Been to a hotel recently?
If "yes," you have happened upon a small sign that promoted the reuse of towels.
"Reuse your towels, help save the environment" is the basic message.
It turns out that in most cases, the hotel does nothing extra when it came to reducing energy waste.
Most campaigns like this are simply a way for the hotels to boost their profits.
Or so said New York environmentalist Jay Westervelt in his 1986 essay about the hotel industry.
He gave a name to organizations who position themselves outwardly as being environmentally conscious, but whose real purpose is simply to increase profits.
He called it "greenwashing."
No surprise that a company would want to at least appear to be environmentally-friendly. A survey by Landor Associates, the branding company, found that 77% of consumers say it is important for companies to be socially responsible.
Food products are often "greenwashed." "Natural Product" "100% Natural" "100% Organic" "Nature" "Natural" and using plenty of green on the box are ways companies give you the impression that their products are more environmentally friendly than they really are.
Always read the ingredients to make sure that what they advertise on the box is actually true.
