Eco Friendly Products 101

MMA85 asked:


I’m writing a rhetorical analysis for my college English course. I’ve never written anything like this before so I’m having problems with it. I’ve finally worked through the intro and body, but I don’t know how to conclude it. My professor explained that it should in no way resemble a conclusion like those of the “5-paragraph format” essays. I.e. I don’t want to go back and restate my points and such. So I don’t know what I’m supposed to do to conclude it. I’m going to put my full essay on here, so you may read it (or proofread it o:) ) if you’d like. Or, it would also really help if I just had some steps or examples to go off of to conclude this essay. Thanks!

“Green Consumerism is the Solution: Fact or Faux Pas?”

In his article, “Buying into the Green Movement” author Alex Williams writes, “Some 35 million Americans regularly buy products that claim to be earth-friendly, according to one report, everything from organic beeswax lipstick from the west Zambian rain forest to Toyota Priuses” (345-6). Williams discusses the concept of green consumerism as a way to lower the amount of carbon in our eco-system. He states that many more people are beginning to buy products designed to reduce our impact on the environment. He addresses the pros and cons of this idea and how the cons may out weigh the pros. In the same, he shows what else can be done if consumers really want to protect the environment. Williams places a new perspective on green-consumerism in order to get readers to realize firstly that buying eco-conscious products is not enough to help the problem, and secondly to show it may in fact be better to continue with the products we already have than to buy their eco-friendly counter-parts, so that they can stop overlooking the larger problems just because they shop green.
The new spin placed on this concept seems not to persuade the reader not to buy eco-friendly products, but to show the importance that doing this alone will not have a great impact. In this sense, Williams doesn’t totally discredit those who are going green, but only shows that there is much more to be done than solely buying products designed to reduce carbon. He goes even further than this in saying, “Environmentalists say some products marketed as green may pump more carbon into the atmosphere than choosing something more modest, or simple nothing at all” (347). This forces the reader to become more buyer conscious. He uses this logic to show that even though the products are marketed as green, they may actually have adverse effects, or using what you have now may in fact better than buying new “green” products.
Williams uses logos when he discusses the fact that although many people have began buying eco-friendly products, they do not realize that it could be hurting more than it is helping. He illustrates this by using the SnackWell’s analogy. He says, “It’s as though the millions of people . . . confronted with a box of fat-free devil’s food chocolate cookies, which seem to be deliciously guilt-free, they consume the entire box, avoiding any fats but loading up on calories” (346). In this analogy, one can see the fat-free cookies as the eco-friendly products being marketed today. We buy so much of these goods because they are marketed in such a way that makes us believe that they do not hurt the environment at all, when in reality the over consumption of the products does as much damage as purchasing the regular goods. By using this metaphor, he appeals to the readers by comparing the idea to something on a simpler, more logical level. Coupled with this, it reveals the often-unseen side of green consumerism.
The way to truly solve our environmental issues is to attack them at the top. In order to argue this to his audience, Williams turns to another creditable authority. Michael Brune, the executive director of the Rainforest Action Network, says, “After you buy the compact fluorescent bulbs, you can move on to greater goals like banding together politically to shut down the coal-fired power plants” (Qtd. In Williams 348). This use of logos instills in the reader the necessity to attack the environmental problems at a higher level along with the smaller steps of buying green products. This also incorporates the perspective of another credible individual, thusly making Williams’ claim more plausible, and adding ethos into his argument.
In the same, Williams argues that green consumerism is a flaw in the attempt to become more eco-conscious. He shows that the green movement is being use as a marketing ploy. As so many people are beginning to try to become better stewards to our earth, they see purchasing “green” products as a great way to help. They do so without realizing that products labeled as eco-friendly may not be as much so, while the regular products, even the ones they already own, may be better for the environment. Michael Ableman, an environmental author and long time organic farmer, remarks, “ The assu

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