S Unit 3: Saving the planet Reading–writing: Greenwashing (B1+) a) Read the following text about “greenwashing” and underline words and phrases you think you should remember. 1 At the 2015 United Nations conference on climate change in Paris a number of important international companies (e.g. Google, IKEA, Ricoh, Philips, Engie, EDF) opted to support the organisation through financial or in-kind contributions to show their involvement in these issues. However, critics accused some of these companies (especially French energy providers) of “greenwashing” which means that they use green issues to promote their businesses. In the Financial Times Pascoe Sabido, a campaigner at Brussels-based group Corporate Europe Observatory, was quoted as saying, “Companies are looking at the climate conference as a business opportunity, using it as a way to make themselves look ‘green’ while continuing with business as usual.” So what it boils down to is that such practices disguise the real purpose of such campaigns. In the eyes of the critics, sponsoring green events and becoming part of environmentally sound initiatives is nothing more than a subtle form of public relations. Such practices can be found almost everywhere nowadays. Hotels pride themselves as being green by putting up notices that guests can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases by not having their rooms cleaned or their towels washed every day. Fast food companies use environmentally friendly packaging, computer companies invest in renewable energy and design products which can be recycled easily, to name but a few. Hand in hand with these moves they, of course, advertise that they support sustainability. Being tagged as “green” means that their public image is shifted from a company wasting energy and resources to a highly responsible, almost non-profit oriented enterprise. Claiming to be environmentally friendly no doubt has a direct effect on sales figures. However, when experts looked into the business strategies and the accounts of such campaigns they found out that the effect on the environment is minimal compared to the expectations that were raised by highly efficient advertising campaigns. Some examples even show that companies use green strategies to reduce costs and increase profit. In some cases these strategies were even adopted by governments to mislead the public about the long-term effects of government policies. 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 b) Do further research by using the internet search term “greenwashing award”. Read at least three texts about the issue and make a list of words and phrases that are typically used in such a context. c) Write an e-mail of complaint to one of the companies named in the articles you have found and include the following points: describe who you are your reasons for writing positive aspects of such initiatives negative aspects of such initiatives what you expect the company should/should not do Listening–speaking: Why should I save water? (B1) Listen to a young adult talking about measures to save water. As you do not fully agree with what she says give her an answer and include at least the following aspects: the consequences of water shortage and water pollution the importance of saving water the way in which you use water 2 39c 144 Semester self-checks Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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