Did you notice Earth Week this year? Back in 1990 lots of people turned out for the 20th anniversary of Earth Day to volunteer on cleanups but there was little commercial impact and almost nothing done in the days before or after April 22nd. By 2000 some college campuses (including ours) had built a week of activities around Earth Day in an attempt to expand the engagement over a longer period and make it about more than just picking up trash.
This year the green really hit the fan. Sure, the same old groups were out picking up trash and the predictable speakers were talking about environmental issues on campuses across the country. But in this post-Bush world "green" is no longer something to sneer at and as a result Earth Week went mainstream. While a Google search turns up mostly campus events the most telling sign of change to me came from our local newspaper-- or rather, the ad inserts in our local paper. Companies from Target to Home Depot to Macy's were running Earth Week promotions and many of the ads actually had green color schemes in place us the usual corporate red/orange/blue.
This isn't to say that Target's display of cheap Chinese gardening tools makes them green. But it is a sign that green has gone mainstream. It may be a fad, it may be a sign of the state of the economy, or it may be a shallow attempt to market to people's general fears that things aren't going well environmentally.
But wouldn't it be cool if it was really a signal that change has come, conspicuous consumption is falling out of favor, and that consumers may actually be choosing stores and products based on factors besides price? Here's hoping that ten years down the road we can look back and say 2009 marked the beginning of a trend that really did lead to some positive changes for the planet and the entire community of life on Earth.
-Dr. DRL
