Ziptrek Ecotours

Looking Past the Label

June 2010

Here in B.C., many of us are going green. We know that, in the long run, making smart and informed everyday choices can make a huge difference to environmental issues. But are we being taken advantage of in our dedication to green living?

The issue of ‘Greenwashing’ has recently emerged as a new obstacle for consumers. Defined by environmental marketing company TerraChoice, Greenwashing is “the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.”

In our grocery stores, we see claims that products are organic, 100% natural, toxin-free, green, eco- and environmentally-friendly. In fact, in the TerraChoice 2009 report entitled “The Seven Sins of Greenwashing,” it was found that green advertising has increased approximately tenfold in the past 20 years, and has almost tripled between 2006 and 2009.

The good news is that the exponential increase in green advertising illustrates that consumers are demanding environmentally friendly products. The bad news is that, as consumers, we are clueless as to the legitimacy of these claims.

So what can we do? One solution is to keep an eye out for labels we can trust. The emergence of Greenwashing has also meant the creation of independent third-party eco-labels. The leader in this field is EcoLogo, a program initiated by the Canadian Government which assigns products an EcoLogo mark after they undergo a stringent certification process.

But with so few labels that we can trust and so many ‘green’ products out there, we need another way to ensure the legitimacy of our environmentally conscious shopping. A simple solution with positive community results is supporting the shop-local movement! There are many local businesses in the Sea to Sky Community which are passionately committed to maintaining environmentally friendly products.

These initiatives are ubiquitous. Farmers Markets are an excellent place to speak with local farmers and pick their brains as to how their products are truly eco-friendly. The Squamish Farmers Market gets underway May 15th, and the Whistler Farmers Market starts up June 21st. In addition, check out www.pembertonfarmers.com for an extensive list of fresh produce, meats, cheeses and baked goods that you can buy directly from the Pemberton farmers.   

Some local coffee companies offer an excellent morning boost while maintaining a truly eco-friendly business. The Pemberton Valley Coffee Company, Whistler Roasting Company and Galileo Coffee Company are run and operated by locals who carry only chemical-free organic coffee beans which are sustainably grown and fairly traded. The best part? You can speak directly with these locals who actually met the coffee farmers, did the roasting, designed the packaging, and delivered the product.  

Those who were fortunate enough to attend the recent EPIC Vancouver Sustainability Expo (which ran May 28th-30th) had the opportunity to learn more about truly sustainable and environmentally friendly household products. EPIC is a three-day celebration of green living, with over 300 companies and eco-educators who discuss earth-friendly products and services. Have a look at www.epicvancouver.com for more details.    

For further information on the advantages of shopping locally, have a look at www.getlocalbc.org.

by: Alison McKenzie