Suggested Reading...

“The Beginners Guide to Greenwash”
In this article the author goes through the different ways that companies greenwash their products as well as different ways to spot them.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/images/0/0a/Greenwash_Article.pdf

“A Brief History of Greenwash”
This article goes through out the history of greenwashing, where it started, why it started and why it continues to work.
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=243

“Corporations Get Engaged to The Environmental Movement”
This is an article about how different companies and corporations get caught up into this environmentally friendly movement and feel the pressure to market their products in “green” ways, in turn having them greenwash their products.
http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/2001Q3/engaged.html

“Greenwashing Leaving a Stain of Distortion”
This article is specifically about how greenwashing plays a part in the automobile industry. Focuses on how hybrids are making a mark in this economy and environment/
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0823-11.htm

“Deceptive ‘Greenwashing’ Aims to Trick Ecotourists”
In this article the author talks about how different resorts and hotels are now using greenwashing, and therefore deceiving the tourist that are trying to make an effort to be green even while traveling.
http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2008/05/23/deceptive-greenwashing-aims-to-trick-ecotourists.html

Weekly Post #5

On the Seven Sins of Greenwashing website I found that another one of the sins was quite interesting, the sin of "Lesser of Two Evils." This means that even though a company may be trying to make claims that their product is eco-friendly, it is still a hazardous product. Just by making something eco-friendly, still donesn't mean that it is a good product. For example, Organic cigarettes, yes that's good that they are organic, but still doesn't take away from the fact that they are still cigarettes that are very harmful for your body and world.

Weekly Post #4

Today I found this great website for those who want to learn more about greenwashing, and all the dirty tricks that are being used such as the sin of the hidden trade off. For example, everyone seems to think that paper is way better for the enviroment and plastic, but actually it isn't due to everything that has to do into creating that paper bag. Making paper produces green house emissions, or the cholrine that goes into bleaching the paper could be equally damaging. See it isn't necessarily the fact that paper is better than plastic just as is, you ahve to think about everything that goes into making that product.
http://sinsofgreenwashing.org/

10 Sources/Readings

1. Josh Richman, Greenwashing On Trial, Mother Jones, February 23, 2001.
2. Joshua Karliner, "A Brief History of Greenwash", CorpWatch, March 22, 2001.
3. "Greenwash Fact Sheet", CorpWatch, March 22nd, 2001.
4. John Stauber, "Flack Attack re: E. Bruce Harrison", PR Watch, Volume 8, No. 3, Third Quarter 2001.
5. Andy Rowell, "Corporations "Get Engaged" to the Environmental Movement", PRWatch, Third Quarter, 2001.
6. Geoffrey Johnson, "'Greenwashing' Leaves a Stain of Distortion", Los Angeles Times, August 22, 2004.
7. Phil Mattera, "Is Big Business Buying Out the Environmental Movement?", Alternet, June 5, 2007.
8. Alexandra Bruell, "Media talks 'green'", PR Week, August 16, 2007.
9. Phil Mattera, "Is Corporate Greenwashing Headed for a Fall?", AlterNet, February 12, 2008.
10. Vince Meserko, "PR Greenwashing and Classroom Whitewashing," Media & the Environment blog, March 25, 2008.

2 Easy Sources For Ya!

1) The Seven Sins of Greenwashing: Interactive website where you can read different reports on products, play games, it focuses on the seven sins:

• Hidden trade off
• No proof
• Vagueness
• Worshiping false labels
• Irrevelance
• The lesser of two evils
• Fibbing
• http://sinsofgreenwashing.org/

2) The EnviroMedia Greenwashing Index: Website where you can post different products and you along with others can rate the product on how "green" it truely is.
http://www.greenwashingindex.com/

TIMELINE

1666 - The shogun of Japan, noticing the damage created by deforestation, urges his citizens to plant tree seedlings to avoid erosion and flooding.

1739 - In Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin passed a law similar to the Parisian one, removing tanneries and disallowing the dumping of waste in the city.

1863 - The first large-scale, modern environmental laws came in the form of the British Alkali Acts, passed in , to regulate the deleterious air pollution given off by the Leblanc process used to produce soda ash. Environmentalism grew out of the amenity movement, which was a reaction to industrilization, the growth of cities, and worsening air and water polution.

1999 - The Left-Green Movement (Vinstrihreyfingin - grænt framboð)

2009 - Sustainable Water Certification

GLOSSARY

Greenwashing is the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources. It is a deceptive use of green marketing. The term green sheen has similarly been used to describe organizations that attempt to show that they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment.

Astroturfing is an English-language euphemism referring to political, advertising, or PR campaigns that are formally planned by an organization, but designed to mask its origins to create the impression of being spontaneous, popular "grass roots" behavior. The term refers to Astroturf, a brand of synthetic carpeting designed to look like natural grass.

Media Consolidation refers to the degree to which media ownership is concentrated.

Local washing is when large corperartions disguise their business as "Local" in hopes to attract local customers.

A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited.