Chapter 14 Flashcards
What do social changes in the face of environmental challenges look like.
Demographic, ecological footprint, population growth, industrialization, consumerism and the disposable society, greenwashing, and sustainable development.
Explain each of these changes: demographic, ecological footprint, population growth, industrialization, consumerism and the disposable society, and sustainable development.
Demographic: Demographic transition theory: low fertility and mortality rates.
Ecological footprint: estimate for gauging the total area of land and water ecosystems a human population needs in order to produce the resources it consumes and to assimilate its wastes.
Population growth: factors are birth, death, and disease
Industrialization: urbanization: requires extensive use of land and other non-renewable resources = pollution and depletion
Consumerism and the disposable society: consumption: the general use of natural resources. Over-consumption: use of resources that exceeds sustainability. Sustainability: use of natural resources at a rate on par with natural replenishment. Disposable societies: societies characterized by an excess of manufactured product that are used for only a short period of time and then disposed of.
Sustainable Development: development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Pizza shop).
List all 7 sins of greenwashing.
Sin of hidden tradeoff, sin of no proof, sin of vagueness, sin of irrelevance, sin of lesser of two evils, sin of fibbing, and sin of worshipping false labels.
Describe Sin of hidden tradeoff.
Suggesting that a product is “green” based on an unreasonably narrow set of attributes, without attention to other important environmental issues.
Describe Sin of no proof and give example.
Environmental claim that cannot be substantiated by easily accessible supporting information or by a reliable third-party certification. Ex. facial or toilet products that claim to be recycled with no proof.
Describe Sin of vagueness and give example.
Every claim that is so poorly defined or broad that its real meaning is likely to be misunderstood. Ex. “All natural” while it contains poisons/toxins that are technically natural.
Describe Sin of irrelevance and give example.
Making an environmental claim that may be truthful but is unimportant or unhelpful. Ex. “CFC free” while CFC is actually illegal anyways.
Describe Sin of lesser of two evils and give example.
Claims that may be true within the product category, but that risk distracting the consumer from the greater environmental impacts as a whole. Ex. Organic cigarettes.
Describe Sin of fibbing and give example.
Making environmental claims that are false. Ex. Falsely claiming to be energy star certified or registered.
Describe Sin of worshipping false labels and give example.
A product that- through either words or images, gives the impression of third-party endorsement where it doesn’t exist. Ex. Terrachoice.
