We can all do more to to help save our planet and ourselves. Even if we start small and expand upon that, if everyone just makes a little effort it all adds up and we end up making a huge difference. ~Tony

Eco Hypocrits, Green Business, and how to make a bazillion dollars

August 3rd, 2007 by Shea Gunther

I'm an eco-entrepreneur, the publisher and editor of this fine site, founder of Green Options and Renewable Choice Energy, and I eat meat. I also drive a big van (made by GM at that) and I love jetskis and four wheelers. I'm an Eco Hypocrite.

So are you. So are most of the people I work with. There are very few people living a modern American life who are truly environmentally benign. I'm talking about an actual eco-even-steven life- eating only local organic fair trade small scale in season food, powering 100% of your energy needs (both electrical and transportation) with renewable, local fair trade energy, wearing and consuming things that are local, fair trade organic socially responsible LEED certified. Living in a house you made yourself using materials you extract yourself from the earth, building around the trees. Not breathing much.

Earth2Tech has news of a poll commissioned by Sun Microsystems that shows 73% of U.S. workers want their employers to be green but don't actually do anything to chip in.

I could have told you that for $50. People are lazy and it's kind of hard to go green. It took us 25 years to get recycling in peoples heads, now we're throwing CFLs and hybrids and fair trade and organic and carbon neutral on top of lowering the thermostat and putting on a sweater.

It's a damn wonder Green is getting any traction at all. Its getting way better of course. The past few years has seen an explosion of Green awareness and media attention. Al Gore has been at the top pushing his very simple message of hopeful action on Climate Change. Companies like Green Options are coming on the scene with the goal of making Green easy for the average person. And of course, the recent acquisition of Treehugger by the Discovery Channel for a cool $10-15M validates the green blog/news space which shows there is an audience for green info.

Right now we're in an exciting place for green business and media. I read the poll as an outright opportunity for smart eco-entrepreneurs to make a lot of money and help change the world for the greener. There's a whole lot of people who want to go green, but don't. That's a huge opportunity.

It's good to be green.