Does going Green produce the Green?

There's a lot of talk these days about going green. But is it any different than in the 1970s and 1980s when corporations talked the green talk but didn't walk the walk? I don't know the answer, only time will tell, but it sure seems different this time. It sure seems like going green is taking hold and that going green might be the key to earning more of the other kind of green stuff.

It's everywhere, it's everywhere

So what is my justification for saying that going green seems to be taking hold this time? Some years back, a gentleman whose name escapes me at the moment (Kenneth something I think) wrote a book about investing in the stock market, and one of his key indicators in companies to invest in was just walking around and observing. For example, he noticed this new product called Leggs, stockings in an egg that was appearing everywhere, so he bought shares.

When it comes to green, just do the same thing, walk around and observe. Highway telephones are solar powered. Oilfield pump stations have solar panels powering instrumentation. You can buy solar powered battery chargers anywhere - and their cheap too! Low energy light bulbs are screwed in to fixtures everywhere you look. Wind turbines are slowly dotting the landscape in many countries. Most municipalities use sorting and recycling programs in all their waste management practices. Ecostores are popping up everywhere. And on and on the list goes. Environmental responsibility seems to be not only growing, but heading towards becoming the mainstream way of thinking and acting. This green trend certainly has surpassed the green fad of the seventies by leaps and bounds. That was just a fad, this is on the cusp of becoming our way of life.

But Is It Sustainable?

This question is actually quite a play on words. Is it sustainable? That is what the green revolution is all about, sustainability; and it is putting its other green stuff (money) where its mouth is. Really, the question is; is our old way of life sustainable? The answer is a clear no. Consumer packaging in Canada is wasteful with large amounts of unnecessary packaging simply for appearance, a shallow attempt to appeal to our more shallow tendencies. Our energy consumption is among the highest per capita in the world, if not the highest. Our water consumption is also near or at the top. With growing populations, the good old days are over. The good news is the good new days will likely end up better than the old days. This time around, the technology is there to support green products not only be cleaning the environment but by putting money back in our pockets. Green products are building their reputation on saving the world and our pocketbook. Energy efficient light bulbs save money, solar power saves money, efficient building design reduces maintenance and utility costs, and on and on the list goes.

What About Green Real Estate?

Real estate is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the green revolution. LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) is catching on and promotes green building design in so many ways. Not only must the building meet strict standards but the construction of the building must also be done in an environmentally friendly manner.

Green products seem to increase every week. I just read about a new Canadian invention called the Talking Plug that sends out energy consumption data over the internet to the owner so as to track appliance energy consumption.

A builder in Toronto is testing green homes over the next three years to see if it will pay dividends for them. A U.S. study found that solar panels increase a home's value. The energy consumption actually came out higher than expected, but when selling their homes, the solar panels appealed to environmentally friendly people. Interesting. My son often talks of moving to Vancouver one day and one of the reasons (among it being a cool place for young folk) is the environmentally friendly attitude of its residents. Going green is attractive to a more responsible generation.

Is Green Here to Stay?

Now I'm not bold enough to answer that question, but I would definitely hazard a guess that it is. As the world's population continues to grow, we begin to see the impact of our old lifestyles more and more every day. And technology seems to be in the midst of phenomenal growth these days, with many new products coming to market that reduce our footprint upon the land. Will it stay? I don't know. I mean I still drive a big truck and many Albertans do, and LEED is still far too complicated for many smaller firms to participate in, and our current world economy limits funds for innovation, and many people in the world have to worry about survival, never mind going green. I don't know, but I hope it stays.