Updated: Jul 18, 2023
So you have decided to take the plunge and leap into changing your life to one that is better for the environment. Firstly, I applaud you for beginning to give a crap about our planet and all life. I am here to give my opinion on what it means to go green and why it is not as simple as buying a new sustainable wardrobe. Going green is fun and rewarding but at the same time, it takes time to get right. I also believe that understanding the importance of taking it slow can help with some eco-anxiety you might have. Here is my views on how to go green and the key is taking it slow.
What is going green?
Going green is understanding the impact your choices have on the planet and then making choices to maintain or improve the ecological balance to better the planet. Some might call it being eco-friendly, sustainable living or environmentally conscious but it is all essentially the betterment of our planet through the way we live. The primary goal is to mitigate any negative impact you have on the planet and the environment and if anything improve the biodiversity and revival of our nature. It is about making conscious decisions not just in regards to us but the entire impact of that decision, may it be an action, a purchase or a message.
Why do you need to take it slow?
Although it is great you are moving to a ”greener” life you will have to take it slow. This is mainly because like everything it takes time to learn and understand something new and this goes for changing your lifestyle. The more you will learn the better job you can do at transitioning to a green life. Unfortunately, it is often not as simple as dumping everything and buying everything a company labels sustainable or green. Unfortunately, this is because they might not be telling the truth or it does not meet truly “green” credentials. For example using recycled plastic in products is great but what happens to it at the end of its life? Can it be recycled again or will it end in landfill? It is important to understand it is not just a label but a whole mindset you need to change. The more you learn the more your perception will change and you will fully understand your impact and how to mitigate it.
Binning is bad:
Now, a huge part of being green is reducing your waste. The waste we create today lasts for hundreds of years, pollutes our space, harms total ecosystems and kills our wildlife and even pets. Therefore, when you first jump to a “Green” life the first thing you want to do is to stop contributing to toxic waste. Another reason you need to take it slow is because replacing everything and binning all your current “toxic” items is bad. There is an important phrase to remember “the most sustainable thing is the thing you already have”. This is not always the case when looking at items that consume power and have an ongoing impact but generally you should use your current items for as long as you can. Once they have degraded beyond their use you can then pick up the eco-friendly alternative. Rember binning or even recycling is a last resort and to first reduce what you use and what you waste.
Why I believe this will help?
This is not a post about eco-anxiety but I believe it is an important part of this post. I believe everything gets on top of you and the media portrayal with constant fear mongering may drive you crazy about being the most perfect eco-warrior you can be. Well it is not a race but it is about getting it right. Taking it slow is arguably better for the environment, it also allows you to learn more and make better decisions. It also doesn’t overwhelm you trying to change everything in your life at once but bit by bit at a steady pace. It is like some famous sayings; “We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”, “While it may seem small, the ripple effects of small things can be extraordinary.” or “most people would succeed in small things if they were not troubled with great ambition.”. Start slow, take your time, learn and do it right.
Finally
Welcome to your sustainable journey that I hope is as fun and rewarding as it has been for me. Tracking my journey and pushing myself to a “greener” life is the reason I started this blog to support and advise people on their transition. I wanted to write this post to let people know it takes time and you need to take it slow, not only to make sure you do it right but also because I believe it benefits the environment. Remember learning anything is a process and takes time and the longer you keep at it the more you will know and can act upon it. Therefore, my biggest piece of advice when you are going green is to take it slow and not to worry about it. Good luck!
Updated: Jul 18, 2023
Technology has been integrated into our society over the last 20 years and is now a vital part of our life. It helps with everyday tasks, connects us with people around the world and has changed the way the world is run. It also allows information, stories, ideas and suggestions to be shared. For those reasons I love technology. On top of this, it can increase your productivity and ease of life, whilst being fun to use and a massive point of entertainment in the twenty-first century. However, technology and electrical products are often very poor at caring for the environment, which is something I hope they change and I am here to advocate for. I believe most people do not realise the impact they have on the world and this is more so in technology and getting the “latest” phone, laptop, camera or home tech. Therefore, for those that are considerate for our future but still wants to pick up some technology to help them connect with the world here are some key aspects to look for when making your next tech purchase and how to find eco-friendly technology:
Transparency
Transparency is key to a green and sustainable future. The first step to being green is understanding your impact and to do this you need to understand the product and the company. Before you look at a specific product, look at the company, are they clear with their goals, aims and impact as a whole? In regards to a product, can you find out what parts are in it and where they come from, were it is put together. Even right down to the source of the base materials? This will all help with understanding the full impact the item will have. Look out for open and honest companies that give as much information about the product as possible. Just be careful of greenwashing, as the company might highlight certain credentials to hide or overshadow others or altogether have unfounded claims.
