WTF Is Greenwashing?
In this time of division, axe grinding and polarising ideologies, I occasionally find myself getting caught up in other people's agendas - I'm not immune to a well written article or searingly insightful cartoon or meme. But I try to inure myself against full on pearl clutching hysteria by being very judicious in my consumption of 'news' - not just its source, but its content. I like words - I may have a somewhat limited ability to use them coherently myself, but I admire and enjoy others who can, and do.
What I have noticed more and more, however, is how words are being manipulated to the point that they are losing their original, agreed upon meaning, and are becoming vague clumsy sound bites cast out over the waters of debate in an effort to make discourse even murkier.
Much like charity, I believe that conservation begins at home. Huge corporate entities and so-called NGO's, are not the answer to whatever the crisis of the day is. Govt most certainly isn't the answer - how much more will it take before we all accept that the way Govt is structured at the moment means they are virtually designed to invite, and foster, corruption? I'm not an ideologue, or an anarchist (black just isn't my colour), but I resent being forced to vote, in a 'democracy', when every fibre of my being tells me that all I'm doing is bringing wood to a forest fire.
I think small, truly representative Govt is the way forward. For everything else, such as - should we go to war? Or what would we like to spend some taxpayer money on: housing? Or French built submarines?. We could have an app, with simple clear language, explaining our choices and just two buttons.
I can picture it now - corporations paying tax in the countries in which they actually do business and not just where they have a P.O Box. The G20 reduced to a Zoom meeting that everyone can attend. All lobbying must be posted online, complete with who they actually represent and the amount the lobbyist has 'donated' to that particular political entity. Oh, and politicians can't vote - on anything. They can advise, or suggest, or plead, or threaten, (let's face it - they've become very good at threatening in the last few years), but they can't vote. This would mean that politicians would have the exact amount of real power they have shown they can be trusted with - that is, very little.
At this point, you might very well be asking yourself if I've gone off my meds? Let me attempt to get to the point. I re-engaged with twitter recently, I've been on the platform since '09 but had stopped spending any real time there due to the fact that it had devolved into some kind of nihilistic clock-work orange narcissist support group - it was a bummer.
But with a new narcissist at the helm, claiming that people could once again have an online opinion, I thought I'd try it out again. Well, it's still cringy, virtue-signalling bedlam and madness, but there does seem, at least superficially, to be some balance of expression creeping back.
The other day, I was scrolling along when I came across a word/term that I had never heard before: Greenwashing. I had, of course, heard of whitewashing - but never greenwashing. So I looked it up on wiki:
Another word for this, is bullshitting. I suppose, though, with so much B.S about - we do need to start shovelling it into distinct categories.
I can't think of a major industry, or corporation, that doesn't greenwash. Much like people who leave twitter in protest over its new owner, but continue to drive a tesla - it's all complete bullshit, irrespective of the colour.
I don't think corporations care about conservation, and I don't think Govt's do either. I believe that individual people do. And that's my point. Instead of mandating the wearing of hamster hammocks on ya face, why aren't we mandating solar panels?, making them uber subsidised.
Seriously - here in Australia the sunlight is just layin' about the joint, on an almost daily basis, doing bugger all, - let's exploit it, (IMO, we should be allowed to exploite stars - not people).
Do you know a word that has fallen out of favour? I do, conservation. Ya never see it any more. It's all climate change, and frankly - I've got climate change fatigue, (I bet someone is going to use that term and write a whole thesis on it now...), actually, I was turning off to the whole thing back, before it was re-branded, when it was called global warming.
You see the problem with the word conservation is it that implies a need to be frugal, an awareness that certain things need to be protected - they are finite and in many cases, irreplaceable. This is at odds with what we are continually told we need to strive for economically - and that is unfettered growth and consumption.
Climate change is simply too big for most of us to truly feel that we can have a meaningful impact upon it. But surely we can agree that as individuals, we can all make a tiny bit of difference. I'm not saying ya need to go nuts and join a commune. How about fixing that leaky tap, planting a native anything or, if you've the means and space - why not instal a water feature or a even small pond?
However, do feel free to ignore such things as "Earth Hour" - along with any other empty collective displays of virtue
Despite what we are told, despite the madness, the wars, the corruption, and the endless bloody warnings that the sky is falling, remember - it hasn't done so yet.
Let the Jacinda Ardern's, Dan Andrews' and Annastacia Palaszczuk's of the world - flaunt their self aggrandising nonsense on the world's stage. They should probably be pitied, not reviled. Imagine the soul-destroying tension of pretending to be a Lion, all the while knowing that, in truth, you're the tethered goat - it must be almost intolerable.
Irrespective of the emotional place in your heart such people occupy. They most definitely shouldn't be obeyed. NO politician should be "obeyed". No illegal law, - masquerading as a mandate, need be followed. And 'green' marketing, oughtn't be confused with altruism.
With all that said - keep the faith, tune out of the MSM a little more often to give your brain a chance to actually think, rather than just consume other people's thoughts. In short, literally take the time to stop and smell the roses - trust me, you'll be so glad ya did.
