Green – the new “in” color. Everywhere you look nowadays it’s green this and green that. I just learned that there are now special real estate brokers called ecobrokers. They specialize in finding environmentally friendly properties for their clients. Don’t call them if you happen to be looking for a home on a toxic waste site or in the shadow of a major smelting factory. Sure, those are the best deals, but they’re not green. Well, they may actually be green, but not in an ecological sense.
Your dream home can be here for absolutely no money down!
Look at the products you buy now. You know those pungent household cleaners and paints that have warnings like “if you spill this on your skin, proceed immediately to an emergency room?” Check the label now. You will find it says “ecologically compatible.” It will still rot your flesh but your septic tank has nothing to fear.
“Eco-compatible” products in cans with a decomposition half-life of 200 million years.
So, you want to wash your hands and clothes in “green” products to show your love for the environment? You make sure the laundry detergent, dishwasher liquid and hand soaps are labeled “eco-products” to accomplish this. Only one problem; those products can be up to 50% and higher petroleum based (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-03/acs-sii030911.php). So while you’re washing your hands, wine glasses and skivvies in oil, please accept my thanks as an Exxon stockholder.
Your Windex on its way to your local Piggly Wiggly.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for being environmentally smart. Our affordable resources are finite and need to be used if not sparingly, then with great economy. My point is, much of what you see in advertising and product labels is just a PR ploy to lure you into thinking you are single-handedly saving the planet by buying and using this product.
You as a mini-me version of Al Gore.
Well, I have the ultimate way for you to feel really good about yourself. Recycle this blog. Imagine the energy savings as you all shut down your blog sites after hitting the copy/paste buttons. No more long hours at the computer composing stories and burning those new compact fluorescent “green” light bulbs. Just log on every few days and recycle this blog. If it happens to be the only featured “Freshly Pressed” article, so be it.
I’ve seen worse.
The earth after my blog recycling program is enacted.
The Cvillean 
Done 🙂
Awesome. You are now entered into the drawing for “most trash recycled.”
Oh, it’s ok, I didn’t recycle it on MY blog!! I gave it to Tilly 🙂
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Very good points. When the big corporations start shouting their “Green” credentials you know their voice just rings with sincerity and they are hardly aware of the revenue considerations
Right you are. It’s no different than the “new and improved” product labels when the only thing new and improved is the label itself. We’re a gullible bunch we consumers.
I’ve shopped at garage sales and thrift stores for years, partially to save money, but also because I love the idea of reusing stuff that might otherwise be thrown away. Now I’m trendy – who knew?
Great. Then I’m sure you’ll be the first to pick up on this blog recycling thingy.
We did a lot of that ourselves. However, I think is was mainly because we were poor.
Clever hook – be green, recycle my blog! We were green years ago. We recycled milk bottles, beer bottles and soda bottles. We washed and reused baby diapers. We dried clothes on clothes lines, etc.