Greenzone Online

I’ve heard it said over and over that we vote with our dollar. It makes sense in that if “Big Oil” were suddenly “tiny oil”, their creepy presence in the form of Washington Lobbyists would decrease overnight, and thus so would their influence on whoever might be in power. In essence there really is no such thing as a tiny Industry, and industries aren’t big until we put millions of dollars into their checking accounts.

As an American who is dying to “vote” in every cool store I can seemingly find, knowing what company holds a conscious view in regard to the environment is extremely useful. Simply put: I want to vote with my dollars, but don’t always know how.

That’s where the new Green Certification Programs come in. Green Certification Programs are growing all over the country and are proving to be a great incentive for businesses to take substantial steps in reducing their carbon footprint. The U.S. tourism industry alone has several such programs. The city of Seattle, for example, has set up a certification program called “EnviroStars” which certifies businesses in 60 cities across five counties in western Washington State. It has already certified about 600 businesses and is now consulting with other communities across the country to develop similar programs.

To me, it should be as simple as reading a “No Smoking” sign. We should be able to walk up to a business, see a simple sign relating ones “Greenness” and be able to walk in and out without thinking twice about whether we’ve made a positive purchase for the environment. Kermit was right, it’s not easy being green. And when someone goes to the trouble of creating a green business, that not only should be easily communicated, but celebrated.