Alex Williams Buying Into The Green Movement

Buying into the Green Movement

What are you doing to help our environment? Are you recycling because it positively impacts the environment, or are you recycling because it is trendy? According to Alex Williams essay, “Buying into the Green Movement,” companies are turning an environmental movement into a fashion statement. Many people are only buying eco-friendly products because television and magazines advertise the movement as a new trend. The eco-friendly fashion statement is actually making consumers buy more, which defeats the purpose of conserving our planet. Although it is important to buy and pay attention to economically efficient products, sometimes less is actually more. The essay argues that many people are not cutting back on their usage of day-to-day items. William’s essay strongly shows his passion about the subject. Williams is able to persuade his audience to consume less through his use of logos by stating facts, using ethos to
He does so by bringing environmentalists into the argument. The audience is more influenced when the writer includes other professional’s opinions and facts on the topic. For example, he incorporated a quote saying “Consuming is a significant part of the problem to begin with. Maybe the solution is instead of buying five pairs of organic cotton jeans, buy one pair of regular jeans instead.” This quote was said by Michael Ableman, an environmental author and long-time organic farmer. The audience is more attracted to the essay when the author uses quotes from professionals. It shows that William was open-minded to the other opinions around him. It also shows that he cares about his audience’s strong economic values by taking the time to find other sources of information. Also, by stating that Ableman is a ‘long-time’ organic farmer, it further ensures that Williams sources are reliable. Williams uses these amazing ethos techniques to gain his audiences