Don’t Buy Green
- Posted by: Cliff Kuang
- on May 7, 2009 at 9:00 am
Trying to limit your environmental impact? Buying “eco-friendly” stuff doesn’t help.
Before attending trade shows flogging “green” products, I set my B.S. detector to 11. That habit was reinforced recently, when I attended a small show in New York, featuring the big boys of consumer electronics—Nokia, Sony, Samsung, and the like. I came to a stand offering green credit cards, which award one ton of carbon offsets for every $1000 you spend. That may sound good, but I had to ask: How does that conversion rate compare to regular cards that give you cash or frequently flier miles? How much value are you getting for your money?
“1 ton.”
But what’s that ton worth? How much does it cost?
“Carbon offsets range in price, from $8 to $12.”
But doesn’t that get to how much money you guys are taking for commission?
“The value is probably comparable to what you’d get otherwise. And it doesn’t really matter what it costs, for people that care about green.”
On her first point, the woman was wrong: Frequent flier miles are worth about $20 for every $1000; cash back programs range as high as $50. On her second point, though, she was right. “Green” consumers probably don’t care. And one symptom is the ubiquity of worthless green products—from solar-powered doodads to green furniture. Very few of these “sustainable” products actually reduce your carbon footprint—and carbon is really the absolutely chief issue we should care about, not some nebulous idea of eco-friendliness.
The green credit card really exemplifies the problem. It encourages you to buy more, and salves your conscience with the promise that every purchase is helping the planet. It feeds the pernicious idea that we’ll be okay if we just buy new stuff.
But being “green” is chiefly about your behavior and daily habits, not what a given product is made from. A LEED-certified house in the suburbs isn’t green. You’d probably do better with a smaller place, closer to work—if you cut your commute in half, you’ve basically done the same thing as doubling your gas mileage and staying put. A sofa made from sustainable woods? It’s still better to buy antiques. Green computer? That’s a starting point, but not if you just end up replacing it in two years. Buy a better one that’ll last you longer and take care of it—in time, computers can run 40 percent slower; there’s software that will clean one up like new, making it last longer. The list could go on.
Granted, greenwashing isn’t necessarily malicious. It’s an unavoidable fact, which stems from how much uncertainty there is in the market today. We’re just now figuring out what exactly a “carbon footprint” means. For example: 90 to 95 percent of the carbon emitted while making a computer is indirect—that is, it doesn’t come from the materials themselves, but rather the supply chain that produced the parts. That has radical implications for how we consume, which the market doesn’t acknowledge because there’s really no way to sell a product aimed at keeping you from buying less crap.
I’m not advocating that everyone become a miserly shut-in. But there is another approach, as we wait for clearer guidelines about the carbon costs attached to what we consume, on a day-to-day basis. Of course, check off the big boys on your list of carbon sources: How efficient is your car? How weather-tight is your home? Is it close to work? There are solutions to each of these problems that don’t involve ditching what you already have. For other big purchases, don’t be afraid of spending more, if it means something that will last longer or retain some resale value. The merits of a green product should be the last thing you consider, and only when what you already have is truly spent.
DISCUSSION: 157 Comments
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Thank you for this. It needs to be said over and over in as many ways possible until it starts to sink in.
yeah ok, just because green credit cards are a scam therefore all green efforts are ineffective.
Sorry, didn’t mean to be all “anonymous” about it.
Anonymous #2 — that’s not what he’s saying. But clearly advocating further consumption is not going to save anything, offset or not.
Consumption and eco-consciousness are opposites. To consume is to use up resources, use up energy, and generate waste. I have become increasingly pessimistic about the green movement lately because I have come to increasingly realize that economic growth and environmental salvation are opposites; we cannot have both, no matter how much we try to fool ourselves with things like energy efficient products and offsets. Most people who tell you otherwise are simply trying to cash in on a business trend. This year “green,” next year purple jeans. Whatever.Real change requires sacrifice but few of us seem willing to do that. I see lots of talk and little meaningful action.
In other words, practicing thrift (i.e. well being, prosperity, thriving) is also one way to live sustainably.
While I agree that much of the green hype is just that, at the same time we can’t devalue the fact that people ARE actually taking the environment into consideration. They may be looking at it the wrong way, they may even be unwilling to make any real changes themselves, but having them at least conscious of our environmental trouble is a lot better than complete carelessness.
I understand where you’re coming from and you’re right—to a point. Yes it would be much better if the person(s) stay closer to work, but the reality is they probably won’t so I personally appreciate that they would build a platinum leed home (probably being overly optimistic) rather than living in the burbs and not considering the environment at at all. Maybe one day people the choice to live closer will be a given afterall many people never thought green ideas/ways of living even recycling would become mainstream, but it is or is becoming so and although it seems like it happened overnight it’s been a longtime coming.
I agree with the author. If you are really in need of some new thing then yes, look at what is available and make the most environmentally responsible choice but overall, big businesses are just trying to figure out how to get us to give them our money so they advertise “Green” when actually they are just supplying the same useless shit repackaged to be more environmentally friendly but really not very friendly at all. Case and point: I live in Seattle, while shopping in the university village for a bamboo drawing tablet for my computer, I noticed one of the two starbucks in the shopping center had closed down, and there were big intricately carved pieces of ply wood up all around it with carvings of tree’s and stuff and a sign that said under construction, building a greener starbucks, and I thought “What is so green about chopping down more tree’s and using more materials?” It’s all about their company image but it is totally hypocritical and really makes me wonder how stupid these CEO’s must really think we are. Way to go starbucks you are really helping the environment now. Wasteful D-bags!! Exxon Mobil, GE, BP, GM, they are all doing the same thing. I see adds all the time talking about what these companies are doing to find cleaner fuel and more efficient cars etc. They are still doing a hell of a lot more bad than good.
