Green Business is Business as Usual

2007 saw an estimated $66 billion invested in renewable energies like wind power, solar energy, and biofuels. This means that more people than ever are looking to capitalize on the huge demand for "green" energy. But what does that mean for our consumer-driven, never-stop-spending, garbage-pilling, growth-obsessed business models? It means nothing.

Take for example the case of billionaire oilman-turned-wind energy farm-builder T. Boone Pickens, and his attitude towards renewable energy- "It’s about money." Capitalism’s obsession with growth and profits has led many companies to engage in Greenwashing, the practice of misleading consumers regarding the environmental benefits of a product of service. Are these simply the side effects of our socio-economic systems? Are there moral implications to profit-sharing?

The deeper question that must be asked is: Is "green" just about the green?

Yes, and no. Our current market systems will bend over backwards to meet demand and make a buck. Smart activists have long proclaimed that we are "voting with our dollars," using the system itself to create positive change. Companies are doing whatever they can to meet demand for socially-responsible products, even if they themselves are far from socially-responsible.

Case in point: Exxon-Mobile. Its 2007 corporate citizenship report highlights their efforts to reduce environmental impacts down to zero, but just last month a shareholder revolt led by descendants of John D. Rockefeller called for the company to seriously commit to large-scale capital investments in wind and solar energy. In the end, many of Exxon’s shareholders who are already satisfied with their record-breaking profits put an end to any real emphasis on sustainability.

So, people follow the money, and big money follows the people.

The fact that 51% of the largest economies in the world are corporations sets off all sorts of sirens and alarms regarding checks and balances and the pitfalls of having too much power. Meanwhile, the system has adjusted to public concern by doing what it does best: Selling.

They have sold the idea of corporate responsibility and environmental stewardship, but they haven’t fully engaged in the practice themselves.

This should be a wakeup call to those wishing to create a just and sustainable world. Our business systems will care about people, planet, and profits, only when the systems themselves get built around those principles. "Voting with you dollars" has huge potential for creating change, but ultimately the systems themselves will need to be re-built.

Such is the case with companies like Gaiam, Seventh Generation, American Apparel, and Ben and Jerry’s. These companies are breaking new ground when it comes to being socially responsible and making profit. Gaiam Inc has labeled itself a "lifestyle media company," helping to provide information, goods and services to those who care about the environment, a sustainable economy, alternative healthcare and personal development. More and more companies are joining their ranks.

Perhaps we’re seeing the beginning of a major shift in the way Americans do business, and perhaps we should encourage our friends and family to be part of it as well.