Decision Earth

Decision Earth was a book and 'learning resource package' distributed to roughly 75,000 schools in the United States by Procter & Gamble, which contained some highly controversial claims on waste disposal, mining and forestry issues: it was subject to numerous complaints and is no longer distributed in the US, though it continues to be distributed in Canadian schools.

Procter & Gamble, the manufacturer of many common household chemical products, argued in their material that disposable diapers are no worse for the environment than cloth diapers. This claim was based on "scientific" studies funded by Procter and Gamble, the world's largest manufacturer of disposable diapers, and this conflict of interest wasn't mentioned in their material. It also described garbage-fuelled incineration processes where energy is recovered, as "thermal recycling," without describing any of the toxic emissions that would naturally result.

They also make positive claims of the logging industry saying: "Clear cutting removes all trees within a stand of a few species to create new habitat for wildlife... Clear cutting also opens the forest floor to sunshine, thus stimulating growth and providing food for animals." The argument essentially states that destroying the natural habitat of animals is in fact beneficial, though no independent scientific evidence supports this.

External links

• Dr Sharon Beder, "influencing future decision makers", Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1997.