Carbon footprint
A clear and obvious one is to check how much carbon does the product produce in its creation and even its life (the power consumption). Carbon counting is and will hopefully continue to become a must have figure to all products and if a company offers this it is a good indication on a product's sustainability. The lower the carbon footprint the better. However, if the company does not tell you it can be very hard to find out. When looking at carbon footprint if it is possible you should look at the whole life carbon, as a higher initial carbon footprint might result in a lower one over the life of a product or even the carbon to recycle the item at the end of the products life. I believe this will become a huge part of our future, so look out for it and ask these companies to provide it.
Power usage
Power is unfortunately not always sustainable and certainly not green or clean. It is also not infinite (yet) and with an ever growing population the demand for it is constantly increasing. Due to this, we need to get more power efficient items of tech going forward to reduce what we use. The more efficient and less we use the less is needed to be produced. This reduces any negative impact from fossil fuel power stations but also allows power to be used for more critical functions such as at hospitals.
Materials uses
Many materials in tech harm the planet. This can be from materials that are mined, which can scar the earth or can be from materials we create like Plastic that also pollute the planet. Therefore, it is good to look for sustainably sourced and natural materials that are used. When looking at the materials in a product look for those that have a higher recycled content, use natural & sustainable materials (if safe to do so) and that minimises the amount they use compared to others. Also, look at the packaging used and make sure this is recyclable. Look for sustainable, no-toxic and ethically sourced materials to be eco-friendly. It is also important to begin to think of the products end of life (see below) and how the materials used will affect this.
Ethical supply chain
This one might be a little tricky to track and check but a company may note it or have a certification with the product detailing it. An ethical supply chain looks at the social responsibility of the corporation. The aim of which is to ensure the product is created in a way that treats workers and the environment ethically. If you know where some of the parts of the product come from then you can check if they are ethical too. It is not just the company itself but the entire supply chain leading to the product being in your hands. Some obvious things to think about is making sure they pay their staff a living wage, do not use sweat factories or child labour or actively pollute our earth.
Repairable and Upgradable?
Moving away from our wasteful culture we need to look at keeping our items including tech in use for as long as possible. To do this we want products that are repairable, so we can continue to use them or upgrade them to keep up with the rest of the world without completely replacing the whole item. Upgradability is an important factor in technology in order to keep up with new software, games and the hardware needs to meet this demand. Therefore, we need to make products upgradable without having to waste the entire device. Look out for companies that design their device to have key components replace increasing the longevity of the product. This all leads to less waste, better use of resources and less carbon emissions, which is obviously better for the environment.
End of life
The world has grown a throw away culture, which is literally killing our planet. We need to get away from this and adopt a circular economy (cradle-to-cradle) approach that allows a product to be reused, remade, or recycled in some way. A lot of companies do buy back or offer discounts for your old trade in, which is a good start. However, the product needs to be made with materials that can be reused and recycled. When purchasing a new item consider its end of life, as this will be something that has to be dealt with in the future.
Support
As an additional bonus a company may back positive initiatives such as charities, planting trees, carbon off-setting, recycling programmes and the like that help them get closer to a truly eco-friendly company. Although this is a great addition your first consideration should be the sustainability and eco-friendliness of the product itself but if the company supports charities you do it is a great addition to your purchase.
At the moment it might be quite hard to find out all this information, as many companies do not disclose it at all (especially when it is not very good for the environment). However, the more we understand about the product and company the better we can view how sustainable, eco-friendly or green it is for us to buy it. I understand you probably do not have the time to fully check a product , nor do I but a quick google search and a run through of the criteria above will help you make the right choice. Always think of the life of a product, as the longer we use something the less waste is produced and the less carbon is used. We also need to push for companies to fully disclose their products information and supply chain, as well as making their products repairable and upgradable. This will put sustainability and our planet's future as a priority when making new products. I hope the above will give you a few items to consider when making your next tech purchase and hopefully in time we will be able to find eco-friendly tech that meets our needs without jeopardising our future.
Updated: Jul 18, 2023
Greenwashing is the disinformation of an organisation so that it presents itself in an environmentally responsible public image. Essentially, companies recognise the climate emergency or at least recognise the incredibly large growing mass of people who do and therefore, listening and ensuring their products are eco-friendly sustainable and have a minimal impact. This is a great marketing point, as it allows people to know they share our ethics and will then buy or use their products or services without jeopardising your own ethics and goals. Then here comes Evil Corp. They don’t want to put money in to actually achieve a green, sustainable and eco-friendly business but want to make you believe they are and willing to spend your money with them. This is where greenwashing appears.
