Going Green

There is a new trend in popular culture of "going green" that has been prevalent for a few years. Everyone has go green purses, hemp shoes and is buying environmentally friendly packaged products. How did we get to this point? The health of the environment and the need for recycling and reducing pollution has been a known issue for a long time. What happened to make it cool to be green? How does anything become a trend in our popular culture?

The celebrity's endorsement has made a huge impact on the going green trend. I didn't think of it until we read about the great influence celebrities have in our culture. Then I remembered reading an article in Seventeen magazine about how the celebrities are all going green. The article listed Natalie Portman, Mary-Kate Olsen, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio. The noted celebrities either volunteer, donated money for a green cause, or created a "green" shoe line. Similar to fashion trends and when celebrities wear it we must try it on for size! As a society we tend to rely on our rich and famous to dictate what is trendy for our day.

Without the stores to sell the products and promote their green merchandise it would not have been so wide spread. Without the shirts that say "recycle!" or the purse made out of plastic bags how would we be green? This movement looks like more of a fashion statement rather than real action. However, I do not want to discredit the actual changes that have been taking place such as the new technological developments that help reduce our pollution and conserve our resources. For example, a lot of businesses have become paperless. We have also made improvements on transportation. There are a lot more cars that have improved gas mileage and there has been a larger incorporation of hybrids into the market. There has been major improvements on how our culture has looked at the environment.

The impact of the celebrities and marketing of "going green" has greatly influenced the mass public. Although it gets a message across, is selling merchandise with a eco-friendly logo enough to make a difference?