The term greenwashing was coined by New York environmentalist Jay Westerveld in 1986. Since then, it has evolved into a term describing the deceptive use of green PR or green marketing in order to promote a misleading perception that a company's policies or products are environmentally friendly.

"Consumers have no idea what is going on they are completely blind sided by clever marketing," said Magali Delmas, an Environmental professor at the University of California. "Every time I visit a grocery store they ask the question. Would you like paper or plastic? Which do you prefer the use of petroleum in products or deforestation. Neither option is good. No one really knows the right answer," admitted Delmas.

According to senior meteorologist and Vice President of the AccuWeather Television network Ken Reeves, "we should be aware of the atmosphere and the environment, but supporting products that are claiming to be green is not the way to go. There is no conclusive evidence that any one variable can impact climate change. There is still question of the extent that human activity impacts the climate."

(Source: Green Washing: Is Green the new Black? [Citizen Wire])