Greenwashing can appear in many aspects and it can be hard to tell the signs. Companies will use a number of tricks to paint a product or service as green, eco or ethical from its image, its words used to the “certification” it acclaims to hold. Though there are many ways greenwashing appears, there are still some companies that are good, you just have to do some research or just think about what they are doing and if this meets a green ethic. Some key ways to do this is just by understanding the company and what they deal in, for example it is quite obvious huge fossil fuel companies aren’t really environmentally friendly, yet there can also be quite niche examples. Here are 8 cases of greenwashing you should be aware off:
Volkswagen and Audi used emission cheating software to deceptively advertise diesel vehicle as clean and environmentally friendly, when the were not.
Kauai coffee pods were advertised as 100% compostable with a fine print detailing this had only been certified at “industrial facilities”. The company agreed that this was misleading, as the coffee pods are not certified for backyard compositing.
Ikea noted as a major sustainable corporation have been linked to illegal logging in Ukraine, which is supposedly linked to the wood certification scheme ‘Forest Stewardship Council’ that has been described as greenwashing the timber industry.
Tide purclean detailed their laundry detergent is 100% plant based when it was only 75%, due to this the company agreed to change their packaging to not be so deceptive.
Starbucks released a “straw-less lid” that actually contained more plastic than the old lid and straw combination. Starbucks didn’t even deny this but pressed that it was made from a polypropylene, a commonly-accepted recyclable plastic. However, as only 9% of the world’s plastic is recycled, it is still creating a greater amount of plastic waste.
H&M have used displays and even slogans that are strikingly similar to those used by climate activist, things like “climate crusader”, as well as pictures of eco-activists, which they use as brand ambassadors. This is all to follow the growing sustainability trend. Yet they don’t really practice what they preach. Even their conscious collection, which is marketed as sustainable has higher damaging synthetic material than their main line. Many clothing brands like this also contribute a great amount to textile waste, which often ends in landfill.
BP changed their name to Beyond Petroleum and added solar panels to their gas station, then focused their advertisement on their low-carbon energy products, yet more than 96% of its annual spend is on oil and gas.
Coca-Cola has been ranked the number 1 plastic polluter and with this title they are still currently stating they are not going to abandon their plastic bottles. Yet still advertise that they are sustainable and eco-friendly.
This is just a handful of the greenwashing that goes on every day, there are many more cases of greenwashing, some that are pending, have been settled or dismissed and many more still ongoing. One story I heard detailed a company who produced eco-paint when the only thing eco-friendly about it was that the pot was recyclable. It angers me companies do this, to pray on people good ethics to further line their pockets. It is also annoying that some companies have for years defiled the environment and then switched to eco-friendly alternative or start to and make out like they were green to begin with, again this is misleading and unfair to the companies starting out with the world in mind.
There are many things to look for to find out if a company is guilty of greenwashing and you should be aware of these. Start with a mindset, where you can look at things in the broader sense by questioning a company’s motive, as well as its primary service/product. Also be aware of niche elements of greenwashing for example I am aware how plant based is the future due to often using drastically lest resources and being less harmful to the environment but can actually still contain products that are harmful such as palm oil. Not all palm oil is harmful but it is if done in an unsustainable way. It is also important that greenwashing can appear in all aspects not just when buying something, banks often brand the money you store with them as life changing and help to fund revolutionary (& green) businesses but neglect to mention the life crippling effect they have when invested in fossil fuel conglomerates. Here are some key things to look out for when buying a product or service:
Vague: Often in a companies catchphrase, motto or slogan they will use eco-friendly terminology but that don’t have an actual meaning to how they are green. For example using a broad term like eco-friendly but without noting how.
Imagery: This is used on product labels such as wildlife, trees, nature and the colour green to associate with a green message. Even though this gives the feeling of an eco-friendly products or service this is just a form of green marketing and does not mean anything.
False Certification: Companies use keen catchphrases that make you want to buy their products such as ‘organic, recycled, recyclable, etc. but unfortunately are not. They are just put onto a product or service to get you to buy them. This is often through some self-declaration or certification that has not be vetted. Make sure to check these claims and if it is actually possible for you to achieve e.g. recyclable locally or has to be sent away to the manufacture.
Swindle: Company’s might have a sustainable/eco-friendly product to wave and attract you but then once at their store show numerous other products that don’t meet the environmentally friendly disclaimer of the one that brought you there.
Simply put greenwashing is disgusting and a deceptive act for the rich to get richer with no care for the environment. It is used to trick people who are actually trying to make an active change through conscious decisions with their money, which is plainly upsetting. Therefore, I have tried to shed some light on greenwashing, some cases of it and what to look for, so you do not fall for it. One more part of inspiration that has always stuck with me on greenwashing comes from one of my favourite spoken word artist who gave the following lyrics:
“our revolution is quickly becoming a catchphrase, a colour to paint the walls of our castles, shell corporation the worlds second largest private sector oil company has now marketed itself as a leader in green technology, there new motto ‘we can pass as green if we just put green dye in the gasoline’”
- Watsky
