I learned a new term the other day, for a concept that I suspected was out there, I just didn't know it had a name. Greenwashing is what corporations do when they try to make themselves look more environmentally friendly than they really are. I assumed this would become a problem, since being "green" and "eco-friendly" are hot that every company wants to get in on the marketing action. Since not every company actually wants to change their practices to BE more green, they may be tempted to bend the truth a little, or spin things, a la GOP propaganda wizard Frank Luntz, to make the general population believe it. But it's becoming more and more difficult to fool an increasingly savvy consumer base.

Consumers who truly care about buying local and organic, reducing emissions and living simply could generate a backlash against companies that cynically practice greenwashing.




--Sarah