Confessions of A Greenwasher: Like an AA Meeting, but with More Guilt

Hello, my name is Stephanie Rogers, and I’m a former greenwasher. It’s true. I know, I’m ashamed. I’m a writer and graphic designer from Asheville, North Carolina and once worked for a company that was attempting to jump on the eco-friendly bandwagon. When I say attempting, I mean they had good intentions and were really trying to be legit, but realized after a good six months of planning that they were in way over their heads.

Being the staff writer, I was in charge of coming up with all kinds of ways to justify calling the products we were selling ‘green’. “Was part of it possibly handmade? Can we verify whether it was handmade by an 8-year-old in Cambodia? No? Okay… hmm.” It could get particularly challenging when said product had, for example, a solar component, but the main part of it was shipped in on a boat from China. Moral dilemmas galore.

That’s just one of many reasons why I’m happy to be joining EarthFirst. I’m excited that instead of being a part of the problem, I can now be a part of the revolution that’s gathering steam - the call to change. I’m dedicated to earth friendly practices in my own life and am constantly seeking ways I can improve, and I’m psyched to share in that process with all of you. So howdy, EarthFirst readers - I hope this is the start of a beautiful friendship (sniff).