globalbriefs
Cut Abuse Government Steps In to Curb Greenwashing
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued updated green marketing guidelines intended to stop advertisers from making deceptive or unqualifi ed claims about products being environmentally benefi cial or eco-friendly, called “greenwashing.” The FTC said that few products deliver the far-reaching environmental benefi ts that consumers associate with such claims, and they are nearly impossible to substantiate.
The revision is the fi rst since 1998, when phrases like “carbon footprint” and “renewable energy” were relatively new. Using input from consumers and industry groups, new sections address the use of carbon offsets, “green” certifi cations and seals, and renewable energy and renewable materials claims. Marketers are warned not to make broad, unqualifi ed assertions that their products are environmentally benign or eco-friendly. Arthur Weissman, president and CEO of Green Seal Inc., a nonprofi t
environmental certifi cation organization based in Washington, D.C., says, “We hope that there will be enforcement to help rid the marketplace of the many less-than-credible seals and greenwashing that exist.” The new guidelines are not rules or regulations, but general prin- ciples that describe the types of environmental claims the FTC may fi nd deceptive. They do not address use of the terms “sustainable” and “natural” and “organic.”
Source: The Christian Science Monitor
Good Hood Paving the Way in Sustainable Streets
A one-and-one-half-mile stretch of Cermak Road, on Chicago’s West Side, will soon become one of the greenest streets in the country, and possibly the world. The historic industrial artery is shedding its smokestacks and corrugated steel warehouses for a $16 million makeover by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT)
that will make the corridor a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum showcase. Improvements range from solar-paneled bus
stops to native plants and pavement that absorbs rainwater. Armed with tax increment fi nancing funds and grant money, the CDOT set to work incorporating what may be the most sustainable elements ever to go into a single stretch of road. In addition, all materials were found within a 500-mile radius of the project. Twenty-three percent of the materials used are from recycled sources, and more than 60 percent of the redevelopment construction waste will itself be recycled. Other cities are studying the project as a blueprint for change.
Source:
Grist.com
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