Four (or Five!) Reasons Why

…Green Is The New Black…Which Is Good

1. If you’re not green, you’re not mainstream. It used to be that being green meant you lived on the margins. It meant that you lived at the thin end of the long tail. It meant that you were kind of different. These days, however, being green has moved to the fatter part of the tail. If you don’t demonstrate that you’re green, whether you are a corporation or an individual, you run the risk of being a pariah amongst your neighbours, friends and family.

2. Green has become a sign of status. It may not bling, but it is as much a part of your personal branding as the clothes you wear. Yeah, yeah, people are green because they want to contribute. Totally agree. But people are also green because it feeds their ego, makes them look good, and gives them something to talk about at cocktail parties.

3. Consumers are starting to talk the talk…and some are even walking the walk. As Joel Makower summarizes, recent studies show that almost 4 in 10 Americans are buying products they believe to be environmentally friendly, 28% say they have made “major changes” in their lifestyles to protect the environment, they expect to see significant corporate commitment to environmental leadership, and 1 in 10 say that they have looked up their personal and/or household’s carbon footprint.

4. Green has become the preferred colour of the rich and famous. Hollywood has always set the benchmark for public relations and the green movement has taken a front seat. Gone are stretch limos and pimped-out speed racers. The new status symbol among the glitterati – the Toyota Prius.

5. Green events are common place now – Earth Day, Earth Hour, The Green Living Show. Green markets abound – farmers market, neighourhood and local markets (check out localharvest.org), organic delivery services. The evolution and proliferation of “green” has made us realize that we can do something for Mother Earth, regardless of which scientific study you choose to believe.