The Price of Going Green: Practical Considerations

Verdant Strategies President and CEO Jim Kuiken recently had an interesting exchange on the “Green” Linked In discussion group that’s worth re-posting here (if you’re already a member of the group, you can view the dialog directly. If not, the original question and response, followed by Jim’s comment, are noted below).

Do you think that very many people are interested in living a “Green” life, even if it means paying considerably more for things than people who don’t care?

I first became interested in sustainable living by reading Mother Earth News. Reading that magazine makes one realize that there are a lot of people interested in energy efficiency, sustainable living and being green. What I am really wondering is: Is a large segment of our population concerned and interested enough to move beyond recycling and reusable grocery bags and willing to pay extra for the ability to use non fossil fuel based energies or is the only way to make this happen is with government mandates and incentives?

Jim’s response:

Michael, no and no.

A large segment of the public will never pay extra for the ability to use non-fossil fuel based engines (and a staggering plethora of other “green” options that are or are becoming available), and no, the only way to make this happen is NOT government mandates and incentives. Either way, the general public has to pay more. More in costs, or more in taxes (and government interference/oversight/control)…both bad.

The way to move forward is to forget the politics and stop alienating one segment or the other – and to work with the rapidly developing technology to offer market based services and products that have equal or similar characteristics, reliability and cost effectiveness as the traditional products or services. Start with what we have, and the market demand will (as it always does once a market demand has developed) be its own incentive to further develop technologies, products and services to answer that demand. It’s happening now, with new standards (LEED, EPEAT, Green Seal, Energy Star, Green Label Plus, GRA, etc., etc.) which all started out as internal industry standards, and are fast becoming national standards. Products such as corn based polymers in place of plastics, biodiesel from biomass instead of food crops, cost effective home solar and wind alternatives selling back to the grid, etc. It is coming, and if we keep the excitement and drive, this will continue to self-propagate with viable market alternatives that DON’T cost more and are NOT mandated or regulated by the government (the most inefficient method of incurring change). Keep up your good work, de-politicize the efforts and public perception, and this (viable green alternatives) will come to full bloom. It makes good market sense.

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