03 November 2008

todays topic is greenwashing, greenscare, and greenhouses. there is quite a lot of talk about the color green lately, and yet syracuse is quickly loosing its color for the season. but its still time to think green. so lets run through a quick list of some things to remember, and get the facts straight about some of the murkier underpinnings of corporate/governmental reactions to sustainability.

greenwashing- (wikipedia) -(a portmanteau of green and whitewash) is a term used to describe the perception of consumers that they are being misled by a company regarding the environmental practices of the company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.[1] It is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing. The term green sheen has similarly been used to describe organizations which attempt to appear that they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment.

in the old days people used to "whitewash" their fences, houses, etc. with a mixture of cheap white paint and water, thus giving it a new look without the painstaking time of giving it a real paintjob. the result was that a place needed to be whitewashed often, as the cover would fade quickly. according to wikipedia whitewashing is also "to gloss over or cover up vices, crimes, or to exonerate by means of a perfunctory investigation or through biased presentation of data.[1]   Whitewash also means an overly optimistic but sometimes incorrect description of a concept. An example in politics is to describe a tax or penalty as a fee ".

we see examples of greenwashing everywhere (in business, government, and the military) such as dole selling organic bananas (that can even be GMO), mcdonalds suggesting they have healthy food, and right here locally with the Amos Project sponsored by clear channels (http://theamosproject.com/, check out their bogus website). these projects and organizations are simply fooling the public in order to make money, their sole purpose. its a shame, its flabbergasting, and sometimes its criminal.

greenscare- unfortunately wikipedia does not have an entry for this (things that make you say hmm.....), but greenscare.org does;

The term Green Scare refers to the federal government's expanding prosecution efforts against animal liberation and ecological activists, drawing parallels to the "Red Scares" of the 1910's and 1950s.

A 2002 edition of a prisoner support zine, Spirit of Freedom, defined the Green Scare as, "the tactics that the US government and all their tentacles (FBI, IRS, BATF, Joint Terrorism Task Forces, local police, the court system) are using to attack the ELF/ALF (Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front) and specifically those who publicly support them."

The term has now been widely used to describe an early 2006 sweep of arrests, convictions and grand jury indictments of alleged ELF/ALF activists on charges relating to acts of property damage, conspiracy, arson and use of destructive devices dubbed "Operation Backfire, " the cases of the SHAC7 , Eric McDavid and Rod Coronado, as well as recent repressive legislation such as the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which attempts to turn activists into "terrorists."

i am a member of three organizations that are listed as terrorist groups because we are terra-ist; food not bombs, ELF, and ALF. i dont know members of those groups who are violent towards humans, flora, or fauna. we are on those lists because we are peacefully protesting consumerism and destruction of the environment for profit. its not a big deal being on a domestic terrorist list, and it does not pose a hinderance to my life. it exemplifies, for me, what is wrong with this country. yes, obama, its time for a change. because im on the greenscare list, ironically as a catch-22, i cannot leave the country, and therefore am forced (through neutrality) to make this land a better place. i whole heartedly encourage everyone to not be afraid enough to be apathetic. kind of funny eh?

greenhouse - (wikipedia) A greenhouse is a structure with a glass or plastic roof and frequently glass or plastic walls; it heats up because incoming solar radiation from the sun warms plants, soil, and other things inside the building. Air warmed by the heat from hot interior surfaces is retained in the building by the roof and wall. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings.

there are more kinds of greenhouses than you can shake a stick at. check out the ones at wikipedia.org (search "greenhouse"), or look at the rochester, buffalo, or washington d.c. botanical gardens (the one in washington grows cannibas sativa). a greenhouse can be built anywhere, and if you are wondering why i talk about it now, take a look outside. many crops can be grown in greenhouses all year round including; brassicas, herbs, and lettuces (i.e. chard, kale, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, brussel sprouts, and others). greenhouses also provide a wonderful sitting area and can be incorporated with other aspects of the permaculture movement including; saunas, hot tubs, kitchens (with ovens), &cetera. there are a wide variety of ways to heat a greenhouse without traditional electricity too. furthermore, greenhouses can be built out of a wide variety of reused materials, and nature.

another kind of green house is the famed LEED certified house, or a truly green house. dont be fooled by the hype, LEED certification is a cheap trump. it does not focus on the most sustainable processes, and a lot of pollution can be made making a LEED certified place.

truly green houses begin with the most fundamental aspect of sustainability - reduction, and then reutilization. these two, often overlooked, ideas can lead to a wide variety of houses made from traditional resources including; trash, bamboo, road signs, sod, rammed earth, tires, palets, and others not often thought of as "building materials". at a recent visit to papa G's in portland (http://pappags.com/), i was delighted to find out that they are insulating with layers of reused denim, and their deli is made of sustainably harvested bamboo. on a visit to the Center for agroecology and sustainable farm at the university college of santa cruz(http://casfs.ucsc.edu/), i noticed a greenhouse (geodesically designed, no less) made from bike tire rims.  the new fence at recycle ithaca bikes (http://velonet.org/ribs/)is made from bike frames.

the only thing keeping most cities and provinces from creating alternative building practices is common zoning laws. so go to your local civic offices, find out what the laws are. if they are too constrictive protest them to change. its that simple, simply green.

in closing, i might also suggest a green business model. we should all know about the red line and black line of the "bottom line", but you can also incorporate a green line, which would provide your business with an inventory of reused and recycled materials as well. this also provides your business with an attractive business plan with socially conscious colors (see?)

so....in the future dont be fooled by some corporation/government/military's flashy add campaign saying they are starting a "green" campaign, and remember if you cant breath the truly organic fresh air from their green stuff its a bluff.

- john doe is a journalist who has embraced the sustainability movement, he sees d.i.y. and reuse as our building blocks to healthy societies.

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