Green Is ‘Hot’ by Hetty Matthijssen
trend [trend]
–noun
a general direction in which something is developing or changing.
(“New Oxford American Dictionary”)
Trends and fads can be pretty useless when they concern meaningless matters such as which celebrity shops where and what is the hot reality show on TV right now. But when caring about the environment or taking better, conscious care of your body and soul become a ‘hip’ thing to do, all of a sudden trendiness starts to become an interesting tool to increase awareness in making the world a better place.
Yoga, for example, has definitely become a healthy trend over the years and it has transformed many lives for the better. Meditation is another increasingly trendy habit that can’t hurt and does not try to sell you anything but peace of mind.
What about this “green” trend, though? When even companies like Pepsi and BP are connecting their brand to environmental sustainability and are so set on being perceived as “green,” it must be recognized as a serious marketing tool. This may be something to take great advantage of. And frankly, isn’t it about time?
Since most people in this world (sadly) seem to be mostly driven by monetary incentives, how perfect is the concept of making money off of green energy solutions or saving gas money by driving a hybrid? It’s these economic/environmental win-win situations that catalyze both instant positive change as well as realistic long-term change. Listed by Fortune Magazine as one of the “10 Green Giants,” global investment bank Goldman Sachs announced a groundbreaking environmental policy in 2005. Critics said Chief Executive Hank Paulson was pushing it with his green ethos, but the bank has become even more planet-friendly since Paulson left. Why? Because it is doing a lot of green business. Goldman Sachs’ investment of $1.5 billion in cellulosic ethanol and wind and solar power have paid off.
The bottom line is, as increased green consciousness is good for the health of the earth, it doesn’t matter if we use trends, marketing, and monetary incentives to get there, as long as we actually get there. As a species, we are evolved enough and absolutely capable of maintaining both a healthy natural environment and a flourishing economy simultaneously. One doesn’t have to happen at the expense of the other, which has so far often been the case ever since the industrial revolution. Of course, a rapidly growing world population doesn’t exactly facilitate this balance, but it is still possible with our wealth of technology and knowledge.
Personally, I still prefer the good old ethical “let’s get our priorities straight, listen to our hearts, and pay attention to what really matters in life,” but if it will take humanity another 100 years to get there via that route, we might as well take some less noble and more business-savvy shortcuts in the meantime. Just to tie us over.
Hetty Matthijssen is a writer and world traveler originally from The Netherlands. Living between Venice, CA and Sedona, AZ, she finds energy in balancing the ocean and the desert. Contact her at hmatthijssen@hotmail.com.