Green

Walmart is pretty proud to announce their new logo right now. They are focused on creating a new image for themselves.

From the announcement:

But what really matters is what happens out there in the stores. This update to the logo is simply a reflection of the refresh taking place inside our stores and our renewed sense of purpose to help people save money so they can live better. continue reading...

Companies who can't or are unwilling to practice business in a way that allows for a cleaner environment are allowed to purchase carbon credits. Basically, if I emit 100 tons of carbon and am willing to buy 100 tons worth of credits, then I really have a net carbon footprint of zero... now I can advertise that I am a "green" company.

It is really interesting to me that at least 20% of the UN's Carbon Credits may in fact be bogus. Does it really come as a surprise that the UN would have a program that isn't actually all that it claims to be? Now, the UN is trying to change the way Carbon Credits are handled. So, businesses can't buy credits if the UN thinks there isn't enough validation in the way wind farms or solar plants or tree planters do things. (I can't see what could possibly go wrong.) continue reading...

In one way, I really hate April. Yesterday, April 22, was Earth Day. The day that people get together and "focus" on the Earth. The real issue that I see is that so many companies get together and pretend to really care about the environment.

As you may know, I maintain a news source for the copier and printer industry. I have been amazed at how many "green" news releases have come out this month when the rest of the year, very little is heard. Everyone seems to think that.

Going green is a way to market products to a different audience. The vocal minority that care enough about this dictate the marketing needs. If it was really important to them, they would do it with no marketing dollars. They would make it a quiet cause... or a cause that wouldn't net them any gain.

ADD Sidenote: I wonder if they make a greater profit on their own coffee or if they do this because they are so concerned about the environment... continue reading...

Green is nothing more than a marketing ploy. I have a hard time believing that if going green for a company didn't get them a net gain of something (goodwill, marketing messages, net increase in profit, etc) they wouldn't do it.

The best example I have seen in sometime is that of Walmart. My wife went to Walmart today and the greeter handed her a 16 page pamphlet (see at the left).

While the assertion they make is good, namely, "Earth-friendly products won't save the Earth if they don't save people money" is something that I agree with, what I don't like is that they hide advertisement under the guise of helping the planet. continue reading...