Finding green products is one thing, but knowing which products you can trust is another.
Sustainable building is hot, and a flood of new products tout vague and cryptic claims to be green. When overzealous product manufacturers go from tiny overstatements to outright lies about their products, it’s called greenwashing, and it can be deceptive or even dangerous.
Determining whether the product you’re buying is truly green can be a tricky business. You need to ask questions and look for trusted seals of approval.
Beware of false certifications or pseudo nonprofits. Referred to as astroturf, these fake grass-roots organizations are typically funded by the very polluters they promote. Take for example, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). Calling itself a nonprofit dedicated to “advancing the principles of free enterprise,” it has been one of the most vocal naysayers of global warming. In reality, CEI is a front funded by Exxon Mobil, Pfizer, GM, the American Petroleum Institute, and others. Many of these astroturf organizations exist, lending false credibility to harmful products.
In the building world, the Vinyl Institute, a trade association representing the leading manufacturers of vinyl, spends considerable amounts of money to promote the “energy-saving, environmental and health benefits” of vinyl as a building product. The realities of vinyl are somewhat different. Referred to as the “poison plastic” by many, the “asbestos of the 21st century” by others, vinyl is considered one of the most environmentally damaging materials produced. (The Healthy Building Network has developed a drive educating consumers about vinyl; Greenpeace has a campaign showing how to go “PVC-free.”) The Vinyl Institute, with an estimated annual budget in the millions, can continue to cloud consumers’ judgment through a series of astroturf Web sites implying a scientific basis for the healthy characteristics of vinyl. When a 2002 documentary, Blue Vinyl, exposed some of these facts, it was the Vinyl Institute who launched a folksy-looking Web site to dissuade you from believing it.
Don’t believe everything you hear. Just remember to follow three simple rules when looking at any material:
- Get the facts online. SourceWatch (http://www.sourcewatch.org) is a nonprofit with market research on hundreds of corporations and these astroturf organizations. The reporting is impartial and well researched.
- Follow the money. Visit the Web site of the organization making the environmental claims. Look at the “About” section to see where its funding comes from. If it’s backed by a corporation with a vested interest, chances are, it’s astroturf.
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