Going Green

After watching 'An Inconvenient Truth' I was super excited about changing around all of my regular habits and doing my part to reverse the global warming trend. It made my new way of seeing how I use energy even more exciting when I saw numerous commercials advertising that different companies were trying to do the same. Next thing you know we have "Natures Expressions" toothpaste by Crest, and the same by Tide with it's Downy 'Pure Essentials.' We're even seeing car companies pick up the notion that it really is time for us to cut down our gas emissions as more and more companies release hybrid models. Is this really the beginning of a new era, in which we care for our planet, or is this another marketing ploy? Has "going green" become a way for marketers to catch the attention of this new eco-conscious society? And if so, is that a good thing? CorpWatch, a watchdog group that keeps it's eye on how corporations treat the environment, has come up with the term "greenwashing" to describe companies that say they're going green to attract more business when in fact they are keeping old habits. Personally, I feel that the more exposure we're given to the efforts that are being put into taking care of our planet (legit or not) the more motivated the public will be to take action. I think it's great that groups like CorpWatch are doing their part to keep companies honest, and it's obvious that enough corporations are actually concerned about the environment to make up for all those that aren't so legit. While I won't be buying any 'natural' toothpaste or detergent anytime soon I will definitely be using less water, less electricity, and saving up for a hybrid car.