What I have noticed more and more, however, is how words are being manipulated to the point that they are losing their original, agreed upon meaning, and are becoming vague clumsy sound bites cast out over the waters of debate in an effort to make discourse even murkier.
Much like charity, I believe that conservation begins at home. Huge corporate entities and so-called NGO's, are not the answer to whatever the crisis of the day is. Govt most certainly isn't the answer - how much more will it take before we all accept that the way Govt is structured at the moment means they are virtually designed to invite, and foster, corruption? I'm not an ideologue, or an anarchist (black just isn't my colour), but I resent being forced to vote, in a 'democracy', when every fibre of my being tells me that all I'm doing is bringing wood to a forest fire.
I think small, truly representative Govt is the way forward. For everything else, such as - should we go to war? Or what would we like to spend some taxpayer money on: housing? Or French built submarines?. We could have an app, with simple clear language, explaining our choices and just two buttons.
I can picture it now - corporations paying tax in the countries in which they actually do business and not just where they have a P.O Box. The G20 reduced to a Zoom meeting that everyone can attend. All lobbying must be posted online, complete with who they actually represent and the amount the lobbyist has 'donated' to that particular political entity. Oh, and politicians can't vote - on anything. They can advise, or suggest, or plead, or threaten, (let's face it - they've become very good at threatening in the last few years), but they can't vote. This would mean that politicians would have the exact amount of real power they have shown they can be trusted with - that is, very little.
At this point, you might very well be asking yourself if I've gone off my meds? Let me attempt to get to the point. I re-engaged with twitter recently, I've been on the platform since '09 but had stopped spending any real time there due to the fact that it had devolved into some kind of nihilistic clock-work orange narcissist support group - it was a bummer.
But with a new narcissist at the helm, claiming that people could once again have an online opinion, I thought I'd try it out again. Well, it's still cringy, virtue-signalling bedlam and madness, but there does seem, at least superficially, to be some balance of expression creeping back.
The other day, I was scrolling along when I came across a word/term that I had never heard before: Greenwashing. I had, of course, heard of whitewashing - but never greenwashing. So I looked it up on wiki:
Greenwashing, also called "green sheen", is a form of advertising or marketing spin in which green PR and green marketing are deceptively used to persuade the public that an organization's products, aims and policies are environmentally friendly.
Another word for this, is bullshitting. I suppose, though, with so much B.S about - we do need to start shovelling it into distinct categories.
I can't think of a major industry, or corporation, that doesn't greenwash. Much like people who leave twitter in protest over its new owner, but continue to drive a tesla - it's all complete bullshit, irrespective of the colour.
I don't think corporations care about conservation, and I don't think Govt's do either. I believe that individual people do. And that's my point. Instead of mandating the wearing of hamster hammocks on ya face, why aren't we mandating solar panels?, making them uber subsidised.
Seriously - here in Australia the sunlight is just layin' about the joint, on an almost daily basis, doing bugger all, - let's exploit it, (IMO, we should be allowed to exploite stars - not people).
Do you know a word that has fallen out of favour? I do, conservation. Ya never see it any more. It's all climate change, and frankly - I've got climate change fatigue, (I bet someone is going to use that term and write a whole thesis on it now...), actually, I was turning off to the whole thing back, before it was re-branded, when it was called global warming.
You see the problem with the word conservation is it that implies a need to be frugal, an awareness that certain things need to be protected - they are finite and in many cases, irreplaceable. This is at odds with what we are continually told we need to strive for economically - and that is unfettered growth and consumption.
On the one hand, they tell us that there isn't enough to go around, and then they tell us that we need more growth - how insane is that?
Climate change is simply too big for most of us to truly feel that we can have a meaningful impact upon it. But surely we can agree that as individuals, we can all make a tiny bit of difference. I'm not saying ya need to go nuts and join a commune. How about fixing that leaky tap, planting a native anything or, if you've the means and space - why not instal a water feature or a even small pond?
However, do feel free to ignore such things as "Earth Hour" - along with any other empty collective displays of virtue
Despite what we are told, despite the madness, the wars, the corruption, and the endless bloody warnings that the sky is falling, remember - it hasn't done so yet.
 |
| Gorgeous White-lipped tree frog, I photographed him in a little garden that we created |
Let the Jacinda Ardern's, Dan Andrews' and Annastacia Palaszczuk's of the world - flaunt their self aggrandising nonsense on the world's stage. They should probably be pitied, not reviled. Imagine the soul-destroying tension of pretending to be a Lion, all the while knowing that, in truth, you're the tethered goat - it must be almost intolerable.
Irrespective of the emotional place in your heart such people occupy. They most definitely shouldn't be obeyed. NO politician should be "obeyed". No illegal law, - masquerading as a mandate, need be followed. And 'green' marketing, oughtn't be confused with altruism.
With all that said - keep the faith, tune out of the MSM a little more often to give your brain a chance to actually think, rather than just consume other people's thoughts. In short, literally take the time to stop and smell the roses - trust me, you'll be so glad ya did.
Take Care
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