GOOD blogger Cliff Kuang says don’t buy green. He says buy less, and buy long-lasting.
And he takes particular issue with a credit card that offsets CO2 emissions instead of offering bonus miles:
The green credit card really exemplifies the problem. It encourages you to buy more, and salves your conscience with the promise that every purchase is helping the planet. It feeds the pernicious idea that we’ll be okay if we just buy new stuff.
I think his observation about the psychological impact of green credit cards* is a good one, but I don’t share his frustration with “the ubiquity of worthless green products.”
Can’t we buy less, buy long-lasting, and buy green too?
And can’t green marketing be useful, even when it’s unsubstantiated?
It spreads vocabulary. It makes people wonder why certain products aren’t advertising their crunchiness. It sets expectations and lets us question whether they’re being met. And it invites Cliff Kuang to make the argument for buying less and buying long-lasting before buying green.
*I have a Working Assets card, which donates a few cents here and there to a suite of charities. I’m not overly impressed, but I’ll keep using it, and I’ll make sure I feel an appropriately microscopic pinch of pride every time I make a purchase.