Super Eco

Photo credit: John LeGear - Flickr

Would it kill environmentalists to say “thanks” once in awhile? Maybe pat a recycler on the back? A little punch in the shoulder to acknowledge we’re all on the same side here? 

After all, for more than 20 years, regular people have been celebrating Earth Day each spring. Recycling is a reflex for most. Green living is no longer just for the tie-dyed, the vegetarian, the off-grid cabin dwellers.

We’ve come such a long way!

The problem is, our good green intentions, we're now being told, may only be making it worse. Or aren’t doing enough. Or, or … well, you get it. After years of effort and loads of excitement, the message remains doom and gloom. 

Welcome to the green backlash where, environmentally speaking, you can't do anything right.

Buffeted daily with bad environmental news: green-washed products just as dangerous as their toxic alternatives, poisonous drinking water, lead-filled toys.  Is it any wonder many of us are quivering in VOC-paint laden living room corners?

Stop! Come back here! Don’t touch that brick in the back of your toilet tank. You are doing things right, lots of things. It’s the media, the experts, the “they” who have it wrong.

Even though we've been at this green thing for a couple of decades now, we're all still learning: scientists, politicians, corporation, citizens. Instead of feeling defeated – or worse, bored with another round of green messages – think of it as another group out there who, like you, really cares.

People around the world have made huge lifestyle changes in an effort to care for the planet. Mindset is the hardest thing to change, and even your grandma has done that. What’s left to work out are the details.

How we got here

Remember when environmental living meant recycling? And buying brown paper towels? Plus turning off the water while we shaved or brushed our teeth? Those were the days. It was so easy. We were all so optimistic! Even second-graders were getting in on environmental action.

Then someone crunched the numbers, analyzed the process, determined overall impact (or lack thereof).

More. You need to do more. So you did – more.

You switched to cloth and gave up paper towels all together. You invested in Nalgene water bottles and stopped using disposable. You stopped bringing home leftovers – /no more Styrofoam!/, you told yourself. You meant it.

But all that water to clean the towels (and is that pesticide-intense cotton they're made of?). Nalgene? Are you kidding? Didn't you hear about chemical leeching? By the way, can you imagine the carbon impact of all that wasted food you're leaving behind in restaurants (Why are you eating meat?!). You call yourself "green"?

Undeterred but a little less enthusiastically, you replaced incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents (the lingering question of mercury, you decided to figure out later). You gave serious thought to buying a hybrid fuel vehicle (aware, to be sure, of the built-in carbon load of purchasing new rather than a used Geo Metro built before the Clinton/Gore administration). You committed to buying produce marked "organic" (though suddenly local foods trumped all else).

The result? More alarming statistics on the rate of climate change; another new study contradicting the last; the media pointing a finger at you and laughing: you actually thought "organic" and "natural" meant something? For shame.

That's about the time you crawled between your 100 percent pesticide-free organic bamboo fiber sheets to ride out the confusion, the contradictions, the damned-if-you-do-or-don't, thankless, green living way of life.

Instead of caving in to this impending doom, let's try to get through this. Though it's tempting, the last thing any of us should do is give up.

So crawl out on out of there. Grab a cup of fair trade, organic coffee (with conventional, chemical-laden coffee creamer if you want – that's totally fine!). We’re taking this one step at a time.

Consider “green washing"

Lately, environmental news has shifted its focus on to “green washing” -- that is, companies who market their products as green, but with little or negative effects on the environment.  Corporations have figured out how to turn a buck on your green will. Some are meeting a real need for safer cleaning products and the like. Many are doing their best to confuse the message, providing facts that might not be meaningful or, exactly, factual.

For example, what does it mean to be a "natural" laundry detergent? Is the "Organics" (capital "O") label an indication of actual organic ingredients?

Even the government sends mixed signals. One day, we're told to throw out anything plastic. The next day, the government says, "BPAs? No biggie."

Facts are good, up to a point. But “green washing” news has gotten overwhelming to the point it may be more harmful than helpful. Consumers are confused. Right is now wrong. Green is now black. Hot is now cold. Are we losing interest? Is it time to throw in the hemp towel?

Terra Choice, an environmental marketing company, compiled six "sins" of greenwashing.

Getting familiar with the guide can help you decide whether a green claim is questionable. Basically, it's common sense and knowing that companies are pretty much in charge of what shows up on their labels can help you make better choices (though in Canada, there have been moves to get manufacturers to substantiate their claims

Here's how Terra Choice breaks it down.

1. The Hidden Trade-Off: This is where one "green" attribute is touted while other environmental costs are ignored. For example, paper towels that are made with a high-percent of post-consumer material – and loads of chemicals.

2. No Proof of Claims: Does your shampoo say "Not tested on animals"? How about some certification to back that up?

3. Vague Claims: Claims that are so broad, they're meaningless. "Chemical-free"? Sure, but water's a chemical. "Green"? Well, what exactly do you mean?

4. Irrelevance: Does your shaving cream's label claim it is chlorofluorocarbon-free? Well, CFCs have been banned for nearly 30 years. So what's the big deal? (That's right, there isn't a big deal.)

5. Lies, Lies, Lies: For example, "certified organic" shampoo, which is neither organic nor certified as such. Or dishwashing detergent that claims to use 100 percent recycled paper packaging, yet it's sold in a plastic container.

6. Focus on the Lesser of Two Evils: Green claims that are true, but ignore the fact that they're labeling a product that is, itself, detrimental to the environment. Organic cigarettes anyone?

That's all well and good for shopping, but what about living in general. What's really helping there?

The National Resources Defense Council tackles some of these contradictory messages on its Web site.  They also know that sometimes we just want the quick and dirty answer. They've developed "Simple Steps," which gives you the short, medium and long story of what you can do.

For example, which is better? Hand-washing dishes or using the dishwasher? It depends on how you do both. Just stop with the pre-rinsing for either of the approaches. And if you're going with the machine, be sure to let dishes air dry.

Avoiding the Backlash

OK, there's no avoiding the backlash. Just don't take it so hard. Other tips:

Don't let new information get you down. Keep in mind small changes can add up.

Stay flexible: a lot of this stuff is new and unstudied and we're bound to find out more as time goes on. Just because "they" say you're not doing it right, doesn't mean you're in the wrong.

Don't beat yourself up: just being aware something needs to be done puts you ahead of the class.

It's never too late to start. Start small. Start big. Just start.

Keep the cynicism at bay: Oh, can we relate! Another green message! Another green product! The eyes just keep rolling. But keep in mind the bigger goal, you're not alone, we're going to get there. And while there's no end in sight – this is a global change – everybody's individual effort really counts.

Oh, and by the way: Thank you. You’re doing great.