How to “Green” Society: Social Sheepherding

Scientific American had an interesting article in its November 2008 issue about the effectiveness of different ways to encourage people to take ‘green’ actions.  The article, available here, details a study on guests’ towel reuse in hotels.  The study found that signs asking guests to reuse their towels are more effective when the signs say that fellow guests in their particular room had reused towels.  The study also found that when the signs included that the hotel donated to environmental agencies, guests were significantly more likely to reuse their towels.

Obviously, the world isn’t going to change much by reusing our towels when we stay in hotels, but we can apply aspects of this study to the larger sustainability movement.

The study, while small in scope, might indicate that advertisers and nonprofits are approaching the green movement in an ineffective way.  Perhaps advertising and education campaigns that seek to increase green participation should reshift their focus to promoting local campaigns that focus on the idea that people are already being green in their area.  It could also be an important step forward in public relations for environmental organizations who are seen as negative nancies, impending doom-mongers, and militant hippies, to start praising the work that has already been done in communities in the name of hopeful further progress.

As for the second half of the towel study findings, companies have already jumped on the donation bandwagon.  General Electric has launched several ad campaigns touting their green efforts, and who can deny the friendliness of Beyond Petroleum‘s green daisy?  Even Exxon-Mobil has rebranded itself to sound more socially responsible through it’s motto, “Taking on the world’s toughest energy challenges.”

The problem comes when a company claims to be sustainable, green or socially responsible, but in all actuality, isn’t.  Critics call this green-washing.   It’s like Special K claiming to be a health cereal, but it’s really laden with high fructose corn syrup and preservatives.  For the consumer seeking to make a sustainable choice, it gets increasingly frustrating.  Seeking more information on company practices can only go so far if companies are opaque and secretive.

What to do?

There are quite a few organizations who are seeking to provide certification services to products and companies in order to help protect the consumer. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies paper and wood suppliers; GreenSeal and GreenTick are certification processes for a variety of products; LEED certification is for construction; and there are a multitude of organic certifiers out there for makeup and food.

The certification process is expensive and tedious for companies – but it is a cost that can get passed on to the consumer and also lead to a potential increased profit margin through being able to charge a premium.  It looks like certification is the route we’ll have to go unless more companies are taken to task for false green washing claims.