It takes a lot of courage to offer any criticism of the green movement when most of us prefer to think that green equals good. Yet, oversimplifying anything is dangerous – every binary has its pitfalls. At times the green movement and all its players seem somewhat untouchable. Sure people take some potshots at Saint Al Gore for not off-setting his flights or having too many bathrooms in his too large house, but frankly we all know the guy is doing more to raise awareness about climate change than any other person on the planet. So we excuse him his few follies, but what about all the other big players in the eco-game?
The reality is that the environment is big business. There is a lot of money in running green organizations – donations, media campaigns, corporate partnerships, not to mention the prestige and power that comes from running a multi-million dollar green organization. Sometimes with all that fame, fortune and power comes corruption.
Christine MacDonald spent a year working at Conservation International and during that time had several green epiphanies –and frankly – none of them were pleasant. She saw firsthand how the green movement is not without some serious problems. MacDonald wrote about the reality behind the environmental corporate world in her hot new book – Green, Inc.: An Environmental Insider Reveals How A Good Cause Has Gone Bad. She has ruffled a few feathers and got the eco-world buzzing. We caught up with MacDonald to ask a few questions about her shocking take on the green corporate world.
What motivated you to write Green, Inc.?
I worked at one of the largest and most influential environmental groups in the world, Conservation International. But during the short time I was there, I was troubled by the gross mismanagement and wastefulness I saw. When I was laid off in a division-wide reorganization, my friends and former colleagues were wonderful in their attempts to help me network and find another job in an environmental group. But when I started to research the inner workings of other groups such as World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), I realized the same excesses I had witnessed at Conservation International (CI) were the norm at these organizations too. I decided I couldn’t go work for one of these other groups.
But I didn’t want to stop working for the environment either. I felt I had a responsibility to speak up about what I had seen with my own eyes. That’s when I decided I could make more of a contribution by writing this book and getting these issues out in the open. I hope it helps to start a debate on how to reform these organizations so they can be more effective.
...the leaders of these groups make more than 99 percent of US taxpayers and they spend much of their time globetrotting with the corporate moguls that run their boards of director.
Many of the groups named in Green, Inc. are very well respected. How will your book affect their image?
I’m sure many people will be surprised - as I was - that the leaders of these groups make more than 99 percent of US taxpayers and that they spend much of their time globetrotting with the corporate moguls that run their boards of directors. But before the reform process can begin, people need to know this. People, who send in their donations faithfully each year, also need to know that the polluting corporations are getting a lot more than the endangered species out of the current setup. While it may be difficult, this conversation is long overdue.
Have you had any backlash?
I have been criticized but I don’t mind as long as it gets people talking about the problems inside these groups and how to address them. These groups advocate preserving resources for the future, but they operate in wasteful and unaccountable ways. We need more accountability or they are going to lose all credibility.
How did a commitment to nature become a multi-billion dollar industry?
In the last three or four decades there has been an enormous increase in charitable giving. Even while the gap between the rich and the poor has grown wider, the number of billionaires has risen dramatically. New finance, Internet and media barons were made in stock market booms of the 1980s and 1990s. Many of these new billionaires have started foundations and taken a hands-on approach that breaks with the tradition of simply bequeathing one’s fortune at the time of one’s death. These “living donors,” along with new sources of funding from corporations, government development agencies and multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, have financed enormous growth of what was once a fledgling movement, run primarily by volunteers. There are tens of thousands of environmental groups in the world today that together spend billions of dollars each year. It’s important to note that I only examined about a dozen of the largest U.S. groups and took an in-depth look at three – Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund – which have an enormous impact on conservation work being done around the globe.
We need tough and reliable environmental groups more than ever today as the world grapples with how best to deal with these problems.
Why is it important to expose the 'truth' about the green industry?
We are at a historic juncture. Climate change and other environmental problems such as the destruction of the world’s last great forests pose enormous challenges but there’s still time to turn things around, if we act boldly. We need tough and reliable environmental groups more than ever today as the world grapples with how best to deal with these problems. I hope this book will cause reflection and reform inside the big green groups. The movement has grown so much in recent years in terms of membership, fundraising and mainstream appeal. It’s time to correct course before questionable practices prompt the public to lose faith not only in these groups, but in the movement altogether.
Are you setting the environmental movement back by talking about its problems?
These groups advocate for preserving resources for the future, but they operate in wasteful and unaccountable ways. They are putting their reputations on the line to fund a lifestyle that is the antithesis of the movement’s values. That’s what is setting the movement back. We rely on environmental watchdogs to fight for a healthy planet. Unfortunately, the groups I focus on in the book have evolved into corporate lapdogs. They are enabling polluting companies to pass off greenwashing for substantive action. This has got to stop or this historic opportunity to green the world economy could slip away. I hope my book will spark debate, reflection and reform that will lead to a more effective, dependable and powerful movement.
Will people be disillusioned with the green movement after reading your book?
It all depends on what kind of response they see from the groups. This is a great opportunity for these organizations to acknowledge their growing number of critics and show that they are capable of change. They must address questions about their operating practices, improve efficiency and become more accountable in their relationships with corporations.
