EnviroMedia Social Marketing & the University of Oregon
Greenwashing Index

The Greenwashing Index is a forum for user-generated reviews evaluating the truth of environmental claims made in advertisements. The Web site explains that “greenwashing” happens “when a company or organization spends more time and money claiming to be ‘green’ through advertising and marketing than actually implementing business practices that minimize environmental impact.” The sponsors of the site are EnviroMedia Social Marketing and the University of Oregon. EnviroMedia specializes in marketing campaigns geared toward creating a green profile for companies that want to tell consumers about their sustainability efforts in an appealing and straightforward way, and the University of Oregon has a track record of interdisciplinary environmental research and activism.

Learn more about greenwashing by clicking here.

See the criteria for scoring ads by clicking here.

Starting a Conversation: Respond to “Greenwashing Index”
In the text boxes below, respond to the “Greenwashing Index” by considering the following questions:

  1. Question

    Since a Web site allows users to choose the order with which they view pages on the site, it’s important that the site make its purposes clear to the user immediately. How well does the Web site’s front page announce its purpose and direct the audience in their navigation of the site?

  2. Question

    Click on “About Greenwashing” to learn more. Is the meaning of “greenwashing” clear? Are the examples clear?

  3. Question

    Click on the scoring criteria in the upper right and review the criteria. Do you think they are fair? Are they easy to follow? Why or why not? What do the criteria suggest about the needs, interests, knowledge, and background of the users?

  4. Question

    Go to the full site at greenwashingindex.com and click on “View/Rate Ads” to explore some advertisements. Without reading the user comments or reviews, write a two-paragraph review of an ad that interests you. Apply the greenwashing criteria. When you’re done, use the five-point scale to rate the ad according to each criterion and then average these scores to find your overall rating.

  5. Question

    Now look at the user comments on an ad. How well have users applied the site’s criteria? Do their comments suggest that they are applying the published criteria to the visual and/or textual elements of the ads, or do they appear to be generating their own means of evaluation? Do any of their comments appear to exhibit personal bias?
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