It for sure is a scam and hoping everyone will “green” their life and make smarter choices is absurd. No doubt individuals play a role in reducing carbon emmisions and being more eco-conscious is definitely good. Expecting that to fix our climate problem however would be overly optimistic (and by overly optimistic I mean delusional) and ignores institutional facts. There needs to be a revolution.
I agree with all of the comments above, but I have to ask… would you prefer companies not make an effort to be more eco-friendly? It’s true that they shouldn’t advertise as ‘green’ or whatever, when in reality they are just a little less bad. But at least the environment is on people’s radar now. I’m hopeful that the next step in the green movement is to bring out more transparency and less greenwashing.
Hey guys—Thanks for reading and commenting. I just want to respond to toekneebullard and joeth, who make good points. Surely its good that companies are trying to make an effort? Absolutely. I didn’t intend to dismiss that entirely, only to point out that in the grand scheme, those efforts are merely a very small piece—hence my position that the “green” merits of a product are something that should be considered last, because the big decisions come well before that purchase point. In particular, places like Nokia, Wal-mart and Dell are all doing praiseworthy work (I wrote an article about support these companies before: http://www.good.is/post/dont-be-quite-as-evil/ That said, we, as consumers, have more responsibilities that simply buying more stuff
While I think the “green” movement is a good one in terms of creating awareness, I also agree with the author. Buying more stuff in any case doesn’t help, because its still consumption. And, if you are going to buy stuff, buy something that will last. We need to get back to heirloom culture, where things that we design or buy can last so long that it will be passed down through generations. We also need to learn how to live within our means and live simply. Don’t buy things you don’t need, and don’t buy expensive things or a huge house or nice car because it’s a status symbol. Save your money. Buy locally! Or, support/ donate to organizations that actually ARE doing something. Like windpower.
fer shizzle
When are we as Americans going to realize that “going Green” is nothing but a way to skim more money off of Americans wallet? There is no way that America can save the world from its self. No one sees China, India, or any other country helping. The only way it would work is if the whole world did it…and news flash they aint! So stop worrying about “The O-zone” “Gobal warming” and start worrying about the real problems modern America is facing. Also haven’t there been tons of studys just released showing we are actually going into a ice age? Im sure to anger someone with this so let the ”stupid redneck” and “how can you not care about mother earth” comments being, but someone has to stand up and say it. Good blog by the way
GREEN? Go Green? Well just like when the recycle buzz started to save the planet, they began recycling everything from toilet paper to toilet water. Have all U Greenies noticed how much more the recycled product cost? How about unleaded Gas? Threre was a big “KAHOO” on how much cheaper it would be, that flew by real fast, and also not cheaper. Solar Power! who can really afford it? Green Cars! Who the heck can afford that? I have been hearing about save the freaking planet for 50 years. Well the planet is still here but all my green is gone. Just like everything else is now gone. The government and radicals want us to go green, well let them pay my way to a greener world that won’t leave me living on the gray and dark sidewalk like so many others. If I really had to go green, they would chase me away from free living in our beautiful green parks and mountain tops. It cost so much green to even get an apt. where can I find some of this green. Someone is spreading some funny “Green Juice” around, to a selected group. Oh! I care about Earth, but some are making it hard to live on it. I am sick of all this expensive green coming out of my pocket and I cannot even have a share in it.
In the late 1960’s (remember ZPG) world population was ? 3.5 billion and now ? 7 billion. Now were inundated with all of this green crap and save the earth etc. Buy a clue card if you’re serious about conserving resources. The indigent lady in California with octoplets is my hero because it illustrates the absurdity of our value systems and priorities. As a society we should strive to do the right things, but on the same token recognize when some of these venues are unrealistically unobtainable and our resources must sometimes painfully redirected elsewhere for the greater good. If you don’t like the rules the go ahead and fight it out with its author, Mother Nature.
Eliminate mexicans.
I have found the best green products here:www.princetongreen.org/marktThe KEC unit saved me 25% off my electricity bill each month
Green = Marketing & Media Hype
what do mexicans have to do with this. dumb people like you should be eliminated!
I think part of this depends on what you do with the thing you’re replacing. Do you toss the computer in the trash, or do you donate it to a school/sell it for parts? Do you take a hacksaw to that old IKEA sofa and doom it to a landfill, or do you contact Goodwill to try to reuse it somewhere? New isn’t bad, and green isn’t bad. But discarding old things willy-nilly, without thinking about where that item is going, is bad.And I agree with Joeth … I’d rather have companies like Starbucks trying to “clean up” their images with green and getting Joe Six-Pack to wake up and take notice, rather than do nothing.
Hey 12:03 pm 5/3 Anonymous: YES, you have seen the light…sort of. True, a growing economy and a green economy don’t really go together. The problem is, everyone is stuck on the idea that our economy has to continually “grow.” This idea is what is going to kill us and our planet. If we could get it through our thick heads that a “stable” economy is not a bad thing, then we could have a “stable” and “sustainable” green economy! And NO, we wouldn’t have a job shortage–look up the definition of “stable!” It is not a synonym for “crash.”
It all comes down to “Personal Responsibility”. “Green” is the new color of communism. 89% of the “greenies” I’ve met only do it because it makes them look like they care. “Green” is just a new “marketing” term. Methane gas has more of an effect on the so-called “Global Warming” than Carbon does. Why all the hate on ‘carbon’? Because that way GE profits from all of the electric cars that use their batteries. The Gov’t should leave us all alone and in turn we ALL need to be ‘Personally Responsible”. Ugh, if I hear the word “Green” anymore blood will seriously shoot out of my eyes! Peace out, loving the debate : )