Now that everyone has a hardon for global warming, greenwashing has become the major modus operandi. At worst, this is a cynical attempt by companies to seem like they are doing something for the environment without having to actually do something. Often it is a tiny bit good intentions and a large dose of PR. A lot of it has to do with our general half-assednes, tendency to take the easy way out, and lack of understanding of how we actually impact the environment, and what solutions might actually work. I heard a great interview with a guy who worked on sustainable architecture in LA, and he pointed out that a lot of environmental/sustainable trends aren't necessarily so great. for example, heated floors might be awesome in cold climates, but in la they end up wasting energy because the weather varies so much during the day. Or the fact that the latest trends in bamboo floors might end up not being so great because a) it could involve the bamboo forests in china being clear cut and b) it takes a shit load of energy to ship that bamboo to the US.
The other thing i absolutely hate is the whole guilt-free consumption where companies offer to plant trees to offset the environmental damage caused by their product. The rolling stones did this on a recent tour, adn i think volkswagon and possibly dell are planning on similar tactics. To me, this is like saying for every bon-bon you eat you will drink a diet coke or spend some time on the stair master at some time in the future. how bout we just stop eating bon-bon's or find low-fat, low-cal alternatives. We can't fix the fix we are in by planting more trees. we have to actaully change how we live, pass laws to limit omissions, and maybe stop having so many fucking kids.
i'ma go drink some shade-grown coffee and plant a tree to compensate for my commute to work. assholes.
-pst
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