Editor's
suggested read from Mike
Adams, the Health Ranger...
The Politics of National Health Care Reform: Why no Popular Presidential Candidate can
Solve Our Health Care Crisis (transcript)
Large
corporations are trying to
make consumers believe their
products are
"Earth
friendly".
Everything
from toxic cosmetics
to  smog producing
cars are now being positioned as "green"
natural organic
products, eco-friendly, biodegradable or
environmentally friendly. That's
what
this cartoon is all about: "Greenwashing" or the  practice
of
corporations
claiming their products are green when, in reality,
they're
not at all
impressive as eco-friendly products.
 
 
Commentary by Mike Adams, the
creator of this cartoon.
We are honored to feature
Mike Adams,
the Health
Ranger, throughout
our site.Be
skeptical of manufacturers'
claimsIt's more important now more than ever
to be skeptical
of "green" claims by product manufacturers. Everybody's on the green
bandwagon, it seems, and even products that are extremely hazardous to
the environment often carry some type of green claim. Consumers
need to
be sharp and do their research on these
corporations before blindly
buying into their claims of being Earth friendly.
No
regulation of "green" claimsToday,
there is absolutely no regulation of claims of "green" or "Earth
friendly" products in the U.S. marketplace. Manufacturers can
essentially print anything they want on their products, and there's no
requirement that such claims reflect reality.
Some
certification companies are trying to change all that, but none have
yet achieved a critical mass of consumer recognition. Corporations
don't like to participate in these programs because they don't want to
have to reformulate their products using more environmentally
responsible (and more expensive) chemical alternatives.
The
FDA has no interest in requiring that the products it regulates are
Earth friendly. And you know why? Because the fastest growing source of
harzardous consumer
products are, in fact, pharmaceuticals, and if the FDA
admits it needs to start enforcing environmental safety in food and
drug products, it would have to face up to the fact that medications
are now a primary source of global pollution of rivers and oceans.
The EPA
mirrors the FDA in its kow-towing to the financial interests of
powerful corporations, and it's far easier for the EPA to bury its head
in medication-contaminated sand than to take meaningful action to
protect the environment from Big Pharma.
Greenwashing
is big business, and so is pushing more toxic products to consumers
that they will spray on their lawns, shove down their throats, put in
their cars or pee away into the sewer system. Most consumer products
are highly toxic for people, animals and nature, and before long,
nearly all of them will likely carry some kind of greenwashing claim
that declares how good they are for the environment. Video
It's
the Big Lie of consumerism,
and the American economy depends so much on the continued purchasing of
throwaway products that it simply cannot survive unless people keep
buying -- and tossing -- products that are mostly harmful to the
environment. The Earth is being poisoned, day by day, by greenwashing
corporations and gullible consumers, and it's only a matter of time
before it all comes back to bite us so hard that we become a race of
chemically-induced genetic mutants.
Let's
clear the air...
What
Is Organic?
The
national organic
standards were fully implemented in October 2002. After more than a
dozen years in the making, these standards give consumers clear and
consistent product labeling, as well as the added assurance of a
uniform set of standards backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA). Generally speaking, organic food and fiber products must be
made without the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.
Specifically prohibited from organic products are genetically
modified organisms, irradiation and the use of sewage sludge; all three
practices are permissible in conventional agriculture. Under USDA
regulations, certified organic products will be labeled in one of
several ways:
100
percent organic: These
products have been made using ingredients, processing and handling
methods and materials that are in full compliance with the USDA
standards for organic agriculture. They will have a label reading "100
percent organic," and the USDA organic seal may appear on the primary
display panel.
Organic:
These products contain
at least 95 percent
organic ingredients (excluding water or salt). They are eligible for
the organic label provided the remaining 5 percent of the products'
ingredients are not commercially available in an organic form, and also
that the remaining 5 percent of the ingredients were not produced using
specifically prohibited methods (i.e.,irradiation). These products will
be labeled "organic" and may carry the USDA seal on the primary display
panel.
Made with
organic ingredients:
Products labeled "Made
with organic ingredients" must contain between 70 and 95 percent
organic ingredients, excluding water and salt. As many as three of the
product's organic ingredients may be listed on the front of the
package. For instance, a box containing cereal made with organic
ingredients might read "Made with organic corn, oats and sugar" on the
front panel. The USDA organic seal may not be used on these products.
Products
with less than 70 percent organic
ingredients: Labels on these products will be
allowed to list
the organic items in the ingredients panel only, and the term "organic"
may not be used anywhere else on the package. The USDA seal may not be
used on these products.
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