What can green do for you?

Go Green, everybody's doin' it. There is a new trend evolving here in Utah and across the world, which is all symbolized by the color green. A growing wave of companies in all sectors, like technology, financial services, energy, retail, and manufacturing are tapping into this new trend. Companies like: NBC, Fox News, CNN, the NBA, Barney's, Wal-Mart, GM, Toyota, Nike, UPS, and Yahoo. It's even made it's way into politics, many politicians are jumping onto the band wagon including: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sen. John McCain, Pres. Obama, former VP Al Gore, and even our very own governor Jon Huntsman.

But there's confusion about whether it's because these people love trees or whether they love money? What does the color green actually stand for? Americans that are willing to look at the manmade global warming debate with any degree of impartiality and honesty are well aware that those that are spreading this green agenda have made a lot of money doing so, and stand to gain much more if governments mandate these green initiatives. In fact, Nobel Prize winner and Oscar winning activist Al Gore's net worth is about $100 million, which isn't bad considering that he was supposedly worth about $1 million when he watched George W. Bush get sworn in as president in January 2001.

Many Companies are starting to tap into this new trend as well. This week the NBA has come out with a new campaign called "green week," where manufactures are making new t-shirts, jerseys, headbands, shoes, socks, and whatever else you can think of that are all the color green. Sweet Man! Just think… you can have a really cool brand spankin' new "green" Jazz jersey, or Lakers jersey! Oh that would be awesome! But what will this "green" jersey actually accomplish?

Many people will say that it helps raise awareness and that's the most important thing. Ya know we gotta get the message out there man! But really does it plant a new tree in the ground? Or does it help build a new nuclear power plant somewhere? Did the manufacturer decide to stop making t-shirts, and start building solar panels instead? Or did the manufacturer and the NBA actually have to use more time, money, and resources to create and ship all of this cool new stuff? How much of a profit is the NBA really going to make by selling this merchandise? Or how much more did the manufacturer pollute the air, or the water? How much oil did they burn in transporting all this crap? These are just some questions that maybe the NBA should have thought about before they decided that they were going to "go green" and help save the planet.

This is just one example of marketing campaigns that have/are happening to help us all go green. There are many other campaigns out there that are trying to help us all feel good; about these companies, these politicians and what they do. The truth is that it's all just another way to make money. These people are eager to create an emerging market while making you believe that they are saving polar bears and rainforests. But are they really? I don't know about you but .74° C in the last 400 years is just really makin' me sweat, and when will this snow ever stop falling?

The green movement is all a ploy to get the government more control, more companies more money, and for all of us to feel good about them doing it. We all know that pollution is wrong and that it is happening; and a lot of us are serious about wanting to help the planet, and want to make a difference, some of us just want to save some money. But producing new green colored clothes, throwing concerts, and making movies are not the way to do it. Stop selling us stuff and try creating something useful instead.