Welcome to The Digital Environment! The Internet has changed our world dramatically, and not always for the better. Here you can learn about environmental issues related to computers and the Internet and what you can do to minimize your environmental impact.
Trey
Cyber Defender &
Message Center Supervisor
As an environmental activist, Trey believes that technology has the potential to improve our world, but only if it is used and created responsibly. He encourages people to become aware of their actions and to make simple changes in their lives that will have a big impact on the environment.
A recent graduate of the Academy (class of '07), Trey runs the Message Center in Cyberspace. He loves communicating via email because it is quick, easy, and reduces paper waste.
Favorite Quote:
When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.
- John Muir
Vegetable Curry
Interests:Ultimate frisbee, Gardening, Recycling trash into treasure
February 11 2009
Being Green : Watch out for Greenwashing
Greenwashing is when companies claim their products are environmentally safe to get people to buy them, even if they really aren't. The term comes from the words "green," which nowadays means environmentally friendly, and "whitewashing," which means twisting words to cover up a mistake or an unwanted result.
Greenwashing is usually a marketing move to get people who are interested in protecting the planet to purchase a product they normally wouldn’t consider. This can include tricking a customer into thinking that the company is doing something because they want to help the environment, like using less packaging, when really they are doing so because it will save them money. While less packaging is better for the environment, that’s not the company’s main motivation.
Electronics companies guilty of greenwashing will sell energy-efficient electronics that contain hazardous materials. Sure, they use less energy, but if someone wanted to buy a truly environmentally friendly product, they're not getting one.
The best way to avoid companies that greenwash is to do your homework. As a consumer, you should try to know as much as you can about how things are made and what toxic chemicals are bad for your health, so you know what to watch out for.
The National Library of Medicine's ToxTown site has lots of good information on the potentially dangerous chemicals in your environment.
But since most companies don't tell you the whole story, sometimes you have to dig to find out how environmentally friendly their company really is. Web sites like GreenwashingIndex.com and StopGreenwash.org serve as resource centers for concerned consumers like you to share information.
Just like Internet scams, greenwashing companies usually sound too good to be true, and they usually are.