedic strategy to help engage the viewers and pay closer attention to the point they are trying to get across. While the ad does very little to show the type of things the organization is doing to help be more environmentally conscious other than encouraging their organization and others to use common recycling or green practices in their daily lives.
Since the ad is more of an informational or awareness campaign it does little to prove how these methods will work or give any kind of statistical data. I think you consider this ad or campaign to be ?greenwashing? because it seems as if the goal is create goodwill for the team and the NBA more than it is trying to actually make a large difference. However, this video clip is just one small part of a campaign that involves the entire NBA and the teams, players and organizations are all involved in promoting ?going green? in several other ways.
I would give this ad a good rating because of the comedic premise of the video. Unlike other ads or commercials you may find online or on TV, this ad may stay in the mind of the viewers and make them more likely to view the entire video. If I were to give any suggestions for this ad campaign it would be to include more facts about how recycling and reducing has actually made an impact. The ad does a good job at getting their message across but providing proven facts may help encourage people to use these recycling techniques in their daily lives.
jr1460@txstate.edu
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