In the vast world of environmental awareness, the concept of greenwashing is emerging as a menacing shadow that demands everyone's attention. Greenwashing occurs when organizations claim to adopt more environmentally-friendly practices than they actually do. In this blog, we take a closer look at some of the most common greenwashing strategies and learn how to spot them. Misleading labelling One of the most common greenwashing tactics is the use of misleading labels on products. Companies use attractive labels, often decorated with idyllic images of forests; phrases written in green; symbols that illustrate sustainable development and so on. These captivating visuals deliberately create a false impression of eco-responsibility, leading consumers to believe that the product in question has been designed to be environmentally friendly. Yet behind this visual façade often lies the real environmental impact of the product or its manufacturing process. Vague and ambiguous claims Anot...

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and our food systems are hot topics nowadays and there is a lot of information floating around out there. This past November, St Paul’s University played host for Ottawa’s GMO symposium. As part of this event, our friends at the Interdisciplinary Food Lab (LEILA) hosted a special guest lecture about GMOs and related regulations in Canada. What is a GMO? To understand GMOs we need to look at DNA. Think of DNA as the blueprint for everything in our body. DNA holds the code for arranging amino acids, which create proteins, which we use for different reactions or to form different tissues and membranes. Although this is still a relatively new science, it has come a long way in part because of the Human Genome Project (in which the whole human genome was mapped and the genes responsible for coding specific proteins were identified). When an organism is genetically modified we cut and paste DNA from another organism into the original organism’s...