Editor's Note: Because of the upcoming holidays, Inbox will not appear next week. It will return to its regular schedule beginning Thursday, Jan. 3.

 

Everywhere I go these days, I'm seeing green.

 

It's "see green, save green" at the local grocery chain, "green" programs in my natural gas bill, even "green" billing advantages on my bank statement.

 

It makes me wonder how long Americans will stay interested in "greening" their lives if this trend in overzealous eco-marketing continues.

 

Already, it seems to be becoming cliché, and green buying practices seem to have become more of a fashion statement and "the thing to do" than a way of life.

 

A search on Google recently brought up nearly 190,000 hits on the word "green."

 

Granted, it's also a color, but the mention of environmentally friendly practices dominated the search engine's return. Some of the headlines displayed included, "Hey kids: Do you have a green grandma?", "Green wine? I'll drink to that" and "Want to go green? Try deer hunting first."

 

I scrolled through about 15 pages of Google hits and most stories on "green" lifestyles were less than a day old.

 

My cynical self makes me wonder whether that many people are starting to care, or whether growing a green conscience is just the "thing to do." Also, if the concern is genuine, how much marketing can we take before we start to tune out?

 

A study of United Kingdom residents shows that already more than a quarter of Britons are suffering from "eco-fatigue." The study found that 23 percent are bored with eco-news, and about 18 percent exaggerate their eco-friendliness because it is fashionable.

 

When certain trends become too prevalent, too, I think skepticism of them grows.

 

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald has highlighted a problem with numerous companies marketing their products as green when they really are not. I think the more prevalent green marketing becomes, the more wary people will become of whether the claim is true.

 

I would love to buy more earth-friendly products, but sometimes wonder whether many really are green, or whether they just want more of my green.

 

A study recently conducted by the Natural Marketing Institute and the public relations firm Porter Novelli found Europeans are 50 percent more likely to buy green products than Americans, but were 20 percent less likely to pay more.

 

The higher "green" rate in Europe, however, seems to come more from stricter environmental laws than eco-marketing strategies.

 

Europeans have been faced with high fuel costs much longer than we have, and overseas travelers can't help but take notice of how many tiny cars and other fuel-efficient vehicles they drive as a result.

 

I'm convinced that inundating the public with green marketing strategies won't be nearly as effective as consumers having to pay $3.50 per gallon for gas or deal with other budgeting blows.

 

In Germany, the federal government decided to begin paying cash incentives to residents willing to install solar power panels on their roofs.

 

An article in the Daily Utah Chronicle on Germany's plan states that now, seven years later, Germany is the world leader in solar cell production and has created 170,000 new jobs as a result.

 

So while it may be believed that bombarding consumers with the message that the benefits of green is worth it, at the expense of their pocketbooks, it seems Americans might be better off with more incentives and rewards for their efforts rather than new "green" stuff to buy.

 

Otherwise, people might stop listening altogether, assuming "green" is just another passing fad.

 

Rachael Whitcomb is associate editor of Waste News. Past installments of this column are collected in the Inbox archive.

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