By Tyler Wright, Special to The Mirror

As more Puget Sound businesses jump on the eco bandwagon by taking action to reduce their environmental impact, some companies are simply rebranding themselves as “green,” but are changing very little about the way they operate. This can earn them the disgraced term “greenwashed.”

Organizations that make changes to be better stewards of the Earth are lauded as green companies, and should be supported. But companies that seek to profit from the ever-increasing environmental movement by superficially labelling themselves as green because they now do something like carry organic soap should be publicly rebuked for deceiving consumers.

The term “greenwashing” was coined by New York environmentalist Jay Westerveld, who has been a proponent of many historic environmental acts and U.S. endangered species initiatives. Westerveld saw a trend of companies making silly small changes,then parading their so-called environmental sacrifice through marketing efforts.

An example I can think of is a Northwest home developer that carved a piece of the rainforest off the side of a mountain, and put in a vinyl siding subdivision. They then had the gall to label this development “sustainable living” because the new homes collected and reused rainwater. It doesn’t take Al Gore to conclude that this is a goofy marketing move.

Other greenwashing examples: “Environmentally friendly” pesticides (as oxy-moronic as “jumbo shrimp”); ‘”100 percent natural” ads on the label, but the ingredients reveal otherwise; and saying “certified organic” and “energy efficient,” but providing absolutely no proof or certification. A common trend is car companies increasing their overall fuel efficiency by a couple of points, then feeling sanctified enough to add a green leaf to their logo lineup.

Since this trend is relatively young, there is no clear distinction between the wannabes and the true greenies. But consumers aren’t stupid, and more people are catching on to the fakes quickly.

Many companies still don’t realize that by reducing their operational consumption habits or offering truly green products, it can save their company money in the long term. Going green doesn’t have to be a sacrifice.

Tyler Wright works for Frogbox, which specializes in reusable and plastic moving boxes in the Seattle area.