Have You Been The Victim of Greenwashing?

If you feel confused about the whole "Go Green" movement you are not alone. Consumers frequently complain that it is difficult to know what products and practices are truly beneficial to the environment.

Much of this confusion is not accidental. Companies are trying to ride the wave of interest in green products and try to position themselves as being green and concerned about the environment. Often these claims are misleading or outright lies. That's known as greenwashing.

The practice of greenwashing is so widespread that it's been categorized into six groups known as "The Six Sins of Greenwashing". They are:

• Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off


• Sin of No Proof


• Sin of Vagueness


• Sin of Irrelevance


• Sin of Fibbing


• Sin of the Lesser of Two Evils

You can download a short pdf paper discussing The Six Sins of Greenwashing or go to the Sourcewatch website for a List of Eight Rules of Thumb For Identifying Greenwash.

Simple Steps To Continue Driving, Save Money and Help the Environment

There is no doubt that vehicles and drivers take the brunt of criticism when it comes to issues of carbon emission, global warming, and environmental pollution. Although cars and trucks may indeed be a major contributor to the problems faced by our planet, realistically people aren't prepared to make drastic changes in their lifestyle which would include eliminating the use of an automobile.

There are however a few things that everyone can do to reduce the effects of automiles on the environment. Take these simple steps to help the environment and save money on gas.

Maintain Your Vehicle:

• Make sure your tire pressure is correct.


• Keep your air filter clean and replace it when necessary.


• Get your tires aligned.


• Have your engine well tuned.


• Remove any extra weight such as unnecessary items kept in the trunk.

Optimize Your Driving Habits:

• Combine your activities and errands into a single trip.


• Avoid sudden braking and accelerating. Smooth driving can save up to 10% in gas consumption.


• Drive at the speed limit.


• Give yourself extra time and avoid traveling during peak traffic times whenever possible.


• Car pool whenever possible


• Using Cruise control on long trips will give you better mileage.

Make Wise Choices:

• Choose an energy efficient car for your next purchase.


• For short errands, ask yourself whether you need to take the car or can you walk or bike instead.


• Avoid using the car's air conditioner.


• Choose public transportation.

By integrating even a couple of these suggestions into your lifestyle you'll help the environment and your gas budget.

Our Environment and Consumption

In Pursuit of Materialism

We definitely live in a materialistic society. People spend their days working to get more stuff. It's never enough. You need more stuff, better than your neighbor stuff, bigger stuff. Do you ever wonder what you are doing with all the stuff you have? What happens to it once you throw it out? Maybe you don't have enough stuff?

Here is a resource that might enlighten your perspective on things. It's a twenty minute fast paced, informative and entertaining video entitled The Story of Stuff.

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The video goes through the life cycle of stuff from extraction to production, distribution, consumption and finally disposal. Find out what's behind all the materialism that has taken hold of our society and what effect this has on our environment. See what we can do about it by watching The Story of Stuff. On the website you can watch the video directly, download a copy of it and check out an extensive list of resources on recycling, the environment and related topics.