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Buying green, but not for the planet

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Started 1 year ago by rus
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green marketing

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rus

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Caught this on Marketplace last night:

ANDREA GARDNER: First, I have a confession. When I buy environmentally-friendly products, it isn't for the planet. What I mean is I buy organic apple juice because I figure it's healthier for my toddler. Energy-saving light bulbs help me save money. And I think non-toxic cleaning products are just safer. I asked around, and many of my friends admitted the same thing.

Here's my yoga teacher Arianne.

ARIANNE: I mean, the side effects of it being good for the environment is great, and I'm glad, but my priority is really just my family and their health.

It turns out most people who buy eco-friendly products feel the same way. In a survey by market research firm GfK Roper, health and cost-savings beat out the planet as the main reasons people bought green products for their homes. Companies are taking notice and starting to market those products with messages like "better for you," "safer for you," "cheaper for you."

Jacqueline Ottman is a green marketing consultant. She says the trend mirrors the advice she's given clients for years.

JACQUELINE OTTMAN: Leave the planets and the daisies behind, and find the direct benefits that their products can support, such as health, superior performance, good taste, saving money, or even convenience. And then, the environment is a nice add-on benefit.

Posted 1 year ago #
osulew
My house...in the middle of my street
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You're gonna want to sit down for this...
I agree with what you've posted here. :) I know, crazy right?
I buy organic food and avoid prepackaged processed crap for the most part because of how it makes me feel...not because of how the planet feels about it. :) Some of the stuff I do saves money, and some doesn't. I spend 3x what I should on yogurt because I like the organic natural stuff that only had a few ingredients and none of them came from a lab. I buy organic produce so I don't grow four heads from all the pesticides...not because it supports sustainable farming. And I buy pricier natural cleaning products because I know it won't make my dogs sick if they get into something or lick their feet after running across the kitchen floor. I do spend $4/dozen on eggs, but I do that to be kind to the chickens. :)

Posted 1 year ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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I do the same thing when I promote green infrastructure through FOSR. I make a business case, like manage your stormwater better and you won't be replacing everything from a flooded basement as often. The fact that the river off in the background is healthier as a result is not very important to them, but that's what I was after.

Or, I can make a public-safety case, like clear out the honeysuckle and you won't have a place for criminals to lurk unseen, oh and by the way, the native plants will come back.

Posted 1 year ago #
rus

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osulew wrote >>
You're gonna want to sit down for this...
I agree with what you've posted here. :) I know, crazy right?

AUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Ye Gods! I had no idea that TODAY IS THE DAY THE DEAD RISE!!! Damn.. where's the crowbar?!?!

Edit for less silly response:

Just thought the article was interesting; show a measurable benefit as opposed to "save mother earth" emotionalism and more people would adopt a "green" activity ( provided the numbers work, of course ).

Posted 1 year ago #
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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It makes sense - after all, consumption is personal. I stopped using harsh chemicals a LONG time ago - not because they didn't do a great job, or because I was necessarily concerned about where they go when they leave my house, down the drain (although, this is certainly something I've thought about in the ensuing years), but because they make me wheezy. Then I discovered that borax and baking soda and salt and vinegar and lemon really will clean about everything that needs to be cleaned. The bonus is that it's not going to kill my pets AND it's cheaper.

Most people, doing their day to day thing, just can't be as concerned with big-picture environmental concern when they are at the store, pressed for time, and out of whatever, they just need the whatever.

It helps that prices are starting to meet in the middle with a lot of the "greener" products - household products in particular. I remember when I first starting using the "green" laundry soap, it was at least three times the cost of the standards - now it's maybe 30% more expensive. In the case of some of the standardized cleaners, I noticed that the stuff using veg-based detergents, which used to be so expensive, are now pocket change higher.

Posted 1 year ago #
rus

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Twixlen wrote >>
It makes sense - after all, consumption is personal.

Agreed there. I've not found cleaning products which make me wheezy, for instance ( ok, not since I mixed bleach and ammonia as a kid... fun once ), so never had to look into alternatives.

Posted 1 year ago #
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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No, REALLY? Humans are selfish and put their needs and convenience ahead of other concerns?

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/2010wintergames/Women+children+first+maybe/2634910/story.html

Posted 1 year ago #
rus

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berdawn wrote >>
No, REALLY? Humans are selfish and put their needs and convenience ahead of other concerns?
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/2010wintergames/Women+children+first+maybe/2634910/story.html

More to the point: not everyone buys into environmental emotionalism, even among those who buy "green" products.

