I wrote about Greenwashing before. I ran across an article in Landscape Architecture, of all places, that I think is a prime example. I couldn’t find it online, but I scanned a copy as a JPG here. In a nutshell, several cruise lines are adding vegetation to their ships. Green roof technology is letting them grow grass. The boardwalk on the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Sea has trees and shrubs. Celebrity Cruise Line’s Solstice has a Lawn Club.
It will be interesting to see how this is marketed. www.cruisecritic.com says things like this about Oasis of the Seas, “…like the foliage-filled Central Park (12,175 plants!)” and this about Celebrity Cruise Line’s Solstice, “Kick off your shoes and stroll through a half-acre of real grass.” I haven’t seen these things marketed as “green”, but I can’t think that they are anything but the opposite by the time you figure the additional fuel to move tons of plant matter as well as their support structure. Add to that the manpower for care, fertilizer and maintenance equipment necessary to keep these plants in an alien environment. Heck though, maybe research to keep plants alive on cruise ships will translate into research for sustainable plant communities on the space station and extraterrestrial colonies…
If cruise lines want to be green, wouldn’t it make sense for them to be exploring some of the options that the transatlantic freighters are using such as adding sails and the novel idea of the giant kites? Freighters are also currently slowing their speeds to save fuel and are often making the crossing at slower speeds than the old sailing ships, though carrying much greater quantities.
In any case, I think the agenda is to seem green. Not everything has to be, but it is the trend of the day. Everyone is putting a leaf in their logo and changing their packaging to the drab color of a grocery sack. But everything doesn’t have to be 100% green. I’m not even sure if that’s possible. I do know that forcing a look of green rarely results in real environmental or economical savings.
As I’ve said before, being green isn’t a bad idea. It can be good for the planet and when done right, good for the economy. Easterday Construction Co., Inc. promotes the ideas that make sense. Greenwashing just plays on your guilt.
Like anything else in our current world, there are those ideas that are good, healthful, and otherwise beneficial, but are taken and used for greed and profit. Being “green”, energy conscious, and conservation minded is something that can make a difference not only to our own generation but also the next.
On the other hand, there are those out there who are capitalizing on the concept for profit only. When contemplating a “green” remodel or work, one must evaluate the true purpose and benefit. The following questions should be asked:
1. Is the product a recycled or recyclable product?
2. Does the product work?
3. How is the product being manufactured? Maybe it is a recycled material but it uses tremendous energy in its production.
4. Is the product going to be used to replace something? Is the product being replaced going into a landfill?
5. What is the purpose in using a “green” product? Is it for the advertising benefit only?
Green plants on a cruise ship seem to border on the advertising benefit.