G20 Protestors: A Few Bad Apples

In case you are living under a rock, this past weekend in Toronto was the G20 Summit. I fortunately decided to head up north of the city and am so glad I did.

As a Torontonian (and not a native one I must add, I am proudly a westerner) I was disgusted on the actions of a few bad apples.

Many videos are circulating on YouTube, but here is a taste of the criminal actions of a few bad protestors:


                                    
The destruction and media attention that arose from these actions clouded the voices and messages of the 'real' protestors. Poverty and climate change were two important issues not addressed at the G20.

Unfortunately, the peaceful protestors lost an opportunity to communicate their important messages. Why does it always seem to be that a few bad apples ruin it for the rest of us?

The Sad State of Greenwashing

After researching an article for Green Living, I've come to the sad conclusion that companies make it very difficult for us to purchase products that are truly green.

The startling statistic of 98 per cent of products have committed at least one sin of greenwashing is absolutely frightening.

But nonetheless, as consumers we need to demand that products and companies who claim to be green are in fact green. If we don't learn to avoid greenwashing, then we are allowing the true environmentally friendly products to not take full advantage in the marketplace.

How Do I Avoid Greenwashing?

I'm still a learner in this process, but one of the best resources I have come across is Ecologo.

It has an interactive site that you can actually look up products that have been certified as truly green. So, why not avoid the confusion at the grocery store? Look up your product before you go, and if it's not in the store, then demand for it.

We need to start exercising our power as consumers. You can vote for the planet every time you make the right purchase.

Social Media as a Powerful Tool for ENGOs

If you're thinking social media is just a fad, think again.

It is currently and will continue to shape how organizations communicate with its stakeholders. People everywhere are talking about your organization right now on all sorts of places, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, blogs or forums.

What I find most exciting about the use of social media is how it can be used by ENGOs. It can be one of the most powerful tools for grassroots campaigns and to increase public awareness all over the globe.

Take the recent Greenpeace campaign against Nestle.

A shocking and very creative commercial went viral on YouTube. But not only did it increase awareness of Nestle's unsustainable harvesting practices of palm oil in rainforests, but it caused so much outcry on their Facebook fan page.

From such negative press and high pressure from the public, especially on Facebook, Nestle has agreed to step up and practice sustainable palm oil harvesting.

Way to go Greenpeace! And thanks to all of the people who proved how social media can truly change the world.

Watch the video that got the movement started:

Half full or half empty?

Would I buy everything environmentally friendly if I could? You bet I would.

In a perfect world, I would be shopping at my local farmer's market every week, buying the best organic skin and beauty products and all my clothes would be made from bamboo.


This is a beautiful bamboo shirt from Sworn Virgins that I absolutely love.


But, like most people these days, my finances are strained and I am on a tight budget. This means that I unfortunately cannot buy the best environmentally friendly products always. Price point ends up as being priority number one too often.

Which begs the question, is there a point if I am not always doing the right thing? Are we not making a difference if we aren't always on our green game? In other words, is the glass half full or half empty in the green world?



This question came across my mind when recently visiting a beauty store. They do have an organic line of skin care products, which are in fact great green products. They are certified by ECOCERT, a third-party organization that certifies organic beauty products.

I unfortunately, could maybe afford one or two of these products at most. Not because they are ridiculously expensive, but because I am simply cheap!



And what about products that only have some organic ingredients. Is it better to have a product with something good, rather than nothing?

Similarly, when I go grocery shopping, I do buy some organic foods. These comprise of mostly fruits and vegetables of the skins you would actually eat (think potatoes, apples, berries, lettuce). But do I buy non-organic foods? Yes. Do I buy non-local foods? Yes. So am I being a green hypocrite?

Perhaps these are my confessions on my failings as a green twenty-something. And maybe I like to save my own confidence and tell myself, well....it's better to take small steps than not to do anything at all.