OCR Text |
Show Monday, April 21, 2008 L A S T STATESMAN? FRIDAY, A P R I L 25 Green: Green flooding market Ql continued from page 8 lyst and consulting ecologist for Mintel, a Chicago-based firm that follows consumer trends. In February, Ryan wrote a report titled "Green Living" based on an Internet survey of 3,000 people. The report reflected feeLings on everything from organic food and "green" cosmetics to construction materials and hybrid cars. Many results were environmentally encouraging. Among them: Fifty-six percent of respondents reported being more concerned about the environment today than they were five years ago. Although 18 percent of people said they agreed with the statement, "I am tired of hearing about all the problems with the environment," 82 percent said they disagreed. "What those numbers are telling me," Ryan said, "is that this movement is still gathering momentum." But one number also showed deep skepticism in the "green" market. Sixty percent of people said they agreed with the statement, "I often wonder if a product is really 'green' or if the company is just saying that it is." "What's interesting," Ryan said, "is that it seems that the people who know the most, who are the most interested, are the most skeptical" That skepticism only deepens, she said, when claims come from corporations with dubious environmental records. "Oil companies and American auto makers," she said. "When they put those ads on, they're less likely to be believed." To be sure, a vast array of legitimate "green" products come to market each year. Fuel efficient hybrid cars. Energysaving appliances. Even environmentally friendly cleaners, including one produced by, yes, Clorox. The Internet is a major tool in helping consumers track legitimate green products on sites such as www.coopamerica. com and www.greenshopper.com. The Federal Trade Commission's Web site (www. ftc.gov) includes information on "Sorting Out Green Advertising." Environmentalists and others have coined a term - "green washing" - to describe the way some companies either falsely label products as "green" or that tout their meager "green" accomplishments while causing larger environmental problems. "There is a lot of green washing going on," said Suzanne Shelton of the Shelton Group, a Knoxville, Tenn. marketing firm that tracks the 'green' market. "Consumers are getting a lot savvier about how to sniffthat out." Most people, she said, are deeply concerned about the environment. "They do care," she said. "But when we put green messaging in front of consumers in focus groups, half the room does a giant eye-roll. Environmentalists urge people not to allow the deluge of "green wash" to dissuade them from action. Earth s problems are enormous, they say. But even small positive personal actions do make a difference. "Multiplied out by millions of homes, millions of communities, factories, stores, you do have an appreciable impact," said Francisco de la Chesnaye, chief of climatic economics for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Affordable Dental Insurance RATE: $48/YEAR ORTHO/COSMETIC INCLUDED NO WAITING PERIOD Denise_Abbott@us.aflac.com 455-757-7834 Current USU students sign up tor USU Housing r ana save up to Savings: $75 Housing Discount off rent for Fall Semester 2008 $50 Application Fee waived on new applications $50 Dining Discount on meal plans for Fall Semester 2008 $230 value of 2 meals per week F R E E for Fall 2008-Spring 2009 Total possible savings: $405 Apply online at www.housieg.usu.edu and click on "Current Student Special" environmentaMoganutah.org Main office: 726-9755 * Antifreeze *Bleoch W^M *Car batteries >; •Computers and Computer monitors •Fungicides ,.:::;• *Freon (fee) H^:% •Gasoline 4 unwonted fuels -i;'-; "Household cleaners ^% •«*» ; Don't throw away your unwanted cleaning products, computers and I television sets. Bring them down to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility for FREE. Y : *ttercury items (e.g.-: : fluorescent light bulbs) *Motor o i k . . , , ; . ; , •*Point-^ ; ;-; ; -^£S : : : V : '' •Point thinneif;v/ •: •Pesticides v ; •Pool & Spa Chemicals •Propane Cylinders •Television sets •Tires (Fee) •Transmission fluid •Products that are Ignitable, reactive, corrosive, and toxic Look for products that say cautl warning, and poiso ,r- '.--f .', .•;.' (not applicable to businesses) Hazardous Waste Facility 200 North 1400 West Logan, UT 84321 (435) 713-6686 Cellphones andinkjetcartridges are okay to go in the recycle dumpster in plastic baggies. "Remember, chemicals cause dangerous landfill fires, and pollute sol14-water. Don't throuj them riiiT 1 I' V # 111 I Ik irr/Mi ilIM |