Businesses considering Green certification may be tempted to take the "Easy Green" approach and simply buy a certification off the Internet. These Green certifications will eventually become a badge of shame when the full truth comes out about how they were obtained. The environment is no small issue, which makes Green business certification seem meritorious. The problem arises when businesses are willing to "Game the System" when we are facing a world crisis that requires commitment rather than compromise.
The FTC has begun enforcement of a much-needed challenge to the Greenwashing of products offered to the public, and it seems certain that "Easy Green" certifications will run into similar hardships. The public trust is something that can be abused in the name of good marketing ideas.
it is evident that no respected certification is purchased with the same effort as downloading a piece of Internet software. LEED certification, for example, cannot be bought over the Internet. ISO cannot be bought for a discounted price and a promise to run good business practices. UL certification certainly does not come from a self-auditing form completed online. What if the J D Powers award for excellence could be obtained for the payment of a fee and filing in a one-page form? Would anyone respect these kinds of credentials under these phoney circumstances?
The certification deception comes from several marketing tricks. First of all, the ability to develop an attractive website can be accomplished by anyone with the money to pay a good programmer. Second is the proclivity of many of these kinds of firms to post up a directory from free signups as though they were actual members. It would pay to do a little due diligence and check out the membership to find that many are out never paid a dime to get a listing from a free directory.
The most deceptive part of the certification process is the "Self Audit" process. This seems very oxymoronic. They may as well promote "smooth sandpaper" or "dry water." An audit means that there has been an independent review of the process. Does the IRS allow the taxpayer to self-audit and then say, "Good enough"? No way. The taxpayer can volunteer their self-assessed tax report, but an IRS audit will ask some very probing questions and demand proof for all deductions. Self-assessment, though improperly called an audit, is further evidence of purposeful deception at the core of these Internet certifications.
All these crafty deceptions are not just intended for the private appreciation of the business owner. They are actually intended to sway the buying public that companies that "bought a Green certification online" deserve the public confidence as a Green business. To defer any criticism, the business owner is now told to claim that the certification is the result an "audited certification." These tactics leave little room for transparency by tell the public that "I bought my Green certification off the Internet, and I certified myself." It seems obvious that customers would not be as impressed if the truth were known about how the Green certification was earned.
"Easy Green" is the certification version of Green washing. Rather than earning the certification the right way, there is the temptation to short-circuit the process in the desire to attract more customers. Were it not for the urgency of the environmental crisis and the desire to reach Green-motivated consumers, these certifications would quickly dry up an blow away. The obvious purpose of any certification is to impress the public. If this statement is true, then "Easy Green" certifications are really about credibility and customer appeal.
The argument that has been made by Internet Green certifications is that their program encourages businesses to be more Green aware. This means that good intentions can substitute for the real thing. So, why not give your fiance a ring from a Cracker Jacks box instead of a more expensive ring from the jeweler? Its the same thing because the man really wants to marry the woman of his dreams. We should all realize that there is something very wrong about offering a cheap imitation when the issue is so important, right?
The Green Business League addressed this issue long before most of the Internet promoters figured out who to short the market. Rather than loading their directory with free listings, they allowed only fully certified companies to be listed. Instead of offering an "Easy Green" certification, GBL trained Certified Green Consultants throughout the United States and Canada to provide hands-on support and a truly independent audit. In the strong belief that quality counts, the GBL site proudly states, "Earned, and not Bought" as their slogan. Any company presently considering a Green business certification should not buy a Cracker Jacks version of the real thing. Green Business League is the only organization with the credibility, the team, and the dedication to offer Green certification that the public can trust and businesses can proudly market.
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