In the advertising world, it's not easy to be green, but it sure is easy to say you are.
With more customers wanting to buy healthy and environmentally friendly products, companies have predictably tried to cash in on this movement. They have attempted to market just about everything as green, and one of their favorite words to use is natural. The reason for this choice is that natural is not regulated like the word organic. Organic products have to meet standards to receive official certification, but natural can be used on anything. Check out this video spoofing advertising for "natural" products:
The video is a great example of using communication to challenge rhetoric that obscures the truth. A product's claim to be "natural" doesn't mean anything. If you want healthy products that are free of added chemicals, and you're in the United States, look for a label that says the products are USDA-certified organic.
"Natural" and organic aren't the only environment-related labels out there, so additional efforts have been made to inform consumers about the real meaning of the environmental claims and labels they see. The Natural Resource Defense Council's Smarter Living initiative rates various labels, including "Bird Friendly" and "Fair Trade Certified," for their environmental virtue. To view it, click here.
Remember, all that's natural is not green.
Showing posts with label fair trade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fair trade. Show all posts
06 February 2014
14 June 2013
A Truly Smart Phone
My cell phone is eight years old. In other words, it's from a time before smartphones were all the rage.
I don't like to buy a lot of stuff, and despite all the cool gadgets on smartphones, I have thought the smartest thing to do was stick with my old phone. After all, I really didn't need what a smartphone could give me. In addition, smartphones seem to be another piece of technology that requires, either through software or hardware updates, constant replacement.
Admittedly, smartphones do provide some benefits and can actually eliminate the need for other devices, so if they could be made to last with easy fixing and updating, they might become truly smart options.
FairPhone is a new idea that is taking steps in the right direction. Watch the video below:
Fairphone: Buy a phone, start a movement from Fairphone on Vimeo.
I like that FairPhone is working to put consumers back in control of their stuff. The company is also addressing concerns about resource use, pollution, fair trade, and the entire life of a product. Importantly, the phones are made to be opened up and fixed. For instance, an owner can easily replace the battery when it dies. For more information, visit the company's Web site.
It would be great if the company applied its approach to other devices (like computers) as well.
Hopefully, FairPhone is successful. Maybe it'll be the option I turn to when it's finally time to replace my current phone.
I don't like to buy a lot of stuff, and despite all the cool gadgets on smartphones, I have thought the smartest thing to do was stick with my old phone. After all, I really didn't need what a smartphone could give me. In addition, smartphones seem to be another piece of technology that requires, either through software or hardware updates, constant replacement.
Admittedly, smartphones do provide some benefits and can actually eliminate the need for other devices, so if they could be made to last with easy fixing and updating, they might become truly smart options.
FairPhone is a new idea that is taking steps in the right direction. Watch the video below:
Fairphone: Buy a phone, start a movement from Fairphone on Vimeo.
I like that FairPhone is working to put consumers back in control of their stuff. The company is also addressing concerns about resource use, pollution, fair trade, and the entire life of a product. Importantly, the phones are made to be opened up and fixed. For instance, an owner can easily replace the battery when it dies. For more information, visit the company's Web site.
It would be great if the company applied its approach to other devices (like computers) as well.
Hopefully, FairPhone is successful. Maybe it'll be the option I turn to when it's finally time to replace my current phone.
16 January 2011
Green at Heart
With Valentine's Day less than a month away, it's time to start thinking about special gifts, but this year, don't forget the environment.
Buying things may have become a major part of February 14, but we can still make statements with what we buy. Hopefully, one of those statements is, "I love you." Another can be, "I love the planet."
Flowers are a traditional Valentine's gift, but their growth, harvest, and shipment can leave quite an impact on the environment. Therefore, if your gift plans include flowers, consider Organic Bouquet. As the name implies, the company sells organically grown flowers. It also operates under fair-trade policies and offsets the carbon footprint of its operations and shipments.
What is more, by going to the company's Flowers for Good page, you can choose flower arrangements that benefit nonprofit groups. Organic Bouquet donates a portion of the proceeds from the arrangements to various charities, including animal and environmental groups. Just look through the different arrangements and see what charity each one supports. Personally, I like the Defenders of Wildlife and the Audubon Society arrangements.
This is a great way to make sure Nature gets a Valentine too.
♡
Buying things may have become a major part of February 14, but we can still make statements with what we buy. Hopefully, one of those statements is, "I love you." Another can be, "I love the planet."
Flowers are a traditional Valentine's gift, but their growth, harvest, and shipment can leave quite an impact on the environment. Therefore, if your gift plans include flowers, consider Organic Bouquet. As the name implies, the company sells organically grown flowers. It also operates under fair-trade policies and offsets the carbon footprint of its operations and shipments.
What is more, by going to the company's Flowers for Good page, you can choose flower arrangements that benefit nonprofit groups. Organic Bouquet donates a portion of the proceeds from the arrangements to various charities, including animal and environmental groups. Just look through the different arrangements and see what charity each one supports. Personally, I like the Defenders of Wildlife and the Audubon Society arrangements.
This is a great way to make sure Nature gets a Valentine too.
♡
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