The global warming industry is imploding from scientific scandals, inconvenient weather, economic anxiety and surging popular skepticism (according to a Pew Research Center survey released in January, global warming ranks 21st out of 21 in terms of the public’s priorities).

I guess a 21st ranking is enough for Audi to spend a million + bucks to persuade you during the SuperBowl

The moral of the story is that we should welcome our new green tyrants and, if we know what’s good for us, surrender to the New Green Order.

Audi’s “Green Police” depicts an America where citizens are arrested — roughly — for even minor environmental infractions. A man at the supermarket asks for a plastic shopping bag and has his head slammed against the counter as he’s cuffed by a Green Police officer. “You picked the wrong day to mess with the ecosystem, plastic boy,” quips the cop. When officers find a battery in the wrong suburban garbage bin, one big cop yells, “Battery! Let’s go! Take the house!”

Some eco-bloggers disliked the ad because it reinforces the association of undemocratic statism or PC bullying with environmentalism. Perhaps that’s why the New York Times dubbed it “misguided.”

Meanwhile, some conservatives didn’t like it because it makes light of what they believe is actually happening. After all, in America and Europe, the list of environmental crimes is growing at an almost exponential rate. The ad is absurd, of course, but not nearly as absurd as Audi thinks.

What was Audi’s intent? Presumably, to sell cars.

“The ad only makes sense if it’s aimed at people who acknowledge the moral authority of the green police,” writes Grist magazine’s David Roberts on the Huffington Post. The target audience, according to Roberts, are men who want to “do the right thing.” He’s certainly right that the ad isn’t aimed at people (whom he childishly mocks as “teabaggers”) who worry that their liberties are being slowly eroded.

So many topics to discuss. Brad Pitt’s biodegrable body lotion, Tiger Woods is now like the rest of us, a real human being. America’s dollar is weaker, China is building huge solar plants in Arizona and India will not buy our bonds, rather they buy more gold. Most of what I just said is not that interesting so lets do some “You Got to be Kidding Me” gift ingredient audits.

I’ve been shopping for holiday gifts and as a cheif responsible blogger at Hart of Green, I have to pull back that veil on “Biodegradable”. What you don’t know will only help you feel more stupid when you find out whats really in these products posing as 100% green.

You got to be kidding me #1…

100% biodegradable body wash? …really? 100?

On the positive side, when I look at all the ingredients in most of these products, I found most are able to break down within 28 days. Not much biodegrades available as ingredients, especially the thing we care about the most, THE SCENT - there are really only three scents to choose from. Hence, why we see so much aloe.

Packaging-wise, most bottles are made of post-consumer recycled plastic

However, all had fragrances and preservatives such as potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate, which can form into the carcinogen benzene if it comes in contact with acids. And there’s isoeugenol, also found in the body wash, which is currently listed as a “high hazard” ingredient on the Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic database.

Of course, it’s not as though using this body wash will cause skin cancer, but compare it to something like Dr. Bronner’s soaps, which are made of nothing but glycerin and essential oils - fair-trade, organic ones at that - and it suddenly doesn’t seem so impressive.

You got to be kidding me #2

While most all bottles are recyclable, the pumps are not. Even Brad Pitt’s, Kiehl’s, generally tries to be eco-conscious in their product development and retail, it has yet to offer an in-store refill option.

What’s scary is we should grab a bottle of Jean-Nate and see what’s in that. Remember that stuff? They still sell it.  Even scarier, I bet Brad Pitt and Angelina flood thier bathtub with it.

Furthermore, biodegradable soap is actually not biodegradable when it ends up in a body of water, because it requires soil for it to break down properly.

This is why many “camping friendly” soaps have labels reading “Do all washing, bathing or cleaning at least 200 feet from any water sources.”

So you make the call. More products posturing as green this holiday season on the margins of what is otherwise an unsustainable product. There are two components with biodegradable, the ingredients and the packaging, and neither is as sustainable as something like a bar soap, which is natural, doesn’t require packaging and has a long shelf life.”

There are two categories of green products:

Best in class, which refers to the best of a bad set of products (for example, biodegradable plastic bags, which are better than regular plastic bags but still belong to a category that’s inherently unsustainable); and alternatives to unsustainable products, such as a cleaning solution that uses vinegar instead of ammonia as a base.

