When buying a new car last year, I was faced the decision of buying a hybrid or not. In weighing the pros and cons, it ultimately came down to cost. As much as I like to do my part in saving the planet, when making one of the largest purchases one can make, I simply couldn’t afford to go with the more environmentally friendly option. Sure it would save me gas money, but the fuel costs just didn’t make up of for the difference in purchase price between the hybrid and other less environmentally friendly compact cars.

If our concern here was really about saving the planet, wouldn’t we make green options more affordable to the masses? We will begin to see the greatest changes once going green is made more accessible to the average Joe.

A green-crazed housemate recently brought home a series of candles from a shopping spree. The reason they were marketed as green by the manufacturer? “Recyclable glass jars and a recyclable cotton wick”

Unfortunately, this manufacturer has garnered marketshare, at least in the case of my housemate, by hijacking the utilizing the word ‘green’ in a most deceptive way. Aren’t all glass jars recyclable? Wicks burn up, why would you need to recycle them in the first place?

One would hope that the majority of consumers would be thoughtful enough to pursue items and services that really promote a substantive & genuine green agenda. One would also hope that manufacturers take real steps toward innovation to make their products green, rather than faking it.