BIRMINGHAM GREEN

BY NICHOLAS J. DUPUIS, PLANNING DIRECTOR

As we continue our sustainability journey in Birmingham, and as we continue to ask you to do more and more to help offset your individual environmental impacts, it is important to pause for a moment and make sure you know about the concept of greenwashing. Simply put, you need to make sure that the attempts you are making to be green…are actually green.

Greenwashing is the act of making false or misleading statements about the environmental benefits of a product or practice. As environmentalism goes more and more mainstream, a lucrative market has formed for sustainable products, which can be warped by marketing and clever design. There are several common strategies for greenwashing such as deceiving nature-based imagery, environmental buzzwords, misleading labels, and over emphasis on sustainability initiatives to mask other harmful activities

The role of this article is intended to raise awareness so that you may be more engaged in your purchasing decisions. On your next trip to the store, take some extra time to find and scrutinize a “green” product – you may be surprised about what you find!