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By: F. Alves  In an era where environmental responsibility is not only valued but demanded, many brands rely on a façade to win public approval. Beneath the vibrant colors of green friendliness lies an obscure reality. From fashion designers to oil giants, they all claim a commitment to protecting the environment. This article dives into how companies exploit the green movement and what it means for the future of environmentalism.
Greenwashing, another term for false environmental activism, involves portraying a fake image to the public of a company's eco-friendliness, leading consumers to believe their products are environmentally friendly. This practice misleads consumers and investors, driving them to pay higher prices and rely on the company's misrepresented eco-friendly background. Greenwashing also poses challenges for consumers in identifying genuinely sustainable businesses and erodes investor confidence in brands and management. Recent scandals like Volkswagen's Dieselgate and criticisms of H&M's "Conscious Collection" highlight the prevalence and impact of greenwashing across industries. Companies engage in greenwashing due to a lack of clear information and societal pressure to meet growing demand for eco-friendly products. However, greenwashing undermines genuine sustainability efforts by diverting attention and resources from substantive measures to superficial changes. It distorts market dynamics by giving unfair advantages to companies that engage in deceptive practices. Moreover, it erodes trust in brands and products, leading consumers to become more critical in their purchasing decisions. While existing regulations aim to prevent greenwashing, challenges in enforcement persist due to vague definitions and limited resources. Honest companies are voluntarily adhering to third-party certification schemes, and industry associations are developing codes of conduct to discourage greenwashing. Combatting greenwashing requires a collaborative approach involving robust regulations, effective enforcement, industry self-regulation, and consumer education to ensure environmental claims reflect genuine sustainability efforts. Investigative journalism and activism play critical roles in and uncovering greenwashing practices, while consumer vigilance and activism are essential for holding companies accountable and fostering genuine sustainability. Ultimately, prioritizing transparency, accountability, and meaningful action is crucial for moving towards a truly sustainable future. Some good resources to check a product’s eco-friendliness:
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By: M. Gilchrist  What is degrowth and how can it help save our planet?
Degrowth is a concept created by economists saying that decreasing our economy and production will help us live better lifestyles and improve the environment. But how can this happen and why might it be our only option for the continuation of civilization? Researchers from MIT predicted that our hunger for everlasting industrial growth would lead to the destruction of civilization. Many economists believe that economic growth is both vital and good for the world, but degrowth is the concept of decreasing. Degrowth is a radical economic idea which includes shrinking economies instead of expanding them, to use less of the world’s limited resources. It was first proposed by André Gorz in 1972, a French philosopher. The idea is driven by trying to help us live more sustainable lives. Instead of focusing on expanding the economy, degrowth focuses on making people happier and healthier. Experts believe that GDP (gross domestic product) is key for measuring a country's advancement and progress, however other economists think that a country's progress shouldn’t be measured by its rate of production. What would we have to change to achieve this method of diminishing our economy? Firstly, we would have to focus on overall equality. This means instead of having extremely rich people and extremely poor people with a large gap of income, we would share what we have instead of extracting more precious materials from the planet. To do this we would have to create a universal basic income, a shorter working week and job guarantees. It suggests countries with a larger income to stop economic production and growth, while countries with a smaller income to continue growing, until both reach a meeting point. Furthermore, it would include the countries producing necessary things that will help improve people’s lifestyles. Instead of producing automobiles, producing public transport and the expansion of renewable energy sources. Can degrowth have a negative instead of a positive impact on the world? Economists have argued that the pandemic showed the real outcome of degrowth in action. In the pandemic many shops and businesses had to close due to COVID-19, for world health and protection, which meant that people were buying less. This made the economy unintentionally deflate, and caused the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression in the 1930s. This made the world economy decrease by 4.3%. However, degrowth economists argue that it was quite different from the concept as it was a unplanned event and even stated that the cause of the economic downturn was because of our dependence on economic improvement. COVID caused unemployment and increased poverty, and economists refuse to believe that is how degrowth would impact our world. Degrowth is not the concept of removing individuals' income, but proportioning it throughout the population equally. Greta Thumberg, a Swedish climate activist, said, “we are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal growth” at the UN climate summit in New York in September of 2019. It has been researched that many people believe that one of the biggest problems in their country is climate change. To keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees celsius we would have to completely stop carbon emissions by 2050, which would mean a great change in our daily lifestyles. During the pandemic there was the biggest decrease in carbon emissions on record. It increased hopes on the possibility of having a possible low carbon emission lifestyle. The UN has created policies to help decrease carbon emissions and invest in renewable energy sources as: solar panels and wind turbines, focusing on green growth instead of degrowth. The world is slowly trying to improve and help the environment, but it is still important that we share and spread how climate change is impacting our planet. Degrowth is only one of the many ideas of trying to create a green and sustainable lifestyle for everyone. By: V. Srur  Sustainable architecture is one of the most impactful changes that will occur in the future in order for the planet to have a green transition by 2050. It not only affects our day to day lives as it establishes a more renewable infrastructure for our homes, but also improves efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, development space and the ecosystem at large.
