The Greenwash Brigade

Posted at 1:13 PM on February 3, 2009 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: Science

I'm not sure how I missed the existence of The Greenwash Brigade, seeing as how it's happening -- more or less -- within earshot of the News Cut World Headquarters. American Public Media's Marketplace has assembled a team of "environmental professionals" to grade the "eco-friendly claims of corporations."

Janne K. Flisrand, the program coordinator for Minnesota Green Communities, spotted a troubling corporate effort. Sharp Electronics employees are volunteering to teach 5th graders about climate change and renewable power, she writes, and has focused it on solar power.

That's not necessarily bad, depending on the larger context. A lesson focused on solar power is appropriate IF the class had already learned about conservation, AND there are classes dedicated to other renewable energy sources. As a stand-alone, it's simply self-interested marketing.

Comments (1)

Bob - thanks for noticing. I'm a local fan.

-Janne Flisrand
Greenwash Brigadier

Posted by Janne Flisrand | February 3, 2009 5:38 PM

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