Saturday, August 4, 2012

Week 2: Reading 02 - A History of Greenwashing


I found the reading “A History of Greenwashing: How Dirty Towels Impacted the Green Movement” published on www.dailyfinance.com by Jim Moavalli to be far more entertaining than the first reading. It discusses the birth of the word “greenwashing” and its exploitation by corporations in modern day society for fiscal gain – minimal credit for maximum credit.

It also brought to mind this quote by Andrew Maynard:

Sustainability is like teenage sex. Everybody says they're doing it, very few people actually are doing it. Those that are doing it are doing it badly.

I unfortunately believe this to still be the case today as it is very easy to question whether enough is being done to promote sustainability. That being said, I believe there is also a very large difference between promoting and practicing.

Should all new buildings built post-2012 be minimum 6 star green rating? Should all new construction utilise only recyclable and/or rapidly renewable materials? Should the Green Star Rating be based on a credit point system? Should all sustainable products be 100% subsidised by the government?

Forcing people into a situation with only the choice of passive/sustainable options would undoubtedly create for a hostile situation. But does the right method involve enticing them to implement sustainable features into their lives with subsidies and short term savings overriding basic education on the issue at hand?

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