Well, how does it affect our future and opportunities? Sustainable architecture helps us decarbonize our cities faster. It is where the majority of our sector’s emissions are generated, with 70% of the CO2 emissions in construction coming from buildings in use. It aims to use less water, produce less trash, and use less energy. Green roofs, solar panels, and passive heating and cooling systems are examples of features that reduce carbon footprints, slowing down global warming and safeguarding the environment for coming generations. Sustainable architecture also has a profound social impact. By prioritizing the well-being of occupants, sustainable buildings offer improved indoor air quality, natural lighting, and thermal comfort. Along with improving the occupants' quality of life, these elements help raise overall contentment and increase work productivity by 50%, as it is proven that work spaces that prioritize sustainability and have green practices are 16% more productive than their counterparts at less sustainably-minded companies. The building industry is driven by innovations and technological breakthroughs in its search of sustainable architecture. From the development of energy-efficient materials to the implementation of smart building technologies, sustainable architecture pushes the boundaries of what's possible in building design and construction. An example of this new style of construction has already been showcased in various building like the Shanghai Tower in China, which uses energy preservation, One Central Park in Australia, which uses urban greenery to reduce carbon dioxide levels, and the Bullitt Centre in Seattle, which is constructed with environmental materials and utilizes geothermal wells which achieves heating and cooling in the building. These buildings and many others help our environment from suffering extreme global warming. One piece of good news, however, is that investment in sustainable construction is also growing: it reached $237 billion for building energy efficiency in 2021, a 16% increase over the previous year according to the United Nations. In the future, sustainability will eventually be the centre of architecture. By: A. Lotufo  Shein, Temu, and many other brands have been known for their cheap clothing and for keeping up with fashion trends at an incredibly fast pace. Many people have found their dream clothes in these brands and continue to buy from them. But do their cheap prices come at a high cost?
Some companies have been accused of underpaying their workers or paying minimum wage. This helps them to produce their garments as cheaply as possible to be able to receive a higher income. Fashion has also been proven to have a massive impact on the environment, as it contributes to up to 10% of global carbon emissions. While many say to simply drop fast fashion and move towards sustainable and unique brands (also referred to as slow fashion), there are many issues with this, which may be the reason why these fast fashion brands remain on top. The first issue on slow fashion is the pricing. Many people turn to fast fashion for its affordable prices. The second issue is the fame it already has – once people see cheap clothing which looks exactly like the latest trend, it is hard to dismantle the hype. Continuing the second issue, the amount of people buying from these brands is huge. While scrolling on fast fashion sites, I found that Shein wrote on the site exactly how many users have the item in their cart. These items can have more than 100,000 users keeping them in their cart. This isn’t only for clothes – makeup, accessories and more are also joining fast fashion. When going on these sites, their products seem impeccable – as you scroll, you just might happen to see the dress you’ve been eyeing for the past month, the blush you’ve seen all over TikTok and Instagram. Not only that, but cheap prices draw people in, which is yet another power fast fashion has over the population. While many people strive to get slow fashion recognized and acknowledged, there are simply too many factors inducing people to buy from fast fashion. So, what can we do to keep our futures greener and get fast fashion to become more sustainable? Pushing fast fashion brands to recognize the environment is already a great start. Many brands have started to become more sustainable, and it is possible, through work and effort, that fast fashion brands can do so too. Avoiding joining the hype of trendy clothes is also good. As said previously, Fashion is the cause of 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. Buying long lasting clothes that you will not get tired of easily will help stopping clothes going to the trash. And lastly, try your best not to throw clothes away. Donating or reselling are great options as well. Thrift stores are becoming more and more visited and is a great way of your unwanted clothes to become someone’s favourite garment. Brands like Zara are already trying to reach a more sustainable future. According to many sources, they want to reduce their carbon emissions and use more sustainable energy. This is already a great start. Concluding, the main goal we should try to reach isn’t eliminating fast fashion completely, but making it a more sustainable, ethical industry. By: C. Schulter  When thinking about economics many things may come to mind, and I dare say that the first one is money. Of course, money is a very important aspect of economics, but did you know that economic sustainability is one of the key concepts of this study? The word sustainability, as you may know, is the ability to sustain or maintain a process over time. According to the UN, sustainable development was defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. By merging these concepts with economics, you will reach economic sustainability, which refers to practices designed to create a long-term economic development, while also managing the environmental, social, and cultural aspects of its activity.
