These days we are all too familiar with the concept of ethical consumption. Encouraged to be green, go green and buy green, we don’t think twice when filling up our baskets with organic produce or energy-saving lightbulbs. Yet it’s not always clear that green products are better for the environment. But that’s old news. The latest theory supporting environmental hypocrisy claims that buying green has the potential to make us worse off, particularly by making us act less altruistically. A curious phenomenon indeed, the conclusion that green shoppers are more likely to later lie, cheat and steal arose from a psychological study conducted by Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
In their study titled Do Green Products Make Us Better People? Mazar and Zhong set up three experiments for university students, the first of which tested impressions of green consumers. Participants were asked to rate people who buy green or organic products on their cooperativeness, altruism and ethics. Not surprisingly, green shoppers scored highly on all three measures, confirming that people attach higher social and ethical values to green consumerism.
Candidates were next “primed” to think about the environment through exposure to green products on simulated shopping trips, then invited to play an unrelated game measuring their willingness to share money with a fellow participant. This second test concluded that those who simply saw green products were more generous and willing to share, confirming the “priming effect” on humans — how subtle cues influence our behaviour. Similar to how exposure to Apple’s logo can make you more creative, then, being in the presence of green products might make you behave better. Buying those products, however, has quite the opposite effect — green-goods buyers were much less likely to share their money with fellow participants.
Correspondingly, the third study gauged exposure versus acquisition in relation to green goods and subsequent willingness to steal or cheat, finding that green shoppers were more likely to lie to earn more money, especially compared to those who simply saw the green goods. Why does this happen? Social psychologists place the blame on “moral licensing”; when people do something right or good, they feel it gives them licence to act unethically in other areas. By buying green, we feel less compelled to behave better afterwards, licensing subsequent asocial and unethical behaviour. This isn’t so far-fetched, and, after all, “it’s reminiscent of the idea that after a day of salads and nonfat yoghurt, you can indulge in a slice of cheesecake”.
Co-researcher Mazar, self-admitted green consumer and a marketing professor at University of Toronto, was quick to point out the study was “not done to point the finger at consumers who buy green products”. Rather, she insisted, “The message is bigger. At the end of the day, if we do one moral thing, it doesn’t necessarily mean we will be morally better in other things as well.” There’s no telling how this theory will fare in the real world, but it’s highly doubtful that the woman clutching the biodegradable tissues in your cashier line is going to rob you after. The real moral of the story? Buy green, but don’t feel too great about it — you never know, it might just make you a better person.
Bargain Hunt
Treasured images deserve treasured frames. Let wonderful memories take pride of place in a series of exquisite classically styled frames released by Comyns. Emma’s delicate curves hint at playfulness, Claire is the embodiment of understated chic while Marie’s clean, uncluttered lines create a timeless elegance. Crafted in the finest sterling silver, Comyns’ frames are destined to be family heirlooms, their distinct flawlessness a testimony of Comyns’ long-standing reputation as purveyor of fine sterling silver products. All three frames come in size 4R, retail at RM850, and are available for purchase at all Comyns stores, as well as Royal Selangor outlets in Suria KLCC, Bangsar Shopping Centre and the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre in Setapak.
Splurge of the week
A classic icon of horological luxury, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Skeleton Perpetual Calendar watch in 18-carat yellow gold, features a translucent sapphire dial and an entirely skeletonised and hand engraved perpetual calendar, indicating day of the week, date, month, leap year as well as date and moon phases. Distinguished by the legendary AP 2120 calibre, the thinnest movement ever created (2.45mm thick) with a central winding rotor, the open worked self-winding timepiece has up to 40 hours of power reserve. With its case, bezel and bracelet together comprising well over 100 individual hand-decorated facets, the Royal Oak Skeleton Perpetual Calendar is a visually enticing timepiece whose artistry and remarkable finishing represent the highest echelon of the watchmaking arts. The Royal Oak Skeleton Perpetual Calendar retails for RM295,000 and is available at the Audemars Piguet boutique, located on the Adorn Floor of Starhill Gallery, KL.
Kiddie couture with a conscience
Ten-year-old fashion prodigy and eco-fashion extraordinaire Cecilia Cassini, famously dubbed America’s youngest fashion designer, is an inspiring little girl with a big heart. The California-based fashionista saves on materials by using recycled materials and old repurposed clothing to fashion her creations, bettering the planet one dress at a time. Her philanthropic ways don’t stop there: Cassini regularly designs and donates dresses to homeless girls, frequently contributing to charities like the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Doctors Without Borders and Clothes Off Our Backs. Designing for tweens like herself, Cassini’s eco-chic couture is adorned with big bows and bright colours, things she loves most, and have already been snapped up by celebrities for their children. Having sold out her first trunk show in November last year, Cassini continues to find time to sew dozens of dresses a week and juggle her busy school-life by getting most of her homework done during recess.
Masculine makeup
News sources online are ablaze with claims that American Idol alum Adam Lambert is starting his very own makeup line. Not so newsworthy, you might say, seeing as it’s no secret Adam has a fetish for guyliner, glitter and the like. However, the line reportedly targets the male market or, at least one thinks, the more adventurous men. Just last month, the rock star confessed to NYMag that he foresees a clothing or beauty line of his own one day. Now “Glambert” is reportedly in talks to launch a makeup line consisting of everything a guy could possibly need, “from foundation, concealer, shadow, mascara, and lip gloss, to nail polish,”. Interesting, but some fans argue that Adam shot down these rumours on Twitter months ago. Nonetheless, they say he might be open to this idea in the future, but chances are, if he does create a makeup line, it would most likely be unisex.
Chocolate-fuelled competition
An ingenious invention that “cleans up as it goes along”, University of Warwick’s Lola is the world’s first sustainable F3 racing car. Fitted with a radiator that converts ozone back to oxygen, the eco-friendly vehicle is made of renewable and sustainable materials, mainly industrial waste derived from vegetables like carrots, potato starch and flax. With a car seat made from soybean oil, recycled polyester and plant-based lubricants, and side pods composed from recycled bottles, it’s not a stretch to hear that brake pads made from cashew nuts are still under development. More importantly, Lola’s 2-litre biodiesel engine is configured to run on fuel derived from waste chocolate (Cadbury, in case you were wondering) and vegetable oil, allowing it to muscle speeds of up to 135 miles per hour. Going from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds is no small feat, but it won’t be competing anytime soon; F3 rules currently prohibit biodiesel cars from competition.
This article appeared in Options, the lifestyle pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 798, Mar 22 - 29, 2010