How the selfish can save the world
Thanks to Al Gore’s new movie, as well as rising prices at the fuel pump and rising temperatures everywhere, the idea of becoming “green” is beginning to gain popularity. Auto makers are beginning to make more efficient vehicles (at least the automakers outside of Detroit). Environmental consciousness is beginning to meld with marketing. But what exactly does it mean to go green?
The stereotypical “tree hugger”, the true believer, is the first image to come to mind. This view of being “green” invokes old VWs and granola and clothes that haven’t been washed since Woodstock. For them, green living is commune based, an ideal standard that is not based on any practical, large-scale system. While it is green, it is neither appeal to the masses nor a realistic standard.
A more rational view of going green, a view that has a much better chance of being successful, is the more modern view that being green is being more efficient, and that efficiency will benefit both the individual and the environment. By appealing to the self-centered nature of people, the modern environmental movement can achieve its goal of creating a sustainable world.
“Going Green” is the new marketing fad. The basic principle behind it is simple. As we all remember from our principles of economics, individuals act in their own self-interest. If an individual thinks he will benefit from doing something, or if he derives that mythical “utility” from doing something, he will act. Green marketing captures that notion, and works to convince the individual that he is working in his best interest. The typical motives, in all marketing, not just green marketing, are:
- “doing this will save me money”
- “doing this will save me time”
- “doing this will make me look better”
- “doing this will make the neighbors jealous”
- “doing this will save me lots of money”
By appealing to the masses in this fashion, the stigma of sacrifice is gone from being “green”. It is replaced instead by the more rational approach to environmentalism: sustainability and efficiency. These ethics can be instilled in people without making them feel guilty. All it takes is a little change to make a big impact.
That’s all there is to it. It does not address the problem of large-scale pollution (see my previous posts regarding policy change), but it does address the individual consumer.
