Do we really know all the facts.

I was listening to National radio on Tuesday morning where Cathryn Ryan was interviewing Brian Clegg, British science writer and author of 'Eco-Logic: The Truth and Lies of Green Economics. Brian Clegg contends that (in my words) we are suckers for the green brand without really knowing the statistics or even taking time to understand the statistic. We don't really take the the time to understand what Green actually means and how it works. For example, people who buy a Toyota Prius (a supposedly environmentally friendly car) need to keep it for at least 5 years before they can actually make a difference to the environment. It takes this long before they have paid back the environmental cost of making the car at the factory.

He also said that when an airline pays to have a tree planted to offset the carbon emissions of a long haul flight it takes about 100 years for that tree to pay pack the difference - that means it takes 100 years for that tree to soak up the 2 tons of carbon created by the plane and then produce oxygen.

He pointed out that recycling is basically uneconomic, so the waste will need to go into landfill which is anti green. "Bring back the old 4c milk bottle and the milk man."

Did you know that using your air conditioner in the car has less emission impact than if you drive your car with the windows open to keep cool. The drag on the car with the windows being open means you use more fuel than if the air conditioner is on.

Just how green or pseudo green is your business - do we really take it seriously - do we really care or do we care because it is expected and we get caught up in the maze of information and a wave of green patriotism. Do we need to care?

I dont know what we should be doing, but whatever it is needs to be with a full understanding of the consequences. Have a listen to the interview at http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ntn/ntn-20090310-1130-Green_Economics-048.mp3