True Green

It's a fad. I mean, it's so very helpful for my job but really green has become a fad. Celebrities are driving Prius's and talking about their carbon footprint. It's a good fad because no one is hurt and only our planet gains.. or not? I've said so many times that education is the first step to getting recycling to catch on and become second nature. Miseducation on the other hand makes us take giant leaps back.

So many companies are cashing in on the eco fad and are green washing us to death. Now it is so much more difficult to determine what's really "green" and what is a company trying to persuade us to buy the same old product wrapped in a green package. It takes a very detail oriented person with extra time to be sure that the product you specifically bought because it was a bit healthier for the planet and your family is in fact just that. Unfortunately for most of us, time is not something we have a lot extra of. 

A friend recently informed me that they were happy to pay a bit more for a handcrafted wooden toy made by a toy company (that touted their eco friendly philosphy & made in the USA standards). They were happy that is until the first label was ripped off to reveal a "Made in China" sticker. Unsure what hurt worse, their pocket for paying more for nothing, their pride because they had just gotten dupped or the planet because surely the eco friendly promises must also be a lie.

So many bath products (specifically for children) claim to be "all natural" but still contain items that you wouldn't dare exposure your children to in their "raw" form. Blended with the other ingredients & marked natural you willingly slather it on them. I've decided that I'm going to try (once a week) to give tips on ingredients to avoid.

This first ingredient to try to avoid is found in a VERY common baby product:
"formaldehyde-releasing preservative quaternium-15, as well as the chemical byproduct 1,4-dioxane. Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane are known carcinogens. The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported that “the presence of 1,4-dioxane, even as a trace contaminant, is cause for concern,” and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services added formaldehyde to its list of known human carcinogens in June 2011." Forbes GREEN TECH 11/1/2011

Comments

  1. Ink DocDecember 20, 2011 at 2:07 AM

    As a business that remanufactures and recycles ink & toner printer cartridges, we are very aware of the potential for greenwashing. We take great strides in enforcing a cradle-to-grave approach with our products...virtually zero landfill dumping.

    And when compared to other types of recycled, organic or green products, our remanufactured printing products are one of the few that are US made and cost LESS than the original. We are very proud to be part of an industry that saves folks money with a quality product and keeps more than 20% of all printer cartridges from going into the landfills.

    ReplyDelete
  2. tiffany mDecember 21, 2011 at 7:56 AM

    Ink Doc.. Thanks so much for the post! We appreciate leadership and businesses like yours. Those who have a true desire to do the right thing is so great to see!

    ReplyDelete

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