2008 Woodie Awards
Going 'green' easier said than done for students
Nathan Cape
Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: Editorials
- Page 1 of 1
While browsing on the Internet or flipping through channels on television, a pattern emerges with major corporations going "green."
Whether it is GE's focus on "Imagination at work" directed toward "Ecomagination," or Starbucks' Ethos Water, there is a constant stream of advertising that has a precise purpose for consumers' purchasing behavior. As consumers, we are put on a mainstream focus of recycling, fuel conservation and all aspects of being "green," but at what point will being "green" force our bank accounts to go into the red?
The automotive industry has been a primary focus of "green" due to the increased pressure on oil prices and conservation, and has forced the industry into tradeoff positions in reflection to the cost of vehicles. Consumers are demanding better gas mileage and fuel options, but there is always a cost for every benefit.
When automobile manufacturers substitute lighter metals for steel in order to increase fuel economy, there is a tradeoff in production costs. According to an article entitled, "The Costs of Going Green," aluminum-bodied automobiles use less fuel when driven, but require a complex manufacturing system to assemble, which increases the production cost. Consumers that originally pushed for fuel-efficient vehicles may soon be wondering why the green in their wallets has suddenly vanished.
As a consumer, one must decide how much to spend on being "green." If cost is not an issue, a consumer can purchase Ethos Water every day and drive a $50,000 vehicle fueled by corn and solar power. Most consumers, especially consumers straight out of college, do not have the opportunity to disregard cost as a determining factor in everyday life and are forced to weigh options of going "green" or keeping the green in their checking account. However, consumers do have the option of going "green," which many generations before us were not offered by corporations.
It is important to weigh the costs of going "green" and deciding on what shade of "green" you would like to pursue as a consumer. You can recycle daily, conserve energy throughout the home and take a lighter shade of "green," or you can purchase Ethos Water and drive a flex-fuel vehicle to become a darker shade of "green."
It is up to you to pursue your personal level of "green," and it will be up to corporations, such as GE, to keep you on the mainstream of "green" for many years to come.
- Nathan Cape is a senior marketing major and a Mirror columnist.
Whether it is GE's focus on "Imagination at work" directed toward "Ecomagination," or Starbucks' Ethos Water, there is a constant stream of advertising that has a precise purpose for consumers' purchasing behavior. As consumers, we are put on a mainstream focus of recycling, fuel conservation and all aspects of being "green," but at what point will being "green" force our bank accounts to go into the red?
The automotive industry has been a primary focus of "green" due to the increased pressure on oil prices and conservation, and has forced the industry into tradeoff positions in reflection to the cost of vehicles. Consumers are demanding better gas mileage and fuel options, but there is always a cost for every benefit.
When automobile manufacturers substitute lighter metals for steel in order to increase fuel economy, there is a tradeoff in production costs. According to an article entitled, "The Costs of Going Green," aluminum-bodied automobiles use less fuel when driven, but require a complex manufacturing system to assemble, which increases the production cost. Consumers that originally pushed for fuel-efficient vehicles may soon be wondering why the green in their wallets has suddenly vanished.
As a consumer, one must decide how much to spend on being "green." If cost is not an issue, a consumer can purchase Ethos Water every day and drive a $50,000 vehicle fueled by corn and solar power. Most consumers, especially consumers straight out of college, do not have the opportunity to disregard cost as a determining factor in everyday life and are forced to weigh options of going "green" or keeping the green in their checking account. However, consumers do have the option of going "green," which many generations before us were not offered by corporations.
It is important to weigh the costs of going "green" and deciding on what shade of "green" you would like to pursue as a consumer. You can recycle daily, conserve energy throughout the home and take a lighter shade of "green," or you can purchase Ethos Water and drive a flex-fuel vehicle to become a darker shade of "green."
It is up to you to pursue your personal level of "green," and it will be up to corporations, such as GE, to keep you on the mainstream of "green" for many years to come.
- Nathan Cape is a senior marketing major and a Mirror columnist.
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