But how do companies and nations apply this in the real world? What would be those practices that sustain the market without affecting other sectors of our society? There are some choices that companies can take to create sustainable markets. The first being resource efficiency: the optimization of resource use minimizes waste generation, not only reducing costs for the company but also reducing environmental damages. Companies can also practice sustainability by embracing circular economy principles: a circular economy aims to produce goods and services with better durability, reparability, and recyclability. A circular economy encourages a change in shopping culture and consumerism, it also generates less waste. Another practice that might seem obvious is long-term planning: companies should always plan ahead and set goals, but when it comes to sustainability this plan needs to be very thorough and realistic. It is a must for companies to be sustainable, and planning on how to do so makes it more attainable. Lastly, governments may have an important role in the achievement of a nation’s economic sustainability, financial incentives and regulations can encourage companies to invest in sustainable practices. Tax breaks, subsidies, less interest rates and many other alternative strategies can be applied to get the best out of companies. These are just a few of the many practices that can change our economy. Sustainable practices are now completely integrated in our society. It is our responsibility to make our world a better and safer place for us and the next generations. Don’t restrain yourself by undermining the importance of sustainability, and the many fields in which this significant concept can be applied. By: N. Thomas  When you hear the term ‘green futures’, what comes to mind? Perhaps global warming, pollution, logging. What about the ocean? When you link both topics what do you think about? Is it turtles and straws? Maybe overfishing? Currently, oceans are largely responsible for the Earth's biodiversity, home to over 242,000 known marine species. It also produces 50 – 80% of the earth’s oxygen and regulates the planet’s climate! We depend on oceans yet seem to forget this as we continuously harm it. In this article you’ll see there is much more to human impact than plastic straws and the sad truth might surprise you.
Marine populations have decreased significantly in the last years, with blue whale populations dropping 90% in the last century, shark populations plummeting 71% since 1970, and bluefin tuna populations becoming practically extinct. Institutions such as the UN have tried to battle these numbers, with the illegality of whaling, although some countries like Japan and Iceland refuse to comply, and continue practicing this inhumane, merciless sport. These marine populations are decreasing from being targeted and due to bycatch and the disposal of fishing gear in the oceans. Bycatch is when other animals are accidentally caught during the fishing of one specific species, 40% of fish in fishing nets are bycatch, and these fish are returned to the ocean either dead or dying. Now, not only do fishing boats use their gear to kill animals, but they dispose their gear in the ocean. These gears were designed to kill, so it is no surprise to see that 650,000 animals are killed per year due to these disposed gears. Every day, enough fishing nets are disposed in the ocean, to wrap around the Earth 500X! When we look into things we can do to help, we might think that buying fish with tags like ‘Dolphin Safe’, might be making a difference. Wrong! Most of these companies have no supervision at all on the ships they get their fish from, so they have no idea if their fish is really ‘dolphin safe’. If you take a deeper look into this system, you will see that fishing businesses (that do bycatch and pollute the oceans) are paying these ‘tag companies’ to deceive people into thinking they are doing a good deed in order to sell more! Everyone must take part in trying to combat all these ruthless actions, doing the best they can to minimize their impact on the ocean, since if it dies, so do humans. By: I. Papa I am sure we have all wondered how humans will locate themselves in the future. As a kid, everyone wishes to have jetpacks to fly from one place to the other, or automatic cars which move themselves, without the need of a driver. These things always seemed so crazy and excessively distant from reality, but today, we understand that the earth needs to minimize all human actions to be as eco-friendly as possible and protect our planet from any pollution damage, perhaps going to certain extents of methods similar to these. So, this brings us to the question: what will transportation be like in 50 years' time?
The transition from internal combustion engines to electrical vehicles is already undergoing its way into our lives, as seen from car brands such as Tesla. Therefore, it is conceivable to believe that in the future, most vehicles on roads will be electric, to reduce greenhouse gas emission. Autonomous vehicles are also considered brilliant, having the great potential of taking part in our greener future. They reduce traffic congestion and improve the fuel economy through smoother driving patterns, also decreasing greenhouse gas emissions significantly. These cars have the ability to sense their environment and operate without any human involvement or moderation, driving itself. Although electric vehicles will most likely dominate, regular internal combustion vehicles can still play their part in building sustainable transportation procedures, by utilizing alternative fuels in their engines, such as hydrogen fuel cells or advanced biofuels, particularly for heavy-duty automobiles such as ships or trucks. Based on current data, I also believe that public transportation will be largely enhanced in the forthcoming years, with high speed trains and expanded metro networks, encouraging the population to opt for eco-friendly mass transit options. In conclusion, humans must also normalize walking, cycling and other forms of constantly moving through active transportation, reducing reliance on solely cars, consequently creating healthier societies and lower carbon emissions. |
