Comments on: Earth Day 2010: Buying Green vs. Being Green

By: RinrinFibonacci

RinrinFibonacci — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:09:14 +0000

Right on, Beth. Though this post is older, I am only now reading it having discovered your site just today. Your voice and that of people like Heather Rogers rise clearly amongst a din of others whose intentions, though well-intentioned, are often misguided. And I think that is the actual issue in truly doing good for the environment, What’s real and what’s for sale? (with apologies to Stone Temple Pilots!) If we can not see beyond empty marketing and mindless PR spin, then all the good intentions in the world still do nothing more than make us feel better about ourselves–’assuage our guilt’ as another commenter puts it. Simply put, we can’t buy ourselves green. A lot has been written about this. And better minds than mine have said better things regarding the same. And certainly there are many things to be said about it. Which leads me to the real reason I chose to comment today. What all of this reminds me of is this: what is old is new. What is called environmental consciousness and what PR firms and marketers latch on to used to be called something else. It was called being thrifty. My grandparents knew this. My father’s father in particular knew it well. Everything–wire, nails, string, rope, paper, lumber, window glass, moulding–everything ad infinitum could be re-used, retooled, or repurposed. It was a lesson that I learned at an early age. And though it doesn’t solve all the problems, it goes a long way in the right direction. I think this is part of what you and others are suggesting in your site and in articles like this one. And for that I say again: right on, Beth! Thank you.

By: Lacey

Lacey — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:28:35 +0000

Well said. I don't like the environmental-friendliness being portrayed as a business opportunity, instead it should be a business requirement. Product certifications, or eco-labels can only take it so far, it's not about having the top 10% be great products, the end goal is to have only good products on the shelf. .-= Lacey´s last blog ..Pesky garlic =-.

By: Tan @ Trying to be a Granola Mom in a Fast-Food World

Tan @ Trying to be a Granola Mom in a Fast-Food World — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:05:45 +0000

I am a couple day late reading this but, I really have this same rant in my head whenever I need to make a purchase. It is all about more, more, more and so many of the "green" claims are simple greenwashing...thanks for putting more polite words to it than I do in my head! I have been a fan of buying used and reusing ever since it was all I could afford - now it just makes sense. .-= Tan @ Trying to be a Granola Mom in a Fast-Food World´s last blog ..Experiment: Chocolate Chip Cookie =-.

By: Tanya

Tanya — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 06:15:32 +0000

Love the video! :) Ok, off to bed. Have to save some energy. :)

By: Organic and Green Mom Blog | Earth Day Reverie at Organic Mania

Organic and Green Mom Blog | Earth Day Reverie at Organic Mania — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:27:21 +0000

[...] thought about adding my voice to those expressing disgust at the commercialization of Earth Day. But I tried that two years [...]

By: Bart

Bart — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:16:26 +0000

I think the point of the industry blog post was to point out that we can’t paint all that is plastic with a broad black brush. They probably feel most people aren’t aware of environmental progress that plastic actually make possible. And that the is moving — however slowly and perhaps for business reasons — in a direction readers of this blog might appreciate (even if just a little bit!)

By: Beth Terry @ Fake Plastic Fish

Beth Terry @ Fake Plastic Fish — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:01:48 +0000

Hi Bart. Thanks for the link to the plastics industry web site. I left a comment. It’s not appearing there yet, so I will copy it here:

“Interesting article. While I sincerely appreciate that plastics have made many of our advanced technologies possible, I cannot fail to notice that the article omits some of the most troubling forms of plastic — those which are opposed by me and members of the Plastic Pollution Coalition: Single Use Disposable Plastics as well as plastics used to contain food and beverages.

“Single use disposables are the biggest form of litter polluting the planet and are almost completely unnecessary. Bringing our own reusable bags, bottles, and containers with us helps cut this unnecessary source of pollution, as do bans and fees on disposable bags and other containers.

“Plastic food containers, whether disposable or durable, can be hazardous to our health. We all know that plastics can leach the chemicals added to them, especially when subject to heat and rough handling. But how many of us actually know what those chemicals are? Phthalates, BPA, lead, antimicrobials are just some of the chemicals that can leach from certain plastics. But as you know, there are a whole host of chemicals added to affect plastic’s qualities, and manufacturers are not required to disclose any of them.

“U.S. law requires labeling of all ingredients on food products. Unfortunately, the chemicals that can leach from the plastic containers are not included in those ingredient lists. So how can consumers truly make informed decisions? Are your members willing to disclose the “recipes” for their products, or will they forever hide behind claims of proprietary information?

“It’s fine to be proud of your contributions to sustainability, but how about also addressing the ways in which plastics play a part in polluting the planet?

“Sincerely,
Beth Terry
http://fakeplasticfish.com”
.-= Beth Terry @ Fake Plastic Fish´s last blog ..It’s Earth Day. So Why Hate… Anything? =-.

By: Bart

Bart — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:57:51 +0000

Earth Day and plastics – - some food for thought here, I must admit.
http://www.inthehopper.org/spi-news/earth-day-and-plastics/

By: Sense of Home

Sense of Home — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 02:30:52 +0000

I have been thinking about this for some time. It is disappointing to see the concern for the environment turn into consumerism. People feel good because what they are buying says it is "green", but really it is just more stuff, and it takes resources to make that stuff and ship that stuff. Soon people will grow tired of buying "green" and go back to the usual, because it didn't really make a difference anyway. Failing to see the real problem. .-= Sense of Home´s last blog ..Save Money with Proper Food Storage =-.

By: Today is Earth Day #2010 | Earth, Ländern, Greenpeace, Lasst, April | Neidgruen.de

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:03:08 +0000

[...] fakeplasticfish.com [...]