Green Movement Backlash

By Amber Fagan<

With every movement, there is always resistance, whether intentional or not. Not surprisingly, signs of a green backlash are evident at the consumer level. This mainly stems from the deluge of green options into the marketplace. What does “green” really mean? It is natural or organic or both? What about the companies who make green products? If they exploit their workers, are they considered green? Are fair trade products the only way to go? Consumers become confused and tend to stick to their familiar non-green brands.

Plus, there is the cost factor. Green products are traditionally more expensive than their non-green counterparts. In an economy that has rising fuel costs and a plummeting housing market, people are pinching pennies and every last dollar is budgeted out of necessity. When I shop, I tend to become confused by all the different options even among the same brand name. Perhaps what annoys consumers the most is the way companies smell a way to make some quick cash with the rising awareness of this green phenomenon, even if their trends – such as t-shirts and jewelry - are truly green or not. Are green products worth buying to help the earth or is it just a marketing scheme?

Maybe the biggest confusion stems from the fact that there is no universal agreement among scientists and policy makers that we are in the midst of a climate change. “Al Gore is facing a huge amount of criticism after releasing his film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ with his right wing opponents saying he’s scare-mongering to make money and gain publicity for when he runs for presidency and so on and so on.” At TruthAboutToyota.com, a group of concerned citizens believe that Toyota is anything but environmentally friendly in its intentions, spawning the new slogan for the car company: “Toyota: Moving Backwards.” It is difficult for most people to decipher fact from fiction and picking apart the scientific mumbo-jumbo. Even Wired Magazine challenged some cherished beliefs about environmentalism.

As a liberal arts student, my eyes tend to glaze over when too much technical detail gets involved. I tend to be more attracted to the altruistic concepts behind the green movement. And critics state this is exactly what the environmentalists want. These critics feel that the green movement is based off of emotions and angst. They believe that people buy and practice being “green” to soothe their conscious and give them a sense of purpose in achieving a better life for themselves and their families.

With all the conflicting viewpoints and products, not to mention increased concern over cash flow, going green can be harder than you would first expect. Despite where we stand on the climate change topic, we can all agree that adding to landfills is kind of gross and needs to be stymied. Who wants to walk on a bunch of trash? And I think we can all agree that cutting down the forests without replenishment, displacing animals and killing off valuable plant species, is bad no matter which way you slice it. Keep in mind that most of the world’s medicine comes from plants in the Amazon Rain Forrest. And these plants are quickly disappearing. No matter where you stand, looking ahead is always smart.

Wired Magazine image; Courtesy of TreeHugger.com