Purple seems to be the hottest color on the runway, but in business, leaders may tell you that green is on the rise. Green is making its way up in the ranks; this once casual accessory color is becoming a centerpiece in people's lives.
Okay - I'll admit it. The green I am talking about is not in reference to that envious shade between blue and yellow, it's the lifestyle, and it's embracing Boulder stronger than ever. Boulder has always fostered the environmentally conscious lifestyle, but there is a new consumer group in town taking green to heart: students.
CU is currently ranked by Sierra Club as the No. 1 "Cool School" for being "Eco-Enlightened", receiving exemplary points in transportation, waste management and efficiency. Furthermore, the Sierra Club and the Princeton Review acknowledge that students are changing the way they select colleges - 66% (across the nation, not just Boulder) will allow this to change their final decision on where to attend.
As a business person, why would the interests of students matter? After tuition, students spend disposable income on Ramen dinners and maybe a box of Keystone Light on Friday. Rethink: If 2/3 of students use a college's environmental prowess as the deciding factor in enrollment, these kids represent the dynamic "greening" sweeping across the U.S.
This time around, "going-green" isn't just another fad destined for thrift stores; going to college is a significant investment. Many will drop $100,000+ in persuit of an education. Over the next four years these students will graduate, seek jobs, boost their income levels, and make more purchasing decisions. When eco-consciousness plays such a large role in how students are choosing to "invest" in their future, we'll see it make an even bigger impact on smaller purchases.
This trend also indicates that businesses are going to need to do an internal examination and start asking questions. How do I appeal to this developing psychographic? What business activities need to change to meet the shift in needs?
Analysts will tell you there are no profits in being fashionably late in the business world; the time to reevaluate is now.
Yes, going green is something that needs to be adopted as a way of life since we have been living every which way we wanted in the past and have landed ourselves in a real mess now. It is time we got our act together and started to behaving more responsibly. For this very purpose, we run a directory called the website of Climatarians which lists websites and blogs on environmental issues.
Thank you for providing our audience another website to check out. I like your 'What you can do' green guide.
In most cases I do not post on blogs, but I have to say that this post really forced me to do so. Really nice post!
Keep up the hard work keeping the environment clean, I am right here with ya man! To a greener 2010!!