Happy Independence Day! I’m off to the annual High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, CA. This is a 4-day, almost non-stop musical event that takes place on the Plumas County Fairgrounds nestled in the beautiful and majestic Sierra mountains of northern California. I love going to this event, not just for the great music it always has but because something happens to me when I’m up in the Sierras surrounded by all those Redwoods. It’s hard to explain, but there’s a feeling of total serenity and contentment that washes over me when I’m up there and it starts during the drive up –when I get to the Feather River Canyon. With its scenic and winding road, it represents the last stretch of the 4+ hour trip and fills me with excitement and anticipation.

I hope you enjoy your holiday this year, whatever you do. Above all, remember to be thankful for all the freedoms you enjoy. That includes the freedom to choose how to spend your hard-earned dollars and use your economic power as a consumer to promote healthy and environmentally sustainable choices.

As a follow up to my last post, I thought I’d leave you with a quick run-down of the original Six Sins of Greenwashing referenced in the market research report by TerraChoice. Here you go:

1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-off. Committed by suggesting a product is ‘green’ based on an unreasonably narrow set of attributes without attention to other important environmental issues. Paper that comes from a sustainably-harvested forest for example, is not necessarily in and of itself an environmentally-friendly choice. Other important environmental issues in the paper-making process, including energy used, greenhouse gas emissions, and resulting water and air pollution may be equally or more significant.
2. Sin of No Proof. Committed by an environmental claim that cannot be substantiated by easily accessible information or by reliable third-party certification. Common examples are facial or toilet tissue products that claim various percentages of post-consumer recycled content without providing any evidence.
3. Sin of Vagueness. Committed by every claim that is so poorly defined or broad that its real meaning is likely to be misunderstood by the consumer. ‘All-natural’ is an example. Arsenic, uranium, mercury, and formaldehyde are all naturally occurring substances, and also poisonous. ‘All natural’ isn’t always necessarily ‘green’.
4. Sin of Irrelevance. Committed by making an environmental claim that may be truthful but is unimportant or unhelpful for consumers seeking environmentally preferable products. ‘CFC-free’ is a common example, since it is a frequent claim despite the fact that CFCs are now banned by law.
5. Sin of Lesser of Two Evils. Committed by claims that may be true within the product category, but that risk distracting the consumer from the greater environmental impacts of the category as a whole. Organic cigarettes are an example of this category, as are allegedly fuel-efficient sport-utility vehicles.
6. Sin of Fibbing. This is the least frequent Sin and is committed by making environmental claims that are simply false. The most common examples were products falsely claiming to be Energy Star certified or registered.

To download a copy of the complete report: The Seven Sins of Greenwashing go to http://sinsofgreenwashing.org/findings/greenwashing-report-2009/