GREEN-WASH

green•wash
(grēn'wŏsh')

Used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

Beware of the greenwash!!!

Greenwashing is a term that was coined over 20 years ago, yet it is only now becoming a term used with any regularity. It refers to companies trying to take advantage of current buying trends. When it becomes fashionable to "Buy Green", manufacturers are going to want to capitalize on this notion whether they subscribe to the actual ideologies or not. More often than not, a coat of "Greenwash" is applied to manufacturer's products or services to entice you as a consumer to them. As we begin to make more conscience buying decisions based on our impacts to our communities and environment, lets try not to be taken advantage of.

I do want to be clear about one thing, most greenwashing is due to ignorance and/or sloppiness rather than malicious intent. For example, a company promoting that they are CFC free even though CFCs were banned 20 years ago. They do not mean to be misleading, but their claim is irrelevant and can lead a consumer into believing the that product is greener than the next when in fact it is not.

Here are some things to look for when making your buying decisions:

~Avoid "Fluffy Language": Words like "Eco-Friendly" are very vague and may not have any foundation in truth.

~Avoid green products from known offenders: Compact florescent light bulbs made in China are a good example. A great, green product made in terribly dirty, polluting conditions. Rather, buy products made in the USA that have stricter standards.

~Avoid suggestive advertising: Green pictures and images do not relate to the product's relative green standards.

~Avoid irrelevant claims: The CFC example above illustrates how emphasizing one tiny green attribute when everything else is un-green can be misleading.

~Avoid "Best In Class" claims: Declaring you are slightly greener than the rest, even if the rest are pretty terrible.

~Make sure green claims are credible: Eco friendly’ cigarettes anyone? ‘Greening’ a dangerous product doesn’t make it safe
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We are presented with many difficult buying decisions every day. Yes, buy the lesser of any evil when you have the chance. But remember, buying less is always going to save you money and create less waste. We generate over 8 pounds of waste per person per day in the State of Oregon. Only buying less material and pairing that with recycling is going to reduce our impact on the environment.

Together by Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling we can "Trash Douglas County Less!"

Recycling at Home

I get calls like this every day…”How do I get one of those pretty blue (or green) bins to do my recycling in?”. This query comes most often from folks who haul their own waste to the landfill and desire an attractive container like their neighbors who use the local curbside garbage service. My answer is always…”You can only have one if you subscribe to garbage service.”

As you can imagine, some folks are confused and disappointed. I do go on to say that you do not need pretty blue bins to do your recycling at home. Anyway, those bins cost over $15 each! I suggest that each family or office that wishes to recycle more, simply develop a system that works for them. There is not any “one” system that works for everyone. Each location may choose to recycle more or less materials than the next and everyone has different space limitations.

I would like to point out as you develop a system in your home, that no matter what you do, you will still be managing the same amount of waste whether you recycle or dispose. You are simply storing it a bit differently. To save on space, seriously consider reducing the amount of waste you generate. This will cut down on the space required to prepare your trash and recyclables for removal. Composting is a great way to mitigate the amount of material going into your trash. By composting you can keep out all yard debris, food waste, and food contaminated paper waste like paper towels and hamburger wrappers. And your garbage may not stink anymore!

The system I use at home is the one I recommend to people who have a little room to work with. Simply find 4 small garbage cans or large containers and label them GLASS, METAL, PAPER, and PLASTIC. By putting these materials in its own container, you now have much more room in your garbage containers and can usually get rid of a container or two and even reduce the last one in size. I have a family of 5 and only fill our can ½ way over 2 weeks by recycling everything we can, composting, and reducing our waste.

Once one of your labeled cans is near full, simply take it with you when you haul your trash. That way you are only managing one recyclable on your trip. This reduces your efforts and stress. By separating your recyclables from your trash and composting, you will not have to go to the landfill as often, thus saving on fuel and money.

Together we can all Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle to “Trash Douglas County Less!”

Pack it up!

Goods and materials are shipped all over the world every day. These items are packed and delivered using many different types of containers and packing materials. Some are better for our environment than others.

When boxes are shipped there is space that is created, this is know as a “void”. This void must be filled in to protect the material being shipped. Polystyrene, better known by the brand name “Styrofoam” is the cheapest and usually easiest material to use as a void fill. As cost and convenience are very important, styrene has its disadvantages as well.

Styrenes do not break down over the centuries like other plastics. The methods that create styrene inflate the base materials thereby expanding it 900%. The finished product is 10% plastic and 90% air.

Until recently this material was not even recyclable. But recent technological improvements have made it possible, but at 90% air, it is not financially feasible to ship the material to market. So the material ends up in our landfill taking up valuable space.

Alternatives to Styrofoam abound. Air packs and bubble wrap can be reused or recycled easily with shopping bags. Shredded paper is readily available for free in many locations and can be reused or recycled for free as well. And soft goods like clothing should be delivered in shipping bags as bags take up less room on the truck, take less energy to make, are lighter, and do not require void-fills, thus demonstrating a more environmentally preferable alternative.

Until a local enterprise invests the $100,000 needed to recycle Styrofoam locally, it is a waste product. Instead, purchase materials like paper and plastic that can be recycled locally. Styrene shipping peanuts should NEVER be thrown away. Instead, reuse them or take them to a shipping outfit like the UPS Store, Goin’ Postal, or the Associated Buyer’s Postal Annex for them to reuse. They accept shipping peanuts for free drop off.

Together we can all Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle to “Trash Douglas County Less!”