“Actions speak louder than words.”
English Idiom
Apparently, it’s very easy being green. Everyone from computer manufacturers to television companies to tire companies is “going green,” and all the companies really want everyone to know it.
We’ve all seen them. It’s practically impossible to watch a commercial segment these days without seeing some kind of advertisement where someone sneaks in a mention of how the company is enviro-friendly. Televisions are “energy efficient,” computers are “Energy Star certified,” tires are “less resistant” (and therefore require less engine power to roll). The reasons companies give can range from the believable to the absurd, but my irritation with them is becoming more and more about how many there are, as opposed to their accuracy.
It seems like every public relations company has returned to middle school; one of the cool kids starts using a phrase and people pick it up in hopes of being cool themselves. The meme spreads until everyone in the school is saying it. Finally, we reach the point where we’re sick of that particular phrase, and for the sake of our sanity we never say it again.
This tactic of spending more money on telling people how green you are instead of spending that money on actually doing something environmentally friendly has come to be known as “greenwashing.” The phrase greenwashing was coined by Jay Westerveld in an essay that scathingly responded to the New York City hotel industry’s practice of requesting that customers reuse towels to save the environment. Unfortunately, these measures by New York’s hotels failed to cut down waste generation and failed to recycle more efficiently. Westerveld determined the hotel claims were only made for the profits they would reap from people eager to stay in a “green hotel.”
In essence, greenwashing is the PR equivalent of putting a bumper sticker on your gas-guzzling SUV talking about how much you love the environment.
It is unfortunate this fate has befallen environmentalism. However, unlike “uber” or “bootylicious,” “going green” is a phrase that needs to stick around. The enviro-friendly cause is an honorable one that should be pursued. It’d just be nice if every company in the world didn’t brag about it.
Environmental concern exploded with the success of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” Immediately, companies jumped on the “go green” bandwagon.
And then it got worse. Suddenly, car companies wanted to be cool, too. It began slowly: The first spot I can remember was from Honda, that for all intents and purposes said, “hydrogen cars,” and showed a Honda driving by a lake. All of a sudden, greenwashing went from annoying to downright hilarious. It’s fine to be in favor of hydrogen cars, but anyone can just say they like them. Honda has the chance to
actually do something.
Next came the ads that made you want to cry, such as Esurance’s blatant attempt at pandering to environmentalists by having its spokes-toon yell “Quick, jump in the
hybrid!” during one of its commercials.
And it didn’t stop. Subsequently, the oil and coal companies talked about how clean energy was so important to them and how they were researching new technologies to cut down on emissions. This is all well and good, but where are the results? These people have made record profits throughout the last decade. Are they seriously expecting us to believe they can’t make any progress past researching?
Still, this is but only tip of the iceberg. According to a recent article in Time magazine, the fall season of television is set for a massive info-dump of green commercials. If you’re afraid you’re the only one tired of it, fear not, you are far from alone. Just this month, the Advertising Standards Authority in Britain banned ExxonMobil’s ad claiming liquefied natural gas is one of the world’s cleanest fuels, and the ASA said it was intentionally misleading. Norway banned all car commercials from using the phrases “green,” “environmentally friendly” or “clean,” claiming that cars cannot do
anything good for the environment.
In the end, it simply comes down to putting your money – literally – where your mouth is. If all these companies put half the money they sink into advertising with appealing phrases into programs that would actually help, we might actually see some beneficial results. As it stands, all we’ve gained is one more thing to hate about TV and a dilution of a vitally important
movement in society.