Does anyone remember last fall when NBC went "Green" for a week? They included infomercials with NBC celebs spouting tips and facts about how to live "greener," and the kicker: a "Green" wedding on the soap opera Days of Our Lives, equipped with a "How To" guide to have the "green" wedding of your dreams (never mind this is the character's tenth time to wed.)
Yes, folks, being "green" is now equivalent to being the cool kid in school. Green has gone mainstream.
If you watch television on a semi-regular basis you've seen the commercials for old brands with new outlooks. Chlorox offers an "all natural" line now, as do almost all major brands and, even if you don't shop at Whole Foods, you can still buy "green," and you can still BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag.)
There are new brands on the market, too. Seventh Generation, for example, whose newsletter the Non-Toxic Times also instructs and informs consumers about all things healthy and natural, recently made a cameo in the romantic comedy "27 Dresses" with big-name celebrities Katherine Heigl, James Marsden and Edward Burns. Consequently Edward Burns' character is also very green. He drives a hybrid and is a vegetarian.
It's not just cleaning products either. General Electric, a company with a history of promoting its stewardship of Mother Earth, recently aired an ad with a house-hugging tree, a play on the popular phrase 'tree hugger.'
Even more fascinating is a recent New York Times piece, which innocently poked fun at the trendiness of "green" in an article called "For ‘EcoMoms,’ Saving Earth Begins at Home." This article looked particularly at women in one of the wealthiest parts of the United States and captured the guilt they feel for their 4,000 plus square-foot homes and four-car garages. They sit around contemplating how to remove dry-erase markers from their children's schools and reading the "Green and Clean Mom" blog, all the while lessening their carbon footprint.
It's a conundrum indeed.
If media is ultimately a reflection of society, then we're living in a relatively green society, where a majority of Americans make a conscious effort to conserve, reuse and recycle, great news for the earth and its most fastidious proponents. Trends circulate ideas to mass amounts of people, who may otherwise never understand the need to go green or the current environmental problems we face. Trends, indeed, change the world.
The problem with trends is that they are just that: they change, they fade, and you look back in ten years and ask, "What were we thinking?" Trends may also lead to "fake" advertising and gimmicks. Companies may label their products "natural" or "organic" just to make an extra buck. Without any sort of regulation, anything can be "green."
Recently a woman asked Yahoo! Answers "How long do you think this 'green' trend will last?" It's a question on a lot of people's minds, despite where you might fall on the political spectrum. Sadly, the most popular answer on Yahoo! was "When it stops making companies money," and for all of our sakes, I hope that proves untrue.
Rebekah Sills
2 comments:
ONE more thing that I might mention, and I can't find it online, but Newsweek also did a Green issue for April that contained articles about the presidential candidates' environmental views. It had a pretty fascinating article about M.B.A. programs that focus on environmental sustainability. One person interviewed doesn't even really care about the environment, but he believes that's there's money in helping companies become environmentally sustainable. You all should check it out when you get a chance.
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/magazine/index.html
Everyone should read the above article.
Additionally, going green should not be a trend, but rather a necessity as we continue to use up the earth's natural resources for our lavish lives. And let's all remember those who were "green" long before it was popular to be that way, including our grandmothers and grandfathers who simply had food gardens because that's what EVERYone had.
Just a reminder that though companies like Wal Mart are going green, I agree that it's all about making money for them, while they continue to pay their employees unjustly and refuse to provide them with health insurance. Very poor performance on the part of one of the largest grossing companies in 2007. Regardless of their green initiatives, Wal Mart remains just the same--money and power hungry. Don't forget it. And, stop shopping there.
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