Companies that are genuinely trying to change their ways for the sake of the environment should be commended, even if they’re not perfectly green in the end.

But consumers who are serious about reducing their footprint will soon figure out that words like “recyclable,” “biodegradable” and “natural” don’t always translate into sustainable.

Time to hold your dry cleaner accountable when they’re using the word ORGANIC.

The truth is, businesses who go green need to stop using false labels that lead to false advertising.

Did you know, chemists define anything organic to be anything containing carbon, and those things aren’t necessarily good for you.

#1
Dry cleaning really isn’t dry – it just means that instead of water being used to clean the clothes, a chemical solvent is used in its place.

#2
Most dry cleaners use perchloroethylene, otherwise known as perc. The EPA has classified this handy little cleaner as a probable cancer-causing chemical.

#3
Many organic dry cleaners use a solvent called DF-2000 (sounds totally organic, right?) to clean clothes instead of perc. A derivative of gasoline, DF-2000 is only slightly less harmful than perc.

#4
Have you noticed that within 1 mile of your home you will probably find “organic” dry cleaners in a one-mile radius?

#5
At the first couple of places I went to, the clerk behind the counter couldn’t even answer my question. A manager was summoned to tell me that, indeed, DF-2000 was used in their facility to clean clothes in a “healthier” way. Another told me that perc was used to clean the clothes in their establishment, and the sign “organic” in the window only meant that they operated in an environmentally responsible way – meaning that they recycle those toxic perc containers, I guess.

#6
According to the clerk in the fourth store, they were actually using a method called wet cleaning, in which water is used to clean the garment, but in a computerized machine that prevents shrinkage and wrinkles. Prices there, however, were a bit steeper.

#7
I went home to do a bit more research, and found out that wet cleaning actually works great for most garments and is actually a much greener alternative to either perc or DF-2000. Another alternative? Carbon dioxide cleaning, which turns CO2 into a liquid to clean clothes.

Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a greener way to dry clean, try finding a dry cleaner that uses a truly greener method here.

Are you ready to STOP BUYING dry clean-only clothes altogether? I’m not. But I am enjoying this continued education of how fake people show up with veneer green labels and expect everyone to honor them when they aren’t authentic. What the hell?

There are some things that — no matter how green — just don’t make sense.

What you name a clothing store when you want to appeal to everyone.

Angel View Thrift Mart Prestige Boutique

Thrift? Prestige? Boutique? All at once? Perfect for the Eco Barbies…….huh?

Green Fashion Show. Ever wondered how Eco-Sexy you can be with a Cosmo-Green lifestyle? I’m tired just thinking about it.

By all means, jump in…do you have an OM that’s just gas? [oxymoron]

Clean Coal has to be the weirdest

Green warfare is a new one on me!

Exxon Cares

A ’sustainable’ iceberg hotel … in Dubai

Is it just us, or is the Arctic really the only logical place where an iceberg hotel can be considered sustainable? From that perspective, sticking a piece of frozen architecture under the blazing sun of the Middle East seems the antithesis of “green,” no matter how much solar energy you harness. But that’s the idea behind the Blue Crystal, a “swimming world of ice offshore Dubai” that would feature luxury restaurants, an underwater lounge and five-level ballrooms, among other amenities. Did we mention it would have a “self-sufficient energy system?”

Green shopping malls

Never mind how appealing the design and eco-friendliness might be (see, for example, these plans for a 1-million-square-foot shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur) … the whole idea behind the shopping mall — cheap plastic stuff from China, “As Seen on TV” consumer gadgets, all the latest fashions, etc. — is, admit it, an unsustainable one. Certainly, a growing number of once-middle-class consumers have come to that conclusion during this Great Recession.

 

Vegetarian Meatballs

Plastic silverware

Corporate conscience

Melted ice

 

 

HomeGain is proud to support the cause of raising earth preservation awareness and green efforts within the real estate community.

The goal of any movement is the collective result — that small changes will make a huge difference. This campaign will provide ideas and inspire Realtors to make changes in the way they conduct business so they may help their clients make eco-friendly choices.

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Louis Cammarosano
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