Some Not-So-Green Products
Greenopolis Founder

hlund05

There's some 'green' products out there that just aren't quite as green as they claim to be. Whether you call it greenwashing or just plain dishonesty, here's a few products that don't live up to their green hype.

"Green" Cleaning Products: To meet the growing demand for environmentally-friendly products, a number of companies have created "green" cleaning products. For people concerned with the number of chemicals in traditional household cleaners, these seem like a great solution. However, these new "green" products contain some of the same chemicals. The real green cleaning solution? Homemade cleaners from everyday items such as baking soda, vinegar, cola, etc.

Hybrid SUVs: This almost seems like an oxymoron; we've come to associate the word "hybrid" with eco-responsibility, but "SUV" is a dirty three-letter word in environmental circles. So are these hybrid SUVs green? Most of them get less than 30 miles per gallon. That's better than the national average, but there are also a lot of other vehicles out there, hybrid or traditional, that can do better. Sure, a hybrid SUV is better than a traditional SUV, but that doesn't mean you're an environmental hero if you buy one. 

Energy Trackers: There are a lot of devices out there marketed to green people that display or keep track of the electricity your electronic devices use. These trackers supposedly conserve energy by making you aware of the electricity you're using, thus helping the environment. However, these devices seem to me to be a big waste. They are made of plastics, metals and other materials, and take energy to produce and ship. And the problem is, they don't offer anything to the consumer that isn't common sense knowledge. Keep the following four things in mind, and you can save yourself from buying one of these gizmos:

  • Your stuff uses electricity.
  • When you turn your stuff off, it uses less electicity...
  • ...But even when it's turned off, your stuff still uses electricity.
  • Your stuff uses a lot of electicity (the exact amount can be found on your monthly utility bill).

And guess what? Energy trackers use electicity, too!

"Eco-shape" water bottles: These "eco-shape" bottles use less plastic than traditional bottles, and are thus labeled as "green." Unfortunately, these bottles use almost infinitely more plastic than your kitchen faucet. So fill up a reusable container from the tap (like this one) and be a real eco-hero. 

Organic /Hemp / Recycled Fabric clothing: Sure these might be a bit greener than the clothes for sale in the mall (or they might not be), but the greenest choice would be not to buy new clothes at all. Unless you absolutely need a new item of clothing (and how many of us really do), these eco-friendly clothes can't really be considered a green decision. If you do want to buy some new threads, go vintage and give some older clothes new life. Now that's a green choice!

Well, that's some of the stuff you might want to avoid. Here's some stuff you can buy that will actually make a big difference:

  • CFL bulbs
  • Appliances rated highly by Energy Star
  • Reusable shopping bags
  • Anything used!

Hopefully this will help you make your spending dollar a little greener. Happy shopping!

 

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helping the feeble minded

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Energy Trackers: You have a house full of energy consuming devices. Your electric bill at the end of the month tells you the total consumption. If you don't know which individual devices consume how much power then you may run around unplugging 90% of your equipment only to find out that they are only responsible for 20% of the consumption. Therefore, the intelligent person would say.. hey, an energy tracker is just what I need to check the consumption of my devices in various states. Based on those consumption levels I can make intelligent decisions about my conservation efforts.

"And guess what? Energy trackers use electicity, too!"

Energy trackers use MILLIAMPS of current... the big power consumers in a house consume MULTIPLE AMPS. Its a candle next to the sun. An energy tracker is an effective way to benchmark current consumption and then INTELLIGENTLY and SYSTEMATICALLY reduce your usage. And, you don't need to keep the energy tracker plugged in 24/7... how about unplugging it once you know what you need to know?

I am glad that I have never

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I am glad that I have never bought anything from this list!

so dumb

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Energy trackers are just another way for corporations to buy into the whole green movement I think that choosing to live sustainable is great, but you do not need to buy into every new product on the market that is labeled green or energy saving . . there are so many little things you can do instead

LOL

The Amalfi Coast

So.. I definitely laughed when I saw the "hybrid SUV's" lol are they serious? I guess since purchases are down they need to do something to get people buying them again!

Awesome info! Read about how

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Awesome info! Read about how to avoid green washing on my blog

http://greenopolis.com/myopolis/blogs/recyclemania/making-greener-shop
pi...

I always thought the eco

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I always thought the eco shape bottles were better . . thanks for the info!

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