[spot5050]

The term "eco-friendly" is so overused that it is now meaningless.

It's a term used by journalists in complete ignorance and product marketing people as a selling tool. It has no meaning or value.

Likewise "green" and "good for the environment".

For example, I claim that "my left testicle is good for the environment because it emits less greenhouse gas than my right one".

[Ludi]

"Kind to trees, darling."

I will bake a box of cookies and ship them to anyone who can name the source of that quote.

[hillsidedigger]

Such an open question begs why we are here to begin with.

Many don't like my answer so I won't post it.

I'll just ask is it acceptable to maintain the world's environment such that a limited number of babies can continue to be brought to this place for a long time?

[ohanian]

Something is "ECO-FRIENDLY" when it does not harm the environment.

For example: Human corpses are eco-friendly.

So you too can be a eco-friendly human by commiting suicide.

[mos6507]

Human corpses are eco-friendly.

Considering the amount of toxic chemicals in them, I'd say not.

[dinopello]

"Kind to trees, darling."

I will bake a box of cookies and ship them to anyone who can name the source of that quote.

I'm going to say Jennifer Saunders ?

[Maddog78]

[Eddy points to her bag of "Pop-specs".]
Saffy: It's a sticker with a green tree on it.
Edina: Yes.
Saffy: What does that mean?
Edina: Kind to trees, sweetie.
Saffy: How are they kind to trees?
Edina: Well they ain't made of wood, how kind do you want!?

[Ludi]

"Kind to trees, darling."

I will bake a box of cookies and ship them to anyone who can name the source of that quote.

I'm going to say Jennifer Saunders ?

Bingo. Let me know where to send the cookies.

[Ludi]

The anti's find it easy to fault good-intentioned folks for being soft or "hypocritical."

Just like you take a dump on permaculture.

[Narz]

Yeah, that's what I got too & this snippet :

Eddie: ''Look at this - what is this?''
Saffy: ''It's a green sticker with a tree on it.''
Eddie: ''You know what it means? Kind to trees darling!''

I used google so I guess that's cheating.

[Keith_McClary]

I also Googled "Jennifer Saunders", whoever that is.

"Green" energy sources are often not good for the natural ecology.

Biofuels may require breaking new land for plantations.

Ask any birdwatcher where to see birds - they will take you to rivers or lakes. But hydro dams wipe out most of those birds, although they make great Bald Eagle habitat.

Windmills kill bats and birds. In northern latitudes, hawks hunt on windy ridges blown clear of snow. Of course, windy ridges are ideal windmill sites.

[NeoPeasant]

"Eco-friendly product" and "Eco-friendly fuel" are for the most part oxymorons. The most eco-friendly product is the one you avoid buying and the most eco-friendly fuel is the fuel you avoid burning.
The most eco-friendly mode of transportation is proximity.

[thylacine]

The quote is from the lips of Edwina (Eddy) Monsoon, the character played by Jennifer Saunders in the UK comedy show Absolutely Fabulous. Just thought I'd straighten this one out as some people seem to be: a) taking it as a comment made in all seriousness and b) a comment made by a real person.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolutely_Fabulous

[Ludi]

a) taking it as a comment made in all seriousness and b) a comment made by a real person.

I doubt it.

[AgentR]

Anything that does not involve BUYING NEW STUFF.

No really; I get quite tired of the use of this, and similar terms, as just another form of commercialism. Most of the time, when you boil off the "new shiny, ain't I cool" part, you end up with having bought a great big lump of plastic, wood, glass and/or metal whose in-use energy savings is only slightly positive, and would have to remain in service for a very long time to even approach offsetting the unfriendly costs of its initial creation.

How much better would it have been to spend that money on properly maintaining the existing asset, and the rest on planting trees or something similarly useful.

In short, if you're buying some new, consumer grade, do-hicky, whether car, or popcicle stick, odds are, that wasn't an eco-friendly action, regardless of what the slick sales guy in berkenstocks told you.

[phaster]

"eco-friendly" an overused, nebulous defined marketing adjective!

personally I've always viewed "eco-friendly" as being an unattainable goal one strives to achieve, where one seeks to maximize the economic benefit while trying to minimize the fewest natural resources.

put into engineering terms "eco-friendly" IMHO should be thought of as being akin to a S/N (signal to noise ratio)

[Pops]

Reduce Reuse Recycle

Buying Throwaway Crap just doesn't have the same ring does it?


BTW, what the heck is a "Pop-spec" anyway?

[Pretorian]

Anything that does not involve BUYING NEW STUFF.

there... as well as hiring, spending, or volontiering for non-eco projects

[Serial_Worrier]

Having 6 billion less humans is "eco-friendly".