Last week, I linked to a TriplePundit post about the death of the words “green” and “sustainability,” asking what words we should replace them with, if we should replace them at all. The piece’s author, William Brent, suggests “red and black” and “sustaINABILITY” as phrases that are more honest and indicative of the current state of the environmentalist movement. I find both of those expressions demoralizing and unhelpful. Sure, “green” carries as little meaning as “organic” these days, but do we really need to introduce the public to a new set of colors to identify such a divergent array of efforts? Read the full story

You’ve seen it quoted a million times in these kinds of articles, usually accompanied by a picture of Kermit the Frog: “It’s not easy being green.” But let’s drop the B.S. for a second: it’s freaking hard.

Beyond the small stuff—replacing your toilet paper, changing your air filters, etc.—you have to rethink your business model, invest differently, re-train your employees (or hire new ones), and maybe even move to a completely new building. And then there’s all the green news you have to keep up on, the language you have to speak, the money and energy you have to devote to the right kinds of PR to attract the right kind of customers, the challenge of educating your old customers on your new policies, the time you have to spend getting acquainted with web-based technologies, the struggle for outside accreditation, and the ever-present anxiety over your carbon footprint, just to name a few of your worries. Read the full story

In this corner, weighing in at 328 (stores) with a nearly $8 billion revenue in 2008, with a right hook as strong as his fancy cheeses, Trader Joe!

And in this corner, weighing in at 2.9 million worldwide members, the Not-So-Jolly Green Giant, the hippie collective with a modern perspective, Greenpeace!

Let’s get ready to rumble! Read the full story

As more teeth-grindingly bad news about climate change is published every day, decision-makers around the world are tapping into their collective adrenalin: do we Earth-dwelling humans choose “fight” or “flight” as a response to our current situation? Namely, should we try to devote all of our time and energy to solving the energy crisis, reducing our carbon emissions, and setting up measures to prevent another, similar disaster in the future? Or should we cut our losses now, scope out real estate near another star, and stack up on freeze-dried ice cream for the centuries-long journey to Plan(et) B? Read the full story

Reuters offers another viewpoint on the carbon-cutting bill mentioned in the BICEP story a couple of days ago, reporting that the piece of legislation may help big businesses but provides little protection for consumers. Opponents of the bill speculate that instead of using the energy savings to lower rates, utility companies will keep the extra profit for themselves. Complicating the controversy is a provision that allows local power companies to buy “pollution permits.” The bill is expected to come to a vote before the House sometime in July.

Read the full story here.