Posted 1 year ago #
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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rus wrote >>

berdawn wrote >>
No, REALLY? Humans are selfish and put their needs and convenience ahead of other concerns?
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/2010wintergames/Women+children+first+maybe/2634910/story.html

More to the point: not everyone buys into environmental emotionalism, even among those who buy "green" products.

What does "environmental emotionalism" mean?

Posted 1 year ago #
rus

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berdawn wrote >>

rus wrote >>

berdawn wrote >>
No, REALLY? Humans are selfish and put their needs and convenience ahead of other concerns?
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/2010wintergames/Women+children+first+maybe/2634910/story.html

More to the point: not everyone buys into environmental emotionalism, even among those who buy "green" products.

What does "environmental emotionalism" mean?

Get the Flash Videos

Posted 1 year ago #
Bear
The woods
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berdawn wrote >>

rus wrote >>

berdawn wrote >>
No, REALLY? Humans are selfish and put their needs and convenience ahead of other concerns?
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/2010wintergames/Women+children+first+maybe/2634910/story.html

More to the point: not everyone buys into environmental emotionalism, even among those who buy "green" products.

What does "environmental emotionalism" mean?

it seems to be applied to anyone who seeks not to continue to play his or her assigned, myopic role in the tragedy of the commons.

(which is not to say that there aren't perfectly good personal-utility reasons for buying green stuff too.)

Posted 1 year ago #
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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oh...ok....none of those people seem like they do a lot of consumer activities, but OK.

much like making food purchases from sustainable sources, it's more of a well, d'uh...just got the one ecosystem.

Posted 1 year ago #
rus

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Bear wrote >>

it seems to be applied to anyone who seeks not to continue to play his or her assigned, myopic role in the tragedy of the commons.
(which is not to say that there aren't perfectly good personal-utility reasons for buying green stuff too.)

Youtube blocked at your office? Or are you too busy screaming and wailing for old growth forests?

Posted 1 year ago #
rus

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berdawn wrote >>
oh...ok....none of those people seem like they do a lot of consumer activities, but OK.

Oh, agreed. I don't think many of them invest much in soap, for instance... ;-)

Posted 1 year ago #
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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rus wrote >>

Bear wrote >>
it seems to be applied to anyone who seeks not to continue to play his or her assigned, myopic role in the tragedy of the commons.
(which is not to say that there aren't perfectly good personal-utility reasons for buying green stuff too.)

Youtube blocked at your office? Or are you too busy screaming and wailing for old growth forests?

Wailing about the demise of old-growth forests won't bring them back OR prevent future cutting. Recognizing that it's a tragedy, though, is a step towards there being a livable planet in the future. Maybe if humans lived a few centuries, we'd look at our actions a little differently.

Posted 1 year ago #
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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Sometimes the environmental effect makes me question something I'm doing and then the personal effect will make me implement change. For instance, I've been taking my lunch everyday to work and was using like 3 or 4 snack size baggies a day. I first thought, jeesh that's a lot of trash and then I thought, I wonder how much I'm going to be spending on these bags at this rate. Then it was like a lightbulb went off. I thought about all those annoying, tiny (what I thought to be useless) tupperware containers you get when you buy a set would be perfect for carrots and crackers and all the other odds and ends I bring to work. And there you go. Mother Earth is happy and so is my grocery budget :)

I'm not sure what my personal benefit is for recycling though. It's a pain in the ass, but I do it.

Posted 1 year ago #
osulew
My house...in the middle of my street
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Wholly craft has reuseable, washable snack bags in different sizes. They're purty cool. I almost bought some the last time I was there.

Posted 1 year ago #
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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Have you ever tried to "wash" a bag? I draw the line at that PITA factor, haha. Seriously though, those tiny containers from the IKEA set are perfect!! I have some others I got at Tensuke once and they are getting used up too.

Posted 1 year ago #
osulew
My house...in the middle of my street
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Yeah but they're way damn cute! :) Would be good for something non goey...something that you'd just wipe the inside out.
And I need more ikea containers.
I thought CU should know that.

Posted 1 year ago #
rus

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somertimeoh wrote >>
Have you ever tried to "wash" a bag? I draw the line at that PITA factor, haha. Seriously though, those tiny containers from the IKEA set are perfect!! I have some others I got at Tensuke once and they are getting used up too.

You've never run a ziplock bag through the dishwasher? Seems to work ok when I do it.

Posted 1 year ago #