Green movment isn't about the green

or should I say it's more about the green(money).

So many companies have jumped aboard this new fad, seeing the great marketing potential.

So as these corporations wave the green flag, claiming to support the environment, they take advantage of the uneducated consumer (which is most of us).
One of there main marketing tactics is to design a little logo, usually involving a tree or a crude depiction of the planet, that they stick on all of there products. Upon see this logo, consumers make a connection. The connection is that if it has a picture of a tree then it must be good. The company doesn't have to explain what the logo means, they know that the consumer will make an assumption based on the picture and the little catch phrase. As a general rule, these logos tend to be completely meaningless.

I never gave a lot of these logos much thought until on day a friend pointed out that the logo for the Heart&Stroke Health Check didn't mean what most people thought it meant. Now I don't want to put down the Heart&Stroke Foundation, because they do good, but you still shouldn't take this logo for face value.

If you have ever picked up a bottle, box, or bag that has the Health Check logo, check the back. It states that the company has paid a fee to the program. ("A fee is paid by each participating company to help cover the cost of this voluntary, not-for-profit program") From what I understand from the chatter about this, is that pretty much anyone can get this logo on there box as long as they pay enough.

Anyway, I digress.

The point is that an kind of "green" logo you seen on the corner of a box, unless it's a government run program (but then I still remain sceptical), it might be a shame.

I'm not an envior-hater, quite the opposite actually. I'm a pretty big hippy. What I hate is when people take wonderful, beautiful things, like the environment, and twist them to scatter fear into the general masses. Have you ever wonder how many times the government used the global warming fear factor to gain popularity.

I may be wrong, and if you believe I am, I would like to see the hard evidence. Other then that I'll probably disregard it. :) That's just how it works.

Maybe I'll have something happier to write about next time, but I needed to get this one off my chest.

On one final note: You should never stop doing your part to help keep your little corner of the world beautiful, and the best place to start is to arm your self with knowledge. (I'm not claiming to be an expert, you shouldn't take what I've said at face value either.)

~Ashley
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