There is nothing wrong with corporations acquiring an environmental ethos. It’s actually an encouraging sign. But polluters have a tradition of silencing their critics. That’s a real concern. Every time a corporation gives a big donation to an environmental group, we have to guard against the possibility that it’s a bribe; that they’re giving them money to co-opt the group and weaken its mission. If greenwashing is allowed to pass for corporate greening, people are quickly going to become disillusioned. We could lose this historic opportunity to address the enormous environmental problems facing us.
What do you mean by the term greenwashing?
It’s a twist on the expression whitewashing, only in an environmental context.
Who are the worst greenwashers in your opinion?
In my book, I look at corporations that use their associations with nonprofits to help greenwash their images. There are many examples. Here are a few:
The British petroleum company BP has given millions of dollars to environmental groups and spent hundreds of millions on its Beyond Petroleum advertising campaign extolling itself as a leader in developing solar, wind and other renewable energy sources. Last year, however, it spent just 4 percent of its total expenditures on those endeavors. It spent 16 times as much on oil and gas exploration and development as it did on all of its eco-friendly initiatives combined. While it may not really qualify as a “green corporation,” BP’s donations to green groups came in handy after the company had the country’s most deadly refinery accident, the biggest pipeline rupture and was charged with illegally cornering the US propane market in the mid-2000s. BP paid millions of dollars to settle felony charges with the U.S. Justice Department over the pipeline rupture alone and remains on probation until 2010. Federal investigators excoriated the company for failing to conduct routine maintenance that could have prevented the refinery explosion and the massive oil spill. But there was no public outrage from the environmental groups courted by the oil conglomerate.
Environmental Defense Fund’s partnership with Federal Express offers another example. ED has a corporation donation policy that bars it from taking money from companies like FedEx. But the group has built a reputation for helping corporations reduce their environmental impacts. In 2000, ED and FedEx teamed up to develop a hybrid truck. The project has been hailed as “revolutionary.” The truck’s design won awards and FedEx said it hoped to roll out 30,000 by 2013. After eight years, FedEx has 170 hybrids on the road. That sounds impressive until you compare it to the size of FedEx’s fleet - 80,000 ground vehicles plus hundreds of aircraft. Today hybrids represent less than 1 percent of FedEx’s ground fleet. But ED and FedEx continue to hold up this partnership as a success story. ED has never publicly taken its partner to task for falling seriously behind on its commitment.
Other specious “success stories” include the relationships CI, TNC and WWF have with international grain traders that are financing the expansion of plantation agriculture in Brazil, Indonesia and elsewhere. CI’s project with Bunge, for instance, has helped preserve 120,000 hectares of Brazilian savannah but, according to CI’s own data, more than 2 million hectares of the country’s savannah lands are being lost every single year. Among the chief causes of this deforestation is demand from Bunge’s soy crushing factories.
Accountability is key to credibility.
What groups do you think are actually walking the walk?
I’d rather not make recommendations. But I can tell you that there are all kinds of environmental groups– large and small; corporate watchdogs and corporate lapdogs. Their sources of funding are a matter of public record. The information is usually available on their websites or at the charity watchdog site Guidestar.org. Besides looking at funding streams, it’s always good to check out a group’s track record, the projects they’ve done and who’s on the board of directors.
How can people feel good about supporting eco-groups?
Change is difficult but not impossible. Because of the way these groups are run, change would have to come from the top – from the senior leadership and their boards of directors that often stacked with corporate executives. But if their reputations and funding sources were endangered, this could prompt reforms. That’s why it’s important for members of these groups to let the leadership know they demand more accountability. Accountability is key to credibility. Even the corporations that today give them millions of dollars will become less interested if their “brands,” as trusted nonprofit groups, become tarnished.
Turning things around won’t be easy but it’s long overdue and critical to restoring a strong environmental movement. We need an effective movement more than ever given the daunting challenges of global warming and many other interrelated environmental issues we are facing.
What can the average person do to help 'save' the planet?
Giving money to environmental groups is not the only way to work for a healthier planet. In my book I urge people to call, write and email retailers and get to know the manager at the local supermarket. Ask where the merchandise comes from, how it was made and what environmental sustainability policies the company has in place. I’ve already started doing this. And it’s slow going. Emailing corporate customer relations with environmental queries has netted me vague platitudes about their commitment to environmental protection or no response at all, in some cases. But if enough of us start asking these questions, retailers will feel the need to respond just as corporations have rushed to improve their energy efficiency and roll out “green” products in response to public concern about global warming. These companies do data analysis of the kinds of customer queries they receive. If they see a growing percentage of people demanding concrete proof that they are adopting sustainable business practices, environmental issues are more likely to take on the urgency today’s challenges require.
Would you describe yourself as green?
I have tried to live an environmentalist life for a longtime – much before I worked at CI. I recycle, drive a compact car as little as possible, frequent the local farmers market, use energy efficient light bulbs and so forth. But one thing new happened while I was researching and writing this book: I almost completely stopped shopping for anything but groceries. The more I learned about the environmental and human rights issues involved in producing many raw materials and the impacts of how they are mined, manufactured and transported to market, the more appalled I became. And I didn’t have the time to start researching every purchase to make sure it was an ethical buy. Besides, products made using the highest standards are expensive, which posed another barrier. While my self-imposed shopping ban took some getting used to, what I learned was that I really don’t need so much stuff. Since I finished the book, I have broken down and purchased a few things. But each time, I emailed retailers inquiring about their environmental sustainability practices. As I mentioned above, it’s slow going. But as Confucius has been credited with saying: “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
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