Calling it green don't make it right
Posted Jul 29, 2010 By Craig Bakay
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Tweet ThisEMC Editorial It's about time we stopped using "the environment" as the ultimate trump card for our own self-serving agendas.
The so-called "eco-fee" the Ontario Liberal government tried to slip by us in the midst of the HST fiasco is just the latest case-in-point and dammit, it should be the last misappropriation of terms we should have to deal with.
God bless Canadian Tire (never thought I'd ever write that phrase but credit where it's due) for blowing the whistle on the Liberals latest attempt to slip in another tax under the classic wolf-in-sheep's-clothing tactic.
In case you forgot, there was an "eco-fee" showing up on cash register tapes recently. It was a tax by another name but it still stunk like a tax, regardless of the rhetoric attached to it.
This is just the latest in a long line of mistaken beliefs, misguided attempts and downright frauds to try and take advantage of what is, at its core, a fundamental principle we should be paying a lot more attention to.
And things like the provincial government's attempted tax grab are tarnishing the environmental cause.
Not that they all get it wrong. The idea of Ontario Hydro overpaying to buy solar and wind power from individuals in order to pay for closing coal-fired generating plants seems plausible. There's probably a better idea out there but for now, it seems like a decent plan.
But a lot of other things that purport to being done on behalf of the environment need a big re-think.
First and foremost, use of the term "green" should be strictly regulated. In other words, just calling something green won't be enough. Those opting to use the word in conjunction with environmental products and services should meet proper criteria before being given permission to advertise their products as such. And if governments are looking for a little extra revenue, license the term "green."
Another thing we have to stop doing is thinking that recycling is the answer to all our problems. Face it folks, recycling some things (like newspapers) is a really good thing. Same goes for clear glass, some plastics and aluminum cans. But a lot of garbage diverted to recycling is still just that garbage. Something is only recyclable if somebody has a use for it (aka can make a buck on it) and just because some misguided do-gooders think all plastic should be recycled doesn't mean there's actually a commercial (or any) use or market for it.
Recycling is a fantastic thing but it only goes just so far, regardless of what we'd all like to think.
If the provincial government really wants to do something about the environment, they could prove it by clamping down on the packaging industry to either use materials we can and do recycle or have them come and pick up the garbage they create and make them deal with it.
Computers, cars, refrigerators, tires, microwaves, batteries... how long would it take for all that stuff to be recyclable if the companies that made them became responsible for the ultimate disposal of their products? Try passing that one on to the consumer.
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