March 9th Genre Writing

Tone Characteristics: Informative, dense, conceptual

Green-washing: that little term coined by Jay Westerveld in the 1980s who became outraged after he took notice of his hotel leaflet informing him that washing once-used towels produces masses of chemical waste products on top of contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Westerveld, a green activist, clearly saw the true motives of the hotel, as they were certainly not in business to improve the well-being of the planet, they were in business to maximize shareholder returns. This cost effective way of attributing guilt onto their guests for the externalities of the hotel's services could, on a large scale, save them thousands every year. This term has done anything but fade into irrelevancy over the last 40 years, becoming ever so useful in describing the profit-seeking motives behind publicly traded, close-fisted corporations. British Petroleum and other like-minded corporations in the oil and gas sector are prime examples of green-washing due their enduring and ceaseless efforts to redefine and market themselves as consciously committed to environmental sustainability. These efforts are clear and obvious examples of the-lesser-of-two-evils sin and the sin of irrelevance. Are they realistically green in comparison to their competitors? If so, are these efforts of any relevance towards consumers seeking green alternatives. The most important attribute for distinguishing green-washing marketing activities is skepticism. Keep this in mind and remain vigilant of the true motivations of big business next time one tries to convince you they are committed to sustainability.