The "Going Green" Bonanza

I do what I can to "go green." I recycle, drive a small economy car, walk, turn off lights, try to consume less, because I believe it is the right way to live. But lately I feel like I have been bombarded with "green" products. Seems like companies are enticing consumers to buy their new "environmentally friendly" stuff so we can all feel good about saving the planet as we consume. Kinda like environ mental health for consumers. But how legitimate are the claims that these companies are making?

Reynolds wrap makes a new aluminum foil made from 100% recycled aluminum. I can't believe they just got the idea to use recycled aluminum for tinfoil. What were they doing before? According to their website http://www.reynoldsrecycled.com/index.html, the recycled foil is made from "post consumer aluminum such as stadium seats, automobile components, cookware, gutters and siding." So that's what they did with the old Yankee Stadium seats.

There are new "green" cleaning products, paper products and all sorts of stuff. Sometimes I wonder if it is the same old crap in a different package. Actually, the new green stuff could be a lower grade product, but it's still the same price, and sometimes even more pricey. The paper products sure feel a little lighter. What about all that wasteful packaging? A bag of potato chips is still only like 1/3 full. Isn't all that extra packaging bad for the planet?

Wouldn't it make more sense to just use less stuff or omit some products from your life altogether? Like bottled water for example. I could live without that. What a scam, and a waste of plastic. And do I really need to buy a different cleaning product for each surface? I think Fantastick works fantastic on most surfaces.

In a survey done for the Canadian government by a group called "TerraChoice", just 2 percent of self-proclaimed green products (from US and Canada) make completely legitimate claims on their labels.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE53E6RS20090415?rpc=62

Happy Earth Day Weekend! Go outside and enjoy the warm weather.

Photo of Trexler Park by Gianni Villa age 7