Snoopy (imported) wrote: Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:36 am Another product brought to you by those that believe 'more must be better'!

:-\

BossTamsin (imported) wrote: Tue Sep 23, 2008 12:40 am This is something that's amazed me for some years now.

As the 'green' movement gains ground, companies introduce a few 'green' products to appear caring, but either the products are not as green as advertised, or the companies then turn around and introduce a handful of rampantly non-green products as if to compensate.

3-ply toilet paper, at best is 50% more wasteful than 2-ply. 5-blade razors may cut closer, but how much more is tossed into the garbage than 2-blade?

Even fast food restaurants get into this. Every so often they'll introduce 'healthy' alternatives to try to appeal to those who understand that 90% of the population needs to lose weight. Right after that however, they'll bring out something thats even bigger and worse for you than anything else on their menu.

Take a look at McDonalds. It wasn't too long after "Supersize Me" that they came out with salads, and a couple other items to supposedly cater to the health-conscious. (Lets leave aside for the moment the questionable stats of what they came out with.) But at the same time they introduced the McGriddle, which at the time was the single most unhealthy item on their menu. Burger King came out with their BK Stacker, which has no redeeming qualities. Look at any of them, and for every healthy item they've introduced in the last decade, I'd bet they've introduced two which hit new heights in salt, fat, cholesterol, etc.

Going back to paper products, there are companies producing paper towels with a supposed eco-bent of having each sheet be smaller than normal size. Sounds good, until you realize that most people use two of the smaller sheets, and each sheet is 60% of normal size. Suddenly you're using 20% more, and it's supposed to be good?

Even the drive to go green is inherently wasteful. You're supposed to toss (or recycle) various items around the home, and replace them with new products that are more eco-friendly. If you include the packaging, transport, and disposal of the old stuff, are you actually helping the environment or hurting it? At least in the case of cars, it may be much better for the environment to by a 10 year old compact than a brand new hybrid, no matter how good you may feel driving in your 2009 Prius.

I don't want to get into the whole pile of bullshit that surrounds the banning of plastic bags in stores, in favour of either paper, or making people bring their own. Any poll out there shows overwhelming support for propositions like this. If so many people believe so strongly in outlawing plastic bags, why aren't a majority of people already bringing their own reusable bags to stores?? Before you start preaching to me, start practicing it yourself.

colin (imported) wrote: Mon Sep 22, 2008 11:01 pm You don't really believe that do you? They do this so that they can increase the price to much more than the extra cost of materials would warrant. Has nothing to do with being better or more effecient - everything to do with the bottom line (to coin a phrase).