Green For The Sake Of Green: Environmental products that miss the point
Going green seems like a great idea. After all, it's healthier, more conscientious, and is certain to boost your standing in an eco-centric world. While some green products will have you turning green with envy, the smugness factor, prices, and downright insanity of others will probably turn you green with nausea.
Toyota drove the Prius onto the market in 1997 as a technological marvel capable of saving the world from wanton waste and greenhouse gas-ation. Though the Prius seems like the patron saint of hybrid vehicles, it's now 2010 and no miracles have been worked. Sure, it gets 50 mpg, but a 1994 Honda Civic gets 38. Plus, a 1994 Honda Civic in excellent condition with 150,000 miles only costs $2,310. In comparison, a 2010 Prius costs $22,150, and though it is "green," it took new parts to make, which require resources and energy. Buying (or continuing to drive) the Civic would be the ultimate in reusing--no manufacturing necessary. Admittedly, buying a hybrid is better than buying a new non-hybrid car, but getting rid of an older, reliable car just to buy a "green" car doesn't make sense from an eco-friendly perspective.
That's not even getting into "green" SUVs. The 2010 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid only gets 21 mpg at a starting price of $50,720. For the love of Mother Earth, ride a bike. They get infinity mpg and bike makers haven't been in the news for taking bailout money.
Bamboo is a nice plant--even pandas love it. It's also rapidly regenerative, making it an excellent renewable resource. So, the next logical step is to make bamboo clothes. It seems like a win-win for consumers and producers. Clothing makers get to slap an "eco-friendly/renewable/green" label on the waistband and consumers get to flaunt their socially conscious threads.
The only problem is that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says bamboo clothing marketing has more holes than a bamboo flute. The bamboo label has been used for clothes made out of the fabric rayon, which is made from plant and tree cellulose, including bamboo. By the time the cellulose is converted into rayon (using toxic chemicals) "no traits of the original plant are left in the finished product," according to the FTC. Retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond, Gap, and Amazon.com (to name a few) received warning letters last February to stop marketing rayon as bamboo. Offenders will be charged $16,000 per violation.
Eco-friendly Aquamantra water sells for $27 per case of 12 one-liter, 100% biodegradable bottles, and can be purchased at retailers like Whole Foods and Albertsons. Aquamantra water is packaged in bottles with mantra labels that say, "I AM GRATEFUL™, I AM HEALTHY™, I AM LOVED™, or I AM LUCKY™," meaning "those words permeate the liquid, influencing the taste and beneficial properties of the water." So they say.
Aquamantra water comes from "California's local Mt. Palomar," which [EDIT: sits in the same mountain range just north of] the watershed for the City of San Diego. Basically, customers pay money for [EDIT: a fancy bottle filled with water that comes from nearly the same source as] San Diego tap water. Eco-bottled-water insanity isn't restricted just to Aquamantra or Californians. It's all over: Fiji Natural Artesian Water from Fiji and BIOTA in Colorado to name a few.
In general, most water is bottled in PET plastic, which is recyclable, but most PET water bottles are made from virgin, not recycled, resources. Admittedly, some bottled-water companies donate proceeds to "the environment," but the logic is still flawed. The majority of Americans have access to nearly-free, clean tap water. Federal standards for tap water in the U.S. are higher than those for bottled water, so buy one biodegradable or recyclable bottle and refill as needed.
There’s no argument that using sustainable practices, decreasing pollution and choosing healthy options are all great ideas, but don’t buy a product just because it says “green” on the label. Consider the bigger picture and see if the logic holds up.
Sources: money.cnn.com; chevrolet.com; fueleconomy.gov; kbb.com; green.yahoo.com; pacinst.org; maps.google.com; sandiego.gov; biotaspringwater.com; sfgate.com; napcor.com; fijigreen.com; fijiwater.com; drinktap.org; aquamantra.cocom
Thank you speaking your point of view, we are always grateful when we get some notice. I need to correct you however, Mt. Palomar does NOT supply the "tap" water for San Diego. Water from Mt. Palomar is the only resource of Natural Spring Water aside from water that comes from Arrow Bear which Arrowhead mostly pulls from. That fact is incorrect and your readers should know that. Consumers pay money because our water is delicious, you might want to pick one up and taste for yourself. As well, as it is our mission to yes, get someone to tell themselves they are loved through out the day. That is our mission, a gentle reminder of gratitude or love... is it really so bad? And our bottles are biodegradable so they will break down in 1 -5 years. We're a beverage that is Award Winning in taste, and as much as Tap is Free sometimes people just want a more pristine delicious taste, if that's all they drink. Its about CHOICE in our free world, which is why again we are grateful for your comments on our beautiful, local and sustainable water.
Thanks for reading. I apologize for the fact error and have fixed it in the text.
--Jens
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