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As I wrote the first draft of this article with a green pen, I thought of all the corporate executives that use a light coat of “green paint†to raise their eco-chic status. I try not to watch much television because the commercials are so annoying that I want to smash the screen the moment the first commercial rears its ugly plastic head–usually, I prefer to watch my programs on one of many websites like hulu.com, but when I do watch the idiot-box, there’s no shield from the green spray-painted adverts that make companies like GE and Chevron seem like they give a hoot about the earth. One such company, Starbucks, claims 65% of its coffee comes from Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E) approved suppliers. This a PR scheme, which Starbucks is using to improve its public image–it only buys 6% of its coffee from fair trade certified coffee suppliers. When I went to the local Starbucks to ask for a flier about where it gets its coffee, the employees had no idea what I was talking about. Disappointed, I went to the cup rack to see if they had any raw sugar, one of my favorite treats, and I found exactly what I had asked for, a 16×16 full-color double-sided brochure detailing Starbucks’ commitment to “corporate social responsibilityâ€. This flier, printed on 100% post-consumer recycled material, was brown and tan, is reminiscent of earth and coffee, featuring images of smiling farmers and wind turbines. Why the wind turbines are on the flier is beyond me–the only logical reason is to fill up space, as they are mentioned nowhere else on the flier. 
This rampant “green-washing†gives the impression that companies care about more than just their bottom lines. Even the word ’sustainability’ has been co-opted, wielded now for the cooperate fat cats. It’s meaning has been twisted for use in referring to the financial markets and oil production, definitively not sustainable enterprises. The environmental connotations have been diminished to the point that, while still bearing the eco-cred of all things “green,†it has come to be little more than lip service. The real question, why?, is simple. The answer, on the other hand, is bit more complicated. In the past few months, we have seen gas prices rise and then plummet, along with the economy. When gas prices rose as high as they did recently, consumers were forced, by their wallets, to find ways to minimize their oil consumption. As a result, sport utility vehicle sales have dropped. And as consumer opinion of petroleum companies weakens, with the realization that they are raking in record, unethical profits, companies like Chevron and Starbucks are spending a pretty penny on public relations and marketing. These conglomerates use advertising campaigns that make people think that they care about starving children in impoverished nations, about old-growth trees, that they care about the global ecosystem, but they don’t. It is time to stop allowing ourselves to be taken in by such pandering and to create a world in which we all DO care. I want my children’s children to see old growth trees.
Last update: April 30, 2009
03:20 pm
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