Recently in Regulations and Laws for Green, Environmental and Socially Responsible Marketing Category
The April 26, 2008 letter, signed by 94 law professors from schools stretching from the Carolinas to California, is addressed to key congressional leaders and conveys the authors’ “profound disappointment” in the six-page EPA report on library restoration submitted to Congress on March 26, 2008, including –
- Political Control. “We view with alarm the absence of any EPA commitment to have all aspects of its library plans subject to review by qualified, non-governmental library professionals”;
- Only Partial Restoration. “We are troubled by the Report’s…failure to explain why and how EPA’s libraries will vary in size, target audience, subject focus and depth of collection….We also decry the Agency’s failure to explain its plan to allow some EPA libraries to be open to the public on an ‘appointment only’ basis.”; and
- Vague Commitments. “EPA’s Report is woefully lacking in detail, unresponsive to many of the criticisms that were appropriately included in GAO’s February, 2008 reports on the Agency’s library mismanagement, and entirely devoid of a needed commitment to restore EPA’s shuttered libraries to the levels of service provided to the public and EPA’s staff prior to their closure.
The law professors’ concerns echo those raised by PEER, the agency’s librarians, employee unions (which are pursuing unfair labor practice charges), and agency specialists, including its enforcement attorneys.
“EPA simply needs to put back everything they dismantled; why is
that so hard?” asked PEER Associate Director Carol Goldberg. “The
political appointees at EPA should not be deciding, as they are now,
who gets access to what material.”
EPA had eliminated
access to agency libraries in 23 states, shut technical collections and
reduced hours and access in other libraries. This December, Congress
ordered EPA to re-open closed libraries. In its March report, the
agency indicated that it would complete a partial restoration by this
October.
Meanwhile, EPA has launched a series of meetings with media, industry, environmental organizations and “other stakeholder groups” as part of “a National Dialogue…to help EPA document the information needs of various sectors …under the leadership of the Chief Information Officer Molly O’Neill”, in the words of an invitation sent to PEER. This National Dialogue will continue until the end of June.
SOURCE: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
April 28, 2008
Contact: Carol Goldberg (202) 265-7337
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is circulating environmental tips to all of its employees including such common step things as turning off unnecessary lights, using your own reusable containers for drinks, groceries and meals and avoiding travel to meetings when other forms of communication will do the job. Reduction. Recycling. Reuse, and even using less air conditioning are covered. See the list: (http://greening.usda.gov/simple_things.htm),
This message is part of a program, called Greening USDA. Its purpose is laudable but – in a department that funds clear-cuts of forests and industrial agricultural practices leading to growing desertification, not to mention promoting pesticide use, genetically-modified crops and mega-factory farms – the focus on the “small stuff” like re-using your lunch bag obscures employee involvement in the department’s big issues.
The USDA Green Team Updates by month are an interesting list of initiatives.
Their "Environmental Programs" section on their website include categories of articles for:
- Energy & Environment
- Hazardous Materials
- Radiation Safety
- Sustainable Operations
You might consider an "internal" and "supply chain" section on your own website to cover topics such as this to focus attention on your sustainable business initiatives. Spreading the word that you have a policy about more sustainable practices can be a powerful motivator and set the tone for purchasing, waste management and even cost reductions.
The announcement comes a week after the release of a report from TerraChoice Environmental Marketing showing that the vast majority of green marketing claims are inaccurate or inappropriate.
The firm researched more than 1,000 consumer products with environmental claims and found that all but one violated at least one of the report's "Six Sins of Greenwashing."
The Federal Trade Commission is requesting comments on the Green Guides in regard to their costs, benefits, and effectiveness.Current FTC Regulations for Environmental Claims
Issued in 1992, the FTC Guidelines for Environmental Marketing Claims or "Green Guides" do not constitute a labeling system as such, but they are designed to have an effect on labeling. The guidelines are intended to prevent false or misleading use of advertising claims such as "environmentally friendly," "degradable," and "recyclable." Confusion over the meaning of such terms affected not only consumers but also companies, who were concerned about lawsuits over their environmental claims.
The Guides outlined four general principles for environmental claims:
- qualifications and disclosures should be sufficiently clear and conspicuous to prevent deception;
- claims should make clear whether they apply to the product, packaging, or just a component of either;
- claims should not overstate environmental benefits; and
- comparative claims should be presented in such a way that the basis for comparison is clear.
The guides also addressed claims concerning
- environmental friendliness
- degradability
- compostability
- recyclability
- recycled content
- source reduction
- refillability, and
- ozone friendliness
