Conley-Wilson+Film+Entry+3+-+Greenwashers


 * Title:** Greenwashers
 * Director:** Bret Malley
 * Release Year:** 2011

The central argument of this film is that companies and producers in America are “greenwashing” their products. Greenwashing is the labeling and advertising a producer makes informing their customers that their product or service is environmentally friendly even though it may be not be. Labels can be misleading or flat out lies about a goods and products that, in reality, are hazardous to people and the environment. Greenwashing includes advertising on television, billboards, or other forms of media that states that a company may be doing “green” things that are helping the environment. The film portrays political, social, and economic issues that are associated with greenwashing and the implications that can be made about companies who support green consumption but do not care for actually making products and services environmentally safe.
 * What is the central argument or narrative of the film?**

This film draws out environmental problem as misleading labels and information given to the public in order to sell a product. This problem ties laws, economy, and society issues because this relies heavily on the actions of people and the measures they take to ease their consciousness. It also addresses social problems such as the unfair technological distribution of necessary and luxury goods in a market economy. The film also highlights the luxury lifestyle most Americans have access to which is not a sustainable lifestyle for the resources people currently have. These problems connect to other elements of the system because the American economy is tied into American policy making and enforcement. For example, a ‘green’ product may say it is biodegradable however testing may not have been made on this product. The label may not tell a consumer how long it takes for the product to biodegrade or the effects this product degrading in the environment will or may have. All of these faults in the production and testing of a product ties into cultural, informational, and political aspects of the United States. Information is hard to get unless you know how to seek it out and not all buyers know how to get there even with one’s access to the internet. The culture of overconsumption is encouraged by companies and political leaders because it leads to more spending.
 * What sustainability issues does this film draw out?**

I found the scientists and the man talking in his living room very compelling because they were giving hard factual evidence of what people are doing wrong. For example, the scientist was saying that there needs to be a change in the consumer economy and mindset away from fossil fuel. The employee of Terrachoice explained how people need to be conscious of what they are buying or else they may be tricked into buying something that doesn’t actually harm the earth. This man also explained that American consumption is not sustainable, in other words it would take five to eight more Earths to provide the resources needed for everyone currently on the world to live like Americans do.
 * What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?**

A part of the film that was not convincing was the Greenwasher Consultants because they seemed incredibly sketchy and sleazy. Although they were not real representatives of a country, it was interesting to see how real employers and consultants reacted to a potential greenwashing company. It was unbelievable to me that many people in the green conventions did not call out or critique the ways the Greenwashers proposed their service of making people’s products “more green” without changing the way the product is manufactured.
 * What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?**

A corrective action suggested by the film is both consumers and producers taking part of the responsibility for letting greenwashing get to out of hand. Consumers need to take a stand politically and economy by investing in products that they know are green and can trace in production as being green. Taking caution in reading the labels of products and using their purchasing power as in advantage is something buyers can do in order to get actual green products on the market for purchase. Producers need to be entirely honest about how they are creating their products. The knowledge they have on hazards included in their products or in the process of creating their products needs to be shared to the public. Consumer culture can help change the decrease of the incorrect greenwashing, however it is not the only solution to establishing a better system of preventing this from happening. Although consumers and producers have some sort of power, however government officials need to enforce rules and regulations that will not allow for companies and producers to mislead and lie to consumers just to sell more products. Although in theory this is a flawless plan, in practice there is not enough government resources to enforce many environmental laws already in place. For example in the US chemical industry, new chemicals are introduced into the market without being tested every day. This is because there is not enough manpower and funds to strictly enforce the law in place. This is the same issue that occurs with the lack of enforcement that goes for greenwashing. If America wants to make any progress in the prevention of greenwashing, the government has to fund the EPA and other protection agencies so the policies past can be enforced and make a difference in the future.
 * What kinds of corrective actions are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.**

The literacy cultivated by the film was understanding and recognizing greenwashing. This is created through the two consultants of greenwasher consultants. These two characters teach watchers not to believe everything a person tells you because they could easily tell you something manipulative or untrue. Another way these teach literacy in greenwashing is by giving examples of ads, commercials, and other forms of the way labels and people can lie or mislead a consumer.
 * What kinds of literacy are cultivated by the film?**

I would improve the environmental education value of the film by providing sources to where we can find what these products are made of and how good they are for you and the environment. For example the app GoodGuide, provides information about social, environmental, and health impacts on a product on the market. This film also doesn't explain public release and how that heavily relates to greenwashing. It does not explain how motive can shape greenwashing or give examples of real agency's that appear to be green but may receive funding, donations, or other support from a bigger organization that does not promote sustainability. Giving more real world examples of greenwashing could allow for more literacy. More scienifitic or historical evidence would provide better educational and sustainable values to the film.
 * What would you improve the environmental education value of the film?**

