Going Green Could Mean Seeing Green

The power of going "green" for a company trying to compete in today's market can not be denied. Where consumers are more environmentally aware then ever companies are finding out if they are not in the know about "being Green" then they will not be in the green so to speak. More and more we hear about what companies are & what companies are not environmentally friendly.

I find this conversation very important & very interesting to say the least. I have seen it all from companies who are willing to try to have half their companies Landfill free by 2012, speaking of General Motors of course all the way to a company who creates a robot all in the name of calling itself "Green".

Tim Ireland, a company spokesman, said DuPont has spent about $1.5 million over the last year on projects such as the DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor -- a center that showcases the role horseshoe crabs play in the annual, spring migration of shorebirds along the Delaware Bay.

The point of the initiative is to ensure that companies like DuPont can coexist with the environmental and recreational resources in the Delaware Estuary.

"We're eager to talk about that," he said. "We are interested in sustainability."

As part of Clear into the Future, the company developed a rolling, talking robot named Professor Green.

The character is designed to teach children up to about fourth grade about the resources in the estuary, he said. Professor Green has turned into something of a rock star for Clear into the Future.

Other companies taking notice of the so called "Green Movement" are going to benefit in more then one avenue, with attracting their fair share of the market in this newly eco friendly minded consumer movement then there is the most important effect the long term benefits to our environment are going to be a lasting legacy to say the least.

Even well known companies such as Campbell's soup are getting into the action with their web site toting that the condensed soup introduced in 1897 was a significant innovation in the world of soup. When they reduced the water in their soup they also reduced their requirements for packaging, shipping & storage lowered. They claim they saved 130 million pounds of steel every year as well as 2.6 million gallons of fuel saved. I'm not trying to pick on you Campbell's but what have you done for me lately? Sorry I am just using you for an example.

However even with making an effort to help our environment it has to be said that just buying a so called "green products" is not going to save the environment unless it is implemented all over the globe and in very large scale. Cutting our carbon footprint is the real goal. One step would be if everyone changed from environmentally damaging products to a more environmentally friendly product even Clorox admits about their new product line, it is unlikely the Eco-friendly, products made with plant and mineral based ingredients will replace traditional cleaners that have disinfection agents. But the natural cleaners have been selling well.

Although one could argue every little bit helpsand I for one am all over that but I also totally agree something more will have to be done to make a lasting impact. One of the greatest ideas has to be Wind Energy.

Many will say buying green products is like trying to give a man who is lying on the floor not breathing CPR when you do not know how to give CPR. Well to those people I would have to say although you may think that giving CPR will do no good why even try, I say tell that to the dying man's wife &; family at least an effort was made to help.

That effort in effect would make every one involved feel better about the situation. I would also point out that there is a small chance that the effort will help even in a small way after all there is really no definitive proof it won't. One thing is for sure the people standing and watching would not be shouting you didn't do enough for that dying man they would be trying to help save him in anyway they could as well.

This is how I see the whole problem of global warming we can do a little bit to help and I feel that little bit will help some but I feel the real impact by the way of help will come on the larger scale of our power companies and our largest contributors changing the way they operate with out those kinds of large changes the rest of us are just part a crowd of people standing around cheering the man who is trying to give the CPR to save the dying planet, I mean man.

There are good changes being talked about but I will be overjoyed to see them in action all over the world. One such change is being talked about at the U.S. Botanical Garden in Washington.

Mariah Power, Mike Hess, demonstrates what he calls the "Windspire."

"This generates 25 to 30 percent of the power in your house, but if we are building a three kilowatts version, which is only twice the width, same height, then it generates 100 percent of your power requirements," Hess said.

Windspire, was part of an environmentally friendly exhibit at the U.S. Botanical Garden in Washington

This new system was part of an environmentally friendly exhibit at the U.S. Botanical Garden in Washington. The design was inspired by a 3,000 year-old windmill the Egyptians used to grind wheat.

The company had the modern version independently tested, in Utah, to prove it can be competitive with large propellers of traditional windmills. Windspire is on display near the Capitol Building at the US Botanic Gardens from May through October 2008!

It is clear that doing what we should do for our planet is not only right but it's almost exspected in the next generation of shoppers who know it is our job to be responsible cunsumers and purchase our products from responsible businesses. The business world has stood up and taken notice of the demand to be responsible.

In the Executive's Daily Green Briefing

The legal departments tasked with creating ethical programs in compliance with government regulations can now justify them with more than a simple "it's the right thing to do", said Alex Brigham, president and CEO of Corpedia. The financial implications are clear: to be ethical means to be profitable.

But there's a catch. "The green market is a different game with a whole new set of guidelines," says Gwynne Rogers, an analyst with Natural Marketing Institute, a consulting firm based in Harleysville, Pa. Rogers argues that if your environmental claims aren't accurate or clear, they could end up hurting your company. The hype has already gotten so out of hand - "We're all natural," "We're planet friendly," "We're 100% organic" - that many businesses are now being accused by consumers, bloggers, and journalists of engaging in green-washing. TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, a Philadelphia consulting firm, recently conducted a study that identified more than 1,000 products on U.S. store shelves making distorted or unsubstantiated claims. Among the culprits: wax paper boasting "recycled content" without identifying the amount, and a shaving gel touting itself as "CFC-free," even though that ozone-depleting compound has been banned in America for years.

The business world has it's work cut out though because today cusumers are more informed then ever. We are not fooled by pretty packaging and unfounded statements of doing the right thing we go looking to find out if that product is eco friendly or not.

I am really excited to see what the future will bring with the new technologies & developments that are coming about true they will take years to actually implement but I can't wait to see how things will change as we all work together for a better future for the generations to come.