Anyone else have any surprise "wow, I can't believe they're jumping on the bandwagon" moments like this?

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese ORGANIC!
"certified USDA organic cheddar cheese and pasta and contains no artificial preservatives or flavors."

For some reason this just tickles me. My brother-in-law bought it for me. Cute.

Yeah, how about the new Clorox's Green Works line?!

I had to laugh at that one.

Yeah! The new Clorox green line seems like such greenwashing. Why not change all their products green if it is so important to them? Even though I really feel like continuing to poo-poo them, they will still probably reach a demographic that trusts their name and can afford them, so it will still do some good. I guess it's a baby step thing too. Little by little.

I had posted this in another topic, but since it's come up here, it seems appropriate to ask. And I'm seriously asking, I'm not trying to be a pill.
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"Green Washing" ???

I hear people say they don't want to support a product or store because it's just "green washed, not really green." What do is meant by this and why is it bad? Does it mean "a traditional company/product who isn't green at the core but is making green products because green is popular now"? If so, aren't we more concerned about the results and not the motivations? Most things most companies do are profit motivated - that's why we say "vote with your dollars", no? Also, does the idea "one step at a time, baby steps, any progress" only apply to individuals or wouldn't we applaud green steps in corporations? Or does the term mean something else? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Greenwashing is when a company pretends their product is green when it really isn't. For example, a product might have a package designed to look like other green products (beige with a leaf on it or something) and words on the front like "natural" and "herbs" but when you look to see what's actually in the product and how it's produced, it's not green at all. Sure, they might put in a pinch of aloe or something. But the active ingredients or the chemical preservatives are still toxic. It's called greenwashing because they may look a little greener on the surface, but they're not green underneath -- they're just trying to scoop up the growing number of buyers interested in going green.

Other companies might recycle something or donate a few dollars to a greenish charity and brag about it in their ads. That's great, but it doesn't mean all their products are green.

ah, okay...a facade. So if Target or Wal-Mart carried Dr. Bronners or 7th Generation or would Target/Wal-Mart be considered a company who's "green washing" or just offering popular products?

I wouldn't see that as greenwashing. If they spent all their ad dollars on campaigns that suggest they are green companies because they sell a few green products, then that would be greenwashing. But they don't.

I don't shop at Wal-mart, but they actually do a lot of things that are green, including green packaging and lighting. But they're careful not to call themselves a green company. At the Wall Street Journal ECO:nomics conference last month in Santa Barbara, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott spoke about their green efforts but admitted: “We are not out saying that we are a green company; we are not.”

For an example of greenwashing, look at Clairol's Herbal Essences shampoos that claim to provide a "truly organic experience"? Yes they include a few organic ingredients. But they also contain chemicals that are truly not organic, like sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol and D&C red no. 33.

No one is entirety green. The problem with greenwashing is the false advertising. It makes it hard to figure out where our choices fall on the green spectrum.

Saw this post in Reece Computer's Newsletter (they're in Half Moon Bay, CA) and thought it interesting. The "6 Sins" article she references is also informative (and brief!):
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Greening IT: Terrachoice posted an article recently called the “6 Sins of Greenwashing.” [http://www.terrachoice.com/Home/EcoMarketer/Subscribe] Great article. According to Wikipedia, greenwashing is “a term that is used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.” The term “green” is really popular right now and somewhat undefined. Like many things in the food industry, it’s sometimes hard to understand whether consumers are getting the straight story or not. Beware of companies who use the term green to define every business activity. It’s quite difficult to be completely green (although I do know some businesses who come quite close). Sustainability is the most that many of us can hope for – helping to sustain a healthy local economy by providing jobs for more people, helping to sustain the environment by doing the best we can by taking care of what we have, and helping to sustain the community by buying from local suppliers when possible and supporting our local non-profits. That’s not a definition of Green, but that’s sometimes the best you can do.