We All See Different Shades of Green

Can a car company be green? How about an airline company? Your answer is dependent upon your definition of what green is. For many of us, that answer varies. Much of the Konstructr community is ahead of the curve when it comes to green building. We have a familiarity with LEED and other certifications. We know where to look for the latest in reliable green news and information.

But not everyone obtains their green news or information from trusted sources. In fact, much of America’s green knowledge comes from mainstream media or marketing. They’re not reading Inhabitat or Worldchanging. They’re seeing commercials like this one from Ford.

Like it or not, the truth is that green’s ambiguity gives marketers wiggle room. Is Ford’s commercial considered greenwashing by most standards? Absolutely. But is it considered greenwashing to most of the American audience? No. In a industry driving by audience, marketing will squeeze every last bit of leeway provided by the mass misunderstanding, or disagreement, of what green really means.

For an example of how two people see green differently, check out “Everything is Green if we say it is” from The Unsuitablog. This post sheds light on green’s ambiguity. While I agree with Keith, the blog’s author, that airlines, by design, cannot be green, I empathize with the airline company representative’s stance that there’s something to be said for the lesser of two evils.

This is where marketing comes back into the green trend. Many people choose to buy a product because it’s greener than the traditional alternative, not because it adheres to a single, strict green standard. Most people hear about green on the nightly news and believe its the right thing to do, but only to a certain extent. They are not spending hours researching products and certifications on the internet.

Put simply, most rely on our messaging to tell them what’s green. As Steffan, from The Gods of Advertising blog says, “We make you want what you don’t need.” As long as marketers control that messaging, we’ll all interpret it differently.