The environment is a hot topic of conversation and many people find themselves looking for ways to lessen their personal impact — which isn’t as simple as buying ‘green’ products.
The “Buyer Beware: True eco labels vs. green washing” aims to clear the air.
Free and family friendly for children 12 years and older, the Green Living Workshop is July 17 at 7 p.m. at the amphitheatre beside the Okotoks Public Library.
"The workshop is going to be letting residents know what ways they can avoid greenwashing and make informed and environmentally-conscious purchasing decisions," said Simon Stenseth, conservation educator with the Town of Okotoks.
Stenseth said environmental labels and logos on products can be confusing, and even misleading.
This misleading advertising is what is called greenwashing.
"Greenwashing is when a company promotes a product or a service as environmentally friendly when that product isn't," he said. "I'll also be covering what eco-labelling is, and how that can help in avoiding greenwashed products."
Stenseth said greenwashing is common, and not knowing is the biggest risk of falling for it.
"You have to be aware, and what this workshop is trying to accomplish is bringing awareness to greenwashing and how to avoid it," he said.
Stenseth said greenwashing is a concern because it hurts consumer confidence.
"It's causing a problem where consumers don't know what to purchase to follow through with their intent," he said. "If I want to make a choice in using, let's say an environmentally friendly soap, I'm not sure when I go to the store which one is environmentally friendly because (the marketing) may not be true."
Attendees will learn 10 indicators of greenwashing, and how to use online resources to help make informed decisions.
He encouraged attendees to bring their own examples of 'green' products they have purchased and use the online resources, either with a smartphone or the tablet provided by the workshop, to see if the products are greenwashed.
His biggest tip for avoiding greenwashed products? Look for fluff.
"It's called fluffy language, or very broad terms like 'eco-friendly' or 'helps save animals.' Those terms by themselves are just claims, and they don't really have anything to back them up," he said. "Whereas something that has an eco-label, say the Certified BPI Compostable label, has an entire third-party company backing that label, certifying that product."
The next Green Living Workshop will be a food canning workshop on August 14 at 7 p.m. at the amphitheatre beside the Okotoks Public Library.
“Preserving the Harvest: Food Canning 101” will feature guest speaker Lori Neufeld, who will share her experiences and tips with food dehydration, juicing, and canning to extend the bounty of summer gardens into the harsh winter months.
Should weather conditions not cooperate with the outdoor venue, the workshops will be moved inside the library.
To attend any of the upcoming workshops, go online at okotoks.ca to reserve your spot.
