Greenwash explored

Here's a really excellent article by Fred Pearce of the Guardian

He explores the ludicrously shallow 'green' claims of some corporate giants and cites the record number of complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority as evidence of many corporations' increasingly cynical attitude towards improving carbon footprints. Mr Pearce goes on to tell us that the Guardian will have a regular column looking at these very issues called Greenwash.

"Can we shop our way to sustainability? Are some products so green it is better to buy two of them rather than one? Or are our own consumer lifestyles, suffused in greenwash, the problem? Is there really no alternative to putting away our credit cards, pulling on our thickest jumper and heading for the hills?"

Timely, succinct and relevant to y'all!

PLA producer answers criticism

After an article published on the Guardian website questioning the long term prospects of PLA as an alternative to petroleum based plastics, it is good to see that Natureworks have hit back, albeit a bit slowly, with some compelling evidence to back up their much championed technology. They say -

PLA generates less than half the greenhouse gas emissions of making oil-based plastics.
PLA will soon produce 75% lower emissions than petro-chemicals.
PLA is infinitely recyclable

See here for the full article

Media Domination

"Murdoch is an object lesson in the dangers of concentrated cross-border power. Such power is always problematic because it is apt to reduce diversity, squeeze out the regional and local, and stifle dissent "

A fantastic summation from the Guardian Unlimited website. The article written by Peter Wilby, former editor of the New Statesman and Independent on Sunday, illustrates very clearly the impact a monolith like Rupert Murdoch has on each and every part of the media he chooses to dominate.