Greenwashing

Think buying a hybrid car is the answer to your guilt over ecological transportation? Think again. As a driver of an 8-year-old full-size Volvo wagon that averages 15 MPG, I was thinking I could go a little greener and buy a Prius. But I may hang onto my trusty, well-running Swedish car as an expression of true love for the earth. This tongue-in-cheek video (link below and at right) shows that there is no perfect answer -- except perhaps consuming less. There's a lot of greenwashing going on these days -- that is, advertising that seems to say the company is ecologically responsible when in fact it's just another marketing ploy.

In reality, if you resist the constant barrage of messages to buy, buy, buy items that are newly manufactured, you are actually being as green as a red-blooded American can be. "Reduce" is the first of the three Rs. This is of course heresy in a capitalistic society, but there it is.

Here's the video address, or click on the link at right:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft5SSIfmeKU