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A few Green truths

Guest post by: Catherine Avery

Article Overview: Those of you investing in green businesses are in good company. Even as skittish investors yanked an estimated $225 billion from stock funds last year, roughly $1.5 billion flowed into green funds during that same time, according to a Smart Money article by Elizabeth O’Brien entitled; “10 Things Green Companies Won’t Tell You.” Still, popular as it is, investing in green may not be everything you imagine. Not every company who claims the green categorization is 100% green. Along with the green you may have to put up with some black and blue. O’Brien’s article offers the following examples:

A few Green truths

Lax Enforcement

There’s a certain amount of deception about how green a company might be. In the past 15 years the Federal Trade Commission has brought a dozen actions against firms, for deceptive eco-friendly claims.

Gray with the Green

There are also a lot of gray areas with green companies. For example, the auto industry is happy to publicize its hybrids, but not the millions they spent in 2007 lobbying Congress against stricter fuel emissions standards!!!

“Sure, we’ll go green – as long as we make money at it.”

Companies “go green” not just out of altruism but because it’s profitable. The fact is that green initiatives, like energy efficiency, can save companies a lot of money. Not a bad thing but something to be aware of – the good old bottom line still rules.

Looks can be deceiving

Surprisingly, real eco-benefits often come more from concentrating ingredients than the ingredients themselves i.e. smaller containers, concentrated ingredients allow more goods to be shipped at once, saving fuel. Further, it’s the Wal-Marts of the world, not the Seventh Generations, who, because of their size and reach, make more of an impact, as they struggle to improve their environmental record and reduce energy costs and waste. Wal-Mart, for example, only sells concentrated liquid laundry detergent which saves more than 400 million gallons of water, 95 million pounds of plastic resin and 125 million pounds of cardboard over 3 years. Who knew?

Being Realistic

OK, let’s face it, there’s no such thing as 100 percent green. Any action, green or otherwise, creates waste and no company can claim a spotless record. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider green companies for investment - unless they represent something that strictly goes against your personal values. Green food for thought for thought the next time you’re picking an investment!

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Article Tags: Cons, Green, Investing, Pros, Truths
Referred by: http://elliacommunications.com



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