Green Marketing; Whats Green and Whats not?

   In the past few years many companies have decided to "go green". To many consumers this seems like a great option for the store in which they are shopping. However, how many of these companies are actually contributing to the true, "going green" statement. Is, "going green" just a way for companies to make more money off of making people feel good about purchasing their products because they feel as though they are contributing to the movement? Or are these companies actually making an effort?

   In a report that the USA Today posted, it said that not only are many companies going green to help the environment but they are also going green to save money for themselves as well. Companies such as, SunPower, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Patagonia, Ikea, Nike, Hewlett-Packard, UPS, Yahoo and others are using green practices in their work sites, in product development and packaging, in energy-saving data centers and other technology.

  This means that many of the companies save money on heating and cooling systems as well as transportation of employees. By allowing telecommunication conferencing, employees do not have to waste money as well as gas; flying internationally and nationally to conference to colleagues and co- workers.

   In the end I am sure that many companies are using this "going green" idea as a cover to make extra money but it is interesting to see how companies and consumers alike can feel better about their efforts for a greener environment.

How many companies do you think are actually "going green"?