Oct 2012 Stanislaus Audubon

Valley Habitat 1 The Valley Habitat Oc t ob e r 2012 A J o i n t P ub l i c a ti o n o f th e S ta n i s l aus A u d u bo n S o cie ty a n d t he Yo k ut s G r o up o f th e S ie r r a C lu b Greenwashing – Welcome to the “Politics of Responsible Consumption” by Anita Young, Yokuts Group Chair A child said, What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands; How could I answer the child?. . . .I do not know what it is any more than he. I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff woven. From Leaves of Grass - "A child said, What is the grass?" by Walt Whitman Take a trip down the aisle of your favorite grocery or hard- ware store and you’ll see many new or redesigned products that offer you a choice to “buy green .” To the consumer that means packaging that has recycled content or that can be recycled. It means more food grown organically. It means lumber from a sustainably-harvested forest. All these changes benefit the planet, or are they merely ex- amples of greenwashing? The watchdog group, TerraCho ice, defines greenwashing as “the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environment al benefits of a product or service. ” TerraChoice lists 7 types of greenwashing, the most egregious of which are: Claiming a product is “green” based on a narrow set of at - tributes that try to mask a much larger environmental problem. An auto manufacturer claims to be green be- cause its new model gets higher gas mileage, yet the huge problem of fossil-fuel based transportation remains. Lack of proof of a product’s gre en qualities – claims that cannot be ea sily verified wi th data or th rou gh a third party. Environmental claims that are too vague or broad to be un- derstood by consumers. The “good” thing about greenwashing from a conservationi st point-of-view is it demonstrates that consumers are interest- ed in products and services that are either less harmful or actually beneficial to the environment. The Sierra Club’s message has reached the consumer – we care about protect- ing the planet. It’s a given that Sierra Club members are more savvy than the average consumer. As a group, we tend to “walk the talk” – and many have switched to hybrid or electric cars to they can “drive the talk” as well . We are less likely to be deceived by greenwashing. Unfortunately, even as members of the US’s largest conservation organization , our personal practices are too limited to make a critical positive impact on the What we can do to increase our effectiveness is to urge the SC, other advocacy groups, and government regulators to take a greater interest in investigating environmental claims. “Regulation, be it from civilians or government bodies, leads to greater responsibility in environmental market- ing.” [TerraChoice] (Continued on page 6) October Program with Mo desto Area Partners in Science “ Solar Wind and the Sunspot Cycle “ October 26, 2012: Astro-geophysicist Dr. David J. Simons will discuss solar activity and its relationship to the solar wind, the interplanetary magnetic field and energy input to Earth’s atmosphere . Location: Modesto Junior College, East Campus, Forum 110, 7:30 pm, Program is Free to the Public New Sierra Club Wall Calendars will be sold for $14, Engagement Calendar s for $15 at the event.

Oct 2012 Stanislaus Audubon

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