Makower on ‘Greenwashing’

One of my favourite green blogs to read is definitely Joel Makower’s “Two Steps Forward”. I receive email notifications every time he writes something new, and really look forward to reading his posts.

I appreciate the fact that Joel ’says it like it is’ - and he says it very well! I’m typically not a fan of reading long blog posts, but Joel’s material proves there are exceptions to every rule.

For those of you unfamiliar with Joel Makower, here is a brief bio blurb from his site:

For nearly 20 years, Joel Makower has been a well-respected voice on business, the environment, and the bottom line. As a writer, speaker, and strategist on corporate environmental practices, clean technology, and green marketing, he has helped a wide range of companies align environmental responsibility with business success

Joel’s latest post, The Greenwasher in All of Us, is an interesting examination of corporate greenwashing, and some of the potential hypocrisy that can be found in the green blogosphere.

What I really respect about Joel is the fact that he likes to examine things from all angles. He works very closely with big businesses on a regular basis so he is able to formulate a much more accurate assessment of the green efforts some of these companies are putting forth (unlike many of us). But at the same time he admits there are plenty of examples of corporations who have attempted to make themselves look a lot greener than they actually are.

This particular Makower article really hit home for me because it reminded me of the questions that were bouncing around in my head a little while ago, when people started slamming Al Gore for his energy usage (see The Green Hypocrisy Conundrum).

When are corporate green efforts green enough? For a good number of people, it almost seems like the answer is “never”.
What’s really interesting, as Makower points out, is that the critics themselves are commonly falling short in their own green efforts - yet they still seem to demand perfection from others.

Anyway, it’s a really interesting topic, and there is certainly plenty of room for debate on either side. In my opinion, there is no doubt that corporate ‘evil-doers’ should be held accountable for their actions (for a humorous take on such atrocities, be sure to check out Green Options April Fools post about “Whale Biofuel“), but I also think it’s important we acknowledge those who are in fact making a genuine effort!

Here is an exerpt from Makower’s article:

More recently, we the people have assumed the role of green police, determining who’s naughty and nice from a green-marketing perspective. With the help of blogs, wikis, and good old fashioned protests and press releases, activist groups and self-styled experts are exercising their constitutional right to have a point of view on the topic — and broadcast it far and wide.

Is it a blessing or a curse? Probably a little of each. For starters, there’s far from unanimity of opinion. Do BP’s, or Wal-mart’s, or GE’s green initiatives render them benevolent leaders or malevolent greenwashers? You can find passionate opinion claiming both.

I’ve been seeing the “G” word showing up more and more, in both local and national media. And while it’s generally good that we maintain high standards for companies’ seeking to claim environmental leadership, I can’t help but ponder the hypocrisy of it all: how much more we expect of companies than of ourselves.

Be sure to check out his full post - its definitely worth the time: The Greenwasher in All of Us

Technorati Tags: greenwashing, green blogosphere, green business, walmart, GE, Joel Makower

Written by Bentley on April 10th, 2007 with no comments.
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