Phil Gutis's Blog
Green It. Mean It?
April 21, 2008
Posted by Phil Gutis in Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably , The Media and the Environment
The following revelation probably won't likely earn me any brownie points with my policy crazy colleagues, but I'm a dedicated American Idol viewer. Amid all the hype and overwhelming commercialism, there's something inspiring about watching a bunch of talented kids gathering up the courage to sing before tens of millions. There's also more than a bit American gladiator each week as those same tens of millions watch someone's dreams crushed on live television.
Last week, however, something more than the annoyingly endless commercials and teary moments caught my eye. The ubiquitous Fox logo that lives in the bottom right corner of the screen morphed into what the network calls a celebration of the planet and a plea -- perhaps demand would be a better word -- that we "Green It." And "Mean it."
Fox, of course, isn't alone in its effort to urge us all to go green. Wandering through New York last week, I came across so many storefront windows hawking so-called green products that you'd think that Fifth Avenue had transformed from a citadel of commercialism to a blocks-long advertisement for NRDC and our fellow environmental groups.
Now I'm probably a bit more believing than most professional environmentalists when it comes to believing the green claims of corporate America. I truly do believe that something has changed in the corporate ether. Sure, thousands of marketing directors around the country have poured over hundreds of public opinion surveys and found that environment is beginning to matter to Moms and Dads everywhere and that folks are desperate for green advice. (We've been hearing the same requests and in response have launched Simple Steps, a special user-friendly guide to help those interested in improving their health and the health of their families and the planet. I'm particularly proud of Baby Steps. If there's a baby in your life, I highly recommend checking it out.)
Or maybe the business magazines are to be believed and corporate America has finally realized that there's hundreds of billions of dollars to be made in dealing with the climate crisis and other environmental challenges that threaten our future.
I wouldn't, however, fault anyone for being deeply skeptical about the depth of this new commitment. After all, its fairly easy to proclaim a new found greenness. But its another thing completely to mean it.
Only time will tell whether Fox listens to its own propaganda and takes the massive internal steps necessary to green its own operations. Early indications are good -- earlier this year, Rupert Murdoch has announced that his News Corporation and all of its worldwide operations will go carbon neutral by 2010 -- but it will take more than a news segment and a few hybrid cars and diesel generators.
Green it. Sure. Mean it? Only time will tell.
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