Dr. Sabrina Segal

“Earth Day: a time to focus on saving the planet and consuming more eco-friendly products.”

We’ve all heard of the so-called Hallmark Holidays…Boss’ Day and Secretary’s Week. But they don’t have anything on the newest consumer extravaganza: Earth Day, which could rival Christmas for our spare dollars. In case you were wondering, April 22nd is Earth Day.

Green this, green that, eco-friendly, eco-cuddly—you get the gist. Subscribers of Newsweek magazine can remove the cover of the April 14th issue, fold it into an envelope and mail it to Target filled with old plastic shopping bags and get a Target Logo reusable shopping bag. Clever marketing no doubt, and a great way to disseminate thousands of the notorious red bull’s eyes.

Consultant Larry Light’s concern is that some companies view Earth Day as a marketing event like Thanksgiving or Christmas. His point is that companies and consumers think being “green for a day or a few weeks leading up to the celebration, gets them off the hook for the rest of the year.”

“But the whole concept of sustainability requires a commitment to ongoing sustainability.”

Mattel introduced a line of “Barbie BCause” accessories made of scrap materials that would otherwise be discarded. And not to be left behind, Toys R Us will feature toys labeled with an Earth-Friendly Seal: Natural Wooden Toys, Natural Cotton Plush Animals and Organic Cotton Dolls.

Brita water filters teamed up with NBC’s The Biggest Loser to eliminate water bottles on the set of the reality show. Zephyrhills recently began marketing its new eco-friendly bottle made of 30% less plastics and a smaller label.

The blogosphere is reacting to faux- green too. Sites such as Tree Hugger and Alternative Consumer are the biggest skeptics of green messages and refer to them as “window-dressing.”

One branding expert speaks to the concept of green-washing. “I call it the 95-5 rule: five percent of a company’s gross production is green friendly, backed by 95 percent green PR.”

With the FTC guidelines vetted in the late 90s, the green marketing landscape is akin to the Wild, Wild West. It’s easy to scream green with a green enough marketing budget, say critics of the green marketing world.

Some companies jump on the Earth Day bandwagon temporarily while for others it’s part of a year-round mission. What companies and products do you perceive as eco-friendly 365 days a year?

Photo Credit: Mitch Pellecchia