Greenwash?

I've been thinking about this term (of abuse) as I have been doing the rounds of Cheltenham's eco houses and other buildings this weekend. Some of their owners have invited exhibitors to display their wares, and I photographed this "Krushr" device at the house of one of these.

The charming young lady gave us a demonstration: "see how it reduces the size of your cans and cartons," she enthused. The box however takes up as much space as a washing machine, and the cost? "£999 at John Lewis." I think I shall go on jumping on mine.

So, is there some absolute definition of "greenwash" we can agree upon? Or is it entirely dependent on whether one's a deep green or a light green?

At this same venue, one couple rolled up, and asked, "What's all this all about then?" When told it was part of the Eco Open Houses weekend, Mrs. turned on her heel and flounced off, saying "Oh, we don't do eco."

Tuscany - 4

In a previous post, I surmised that the wide view from where we are staying was - as it were - "unspoilt". Today, a clearer day, mostly sunny at last, I know differently: my zoom has picked up these two cooling towers, far away to our West, a reminder that we are not in fact on another planet.

When you're on holiday, it's easy to be comforted by those words of Sir Toby Belch that I've quoted before: "Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?" Nevertheless, swimming up and down and seeing those plumes of steam does make you reflect upon the logistics of transforming a ruined farmhouse in the middle of nowhere into a luxurious marble-floored holiday home, with half a mile of drive properly laid down, new garden - trees included - planted up, all services (electricity, water, drainage, wifi...) buried beneath the soil etc. And about the energy required for such a transformation, not to mention the sustenance of the establishment once it's done. No matter how much greenwash you apply to this exercise, the needle must swing far across to the left (on the "How bad are bananas?" scale).

Ah well, that's us crossed off the list for any future invitation...