A television commercial begins. A lush green forest comes into focus. Water drips and sparkles from the tips of healthy leaves. Somewhere, a bird is singing in the crisp dawn air. Then a beard - a scraggly, devil-may-care beard - drifts from the underbrush. The beard is worn by a young, fit environmentalist. He's here protecting this pristine wilderness. As the commercial continues, you learn he works for an oil company. You learn the oil company is doing all sorts of wonderful things to protect the planet. Somewhere deep in the pit of your stomach this incongruence registers - oil company, environmental protection - that can't be right, can it? But it's so hard to disbelieve. Look at those plants, the water, the beard. Maybe an oil company can change? Maybe it does care about the environment?

No, it can't. No, it doesn't. The truth has just been "greenwashed".

What is greenwashing?
Greenwashing is an advertising and public relations spin designed to make a corporation look more environmentally friendly than it actually is. The practice has become so popular that the term even made it into the tenth edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Corporate greenwashing is an issue that everyone should be mindful of. No one wants to be lied to, and lies that affect the environment - and possibly human health and survival - are particularly heinous. In a world where going green means big money to corporations, it's not surprising that some cut corners.

In this article we'll explore why corporations greenwash their activities, provide some prime examples of greenwashing and show you what you can do to ensure that you are not the latest greenwashing casualty.

Why Companies Use Strong-Arm Tactics to Bend the Truth
Asking a corporation to go green solely on the basis of ethics is a bit like asking a shark to stop eating because the other fish are getting upset. It is simply unequipped to make a moral choice. Sharks eat fish; corporations make money - it's what they do. Increasing sales of their goods and services, cutting costs and increasing efficiency all play a role in making a company - and its shareholders - more cash.