How is something Determined to be "Green" (In terms of Eco-Friendliness)?

Question

With the term "Green" being used so much more often, and new Eco-Friendly methods being used for cars, buildings, waste management, etc... who is determining what is 'Green' and what isn't? Are there certain levels of how Green something is? Is there some sort of position of government regulated (Ha, yeah, I know) system to determine if something is Green or not?

Basically, Im just wondering if something could be labeled Green and then have it turn out that it was barely any different... and who would be in charge of determining what's Green.

Answer 1

Honestly, I thinkyour right. The word "green" is being used way too much. I believe that anything that is a better alternative is concidered GREEN. Kind of like that book, "Eat this not that". Yes the book gives you a better choice, but isnt all that fast food listed in the book bad for you? I also believe that some of the "green" ideas are not always good, or are only good for today- not tomorrow.

Answer 2

Extremist groups share a common perception about the world. They are anti-science, anti-technology, anti-trade, anti-globalization - not just free trade, but all trade.

People who embrace extremist views and philosophies believe all large machines are inherently evil, and - worse - science is used to justify positions "that actually have nothing to do with science."

These viewpoints are naive, including the oft-stated wish to return to a "Garden of Eden." How ironic, that these same people use cell phones, laptops and jet planes as the main tools of their trade.

Answer 3

This is a great question.  Yes, because green is now "in", many people are jumping on the bandwagon and claiming to have green products.  But how do we know?

Condensing down hours of time and reams of info, I agree that "green" can be distilled into 3 areas:

* Energy Efficiency

* Resource Conservation

* Non Toxic Materials

See this page for more explanation  http://www.building-your-green-home.com/...

Just because building materials are recycled, does it mean they are necessarily healthy?  Exactly what do we need for healthy living?  Both of these issues are addressed on the following web page: http://www.building-your-green-home.com/...

Why should we consider green?  Green materials, green building or remodeling or green whatever?  Check out some compelling thoughts on this page: http://www.building-your-green-home.com/...

I agree, it can be confusing. Hopefully the above info will help  clarify your idea of what green is (or should be).

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

It's nothing but marketing.  There is no difference between most products in terms of environmental impact but slapping on a "green" or "organic" label means you can get away with doubling the price.

Answer 5

Green is just a marketing term at this point. I remember seeing green appliances at target which were just appliances without running LEDs. Great, but what do you do with all your old appliances besides send them to the landfill (I know it's possible in some places to recycle but are most folks going to?)

Companies know how hard this is all being pushed onto the younger generation. They are banking on the fact that the children have a lot of influence on what their parents buy at the store. They will browbeat their parents into doing the "right" thing

Organic is a regulated term now but wasn't always, and still means different things according to who is certifying. It has also become license to charge outrageous amounts of money for food that is produced in practically the same way in some cases as its conventionally grown counterpart.

Answer 6

Anything can be marketed as "green" but mostly companies are taking advantage of people's tendencies to want to be eco-friendly and are marketing their products as "green" in order to sell more.