This film has compelled me to seek out knowledge about products that are advertised as being green. In the future, I will be more conscious about the products I buy, especially if they are labeled in a way that seems too good to be true, because most likely they will be. This film also compelled me to figure out how my products are produced especially goods labeled as green and natural. Recycled and natural labeled products may not be actually that good for me or the environment. For example, the recycled materials may still be contributing to climate change in means of the energy put into the process of producing a product. Recycled toilet papers or computer paper may not actually be completely made completely of recycled materials in fact they could be contributing to deforestation around the world just as much as the non-recycled paper.  Title: Greenwashers Director: Bret Malley Release Year 2011 What is the central argument or narrative of the film? The central argument of this film is that companies and producers in America are “greenwashing” their products. Greenwashing is the labeling and advertising a producer makes informing their customers that their product or service is environmentally friendly even though it may be not be. Labels can be misleading or flat out lies about a goods and products that, in reality, are hazardous to people and the environment. Greenwashing includes advertising on television, billboards, or other forms of media that states that a company may be doing “green” things that are helping the environment. The film portrays political, social, and economic issues that are associated with greenwashing and the implications that can be made about companies who support green consumption but do not care for actually making products and services environmentally safe. What sustainability issues does this film draw out? This film draws out environmental problem as misleading labels and information given to the public in order to sell a product. This problem ties laws, economy, and society issues because this relies heavily on the actions of people and the measures they take to ease their consciousness. It also addresses social problems such as the unfair technological distribution of necessary and luxury goods in a market economy. The film also highlights the luxury lifestyle most Americans have access to which is not a sustainable lifestyle for the resources people currently have. These problems connect to other elements of the system because the American economy is tied into American policy making and enforcement. For example, a ‘green’ product may say it is biodegradable however testing may not have been made on this product. The label may not tell a consumer how long it takes for the product to biodegrade or the effects this product degrading in the environment will or may have. All of these faults in the production and testing of a product ties into cultural, informational, and political aspects of the United States. Information is hard to get unless you know how to seek it out and not all buyers know how to get there even with one’s access to the internet. The culture of overconsumption is encouraged by companies and political leaders because it leads to more spending. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why? I found the scientists and the man talking in his living room very compelling because they were giving hard factual evidence of what people are doing wrong. For example, the scientist was saying that there needs to be a change in the consumer economy and mindset away from fossil fuel. The employee of Terrachoice explained how people need to be conscious of what they are buying or else they may be tricked into buying something that doesn’t actually harm the earth. This man also explained that American consumption is not sustainable, in other words it would take five to eight more Earths to provide the resources needed for everyone currently on the world to live like Americans do. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why? A part of the film that was not convincing was the Greenwasher Consultants because they seemed incredibly sketchy and sleazy. Although they were not real representatives of a country, it was interesting to see how real employers and consultants reacted to a potential greenwashing company. It was unbelievable to me that many people in the green conventions did not call out or critique the ways the Greenwashers proposed their service of making people’s products “more green” without changing the way the product is manufactured. What kinds of corrective actions are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective. A corrective action suggested by the film is both consumers and producers taking part of the responsibility for letting greenwashing get to out of hand. Consumers need to take a stand politically and economy by investing in products that they know are green and can trace in production as being green. Taking caution in reading the labels of products and using their purchasing power as in advantage is something buyers can do in order to get actual green products on the market for purchase. Producers need to be entirely honest about how they are creating their products. The knowledge they have on hazards included in their products or in the process of creating their products needs to be shared to the public. Consumer culture can help change the decrease of the incorrect greenwashing, however it is not the only solution to establishing a better system of preventing this from happening. Although consumers and producers have some sort of power, however government officials need to enforce rules and regulations that will not allow for companies and producers to mislead and lie to consumers just to sell more products. Although in theory this is a flawless plan, in practice there is not enough government resources to enforce many environmental laws already in place. For example in the US chemical industry, new chemicals are introduced into the market without being tested every day. This is because there is not enough manpower and funds to strictly enforce the law in place. This is the same issue that occurs with the lack of enforcement that goes for greenwashing. If America wants to make any progress in the prevention of greenwashing, the government has to fund the EPA and other protection agencies so the policies past can be enforced and make a difference in the future. What kinds of literacy are cultivated by the film? The literacy cultivated by the film was understanding and recognizing greenwashing. This is created through the two consultants of greenwasher consultants. These two characters teach watchers not to believe everything a person tells you because they could easily tell you something manipulative or untrue. Another way these teach literacy in greenwashing is by giving examples of ads, commercials, and other forms of the way labels and people can lie or mislead a consumer. What would you improve the environmental education value of the film? I would improve the environmental education value of the film by providing sources to where we can find what these products are made of and how good they are for you and the environment. For example the app GoodGuide, provides information about social, environmental, and health impacts on a product on the market. What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out? (Describe what you learned in a couple of sentences, providing at least two supporting references.) This film has compelled me to seek out knowledge about products that are advertised as being green. In the future, I will be more conscious about the products I buy, especially if they are labeled in a way that seems too good to be true, because most likely they will be. This film also compelled me to figure out how my products are produced especially goods labeled as green and natural. Recycled and natural labeled products may not be actually that good for me or the environment. For example, the recycled materials may still be contributing to climate change in means of the energy put into the process of producing a product. Recycled toilet papers or computer paper may not actually be completely made completely of recycled materials in fact they could be contributing to deforestation around the world just as much as the non-recycled paper.
 * What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out? (Describe what you learned in a couple of sentences, providing at least two supporting references.)**