Going Green: Revolution or Fad?

Within the past five years I have noticed a lot more people are trying to "go green." Anthropogenic influences on global warming has become a world wide concern and many companies have decided to help save the planet. Commercials tell us to do our part and buy fuel efficient vehicles, recycle our products, plant a tree, use re-usable bags, etc. Minimize your carbon footprint, if not for you for your children. With so much eco-friendly advertising by General Electric, car companies, and many more companies is it really a surprise that people are becoming more conscious about their waste? Is it because it is cheaper to own a fuel efficient car or installing energy efficient windows in our homes that people are being more environmentally aware? Is it because people are actually concerned with the threat of global warming? Or is it because going green is a fad? 

Commercials have a lot of influence over human behaviors. Especially when top dog companies advertise their products. Apple creates a new product and people swarm to buy it. Nike has some new running shoes so throw out your old one's because these one's can play music somehow out of the soles!  Does this same technology phenomenon occur when considering global warming? Are we more interested in the topic because alternative energy is the pioneering project of the century? Besides, if the big companies we idolize are going green, we should too! 

Let's examine some eco friendly commercials we've seen lately. General Electric is advertising how they are using alternative energy to power the world, inspirational and fascinating to us, we applaud their efforts. Then we move to automobile commercials, the top one being the Toyota Prius. Their car is advertised not based on the safety of the car, but on the fact that there are solar panels on the roof that use the suns energy to power the air conditioning. That's a cool feature right? Makes me want to buy it! Then we have Sun chips. This is not a commercial about the chip itself, but about the bag. We watch about 30 seconds worth of a bag gradually decomposing and a plant grows where the bag once was. This is cool, but why did Sun chips decide to focus their commercial on how environmentally friendly they are rather than how much people enjoy their chips? Is it because they're aware that if they are environmentally friendly and are utilizing new technology that people will be more inclined to buy their product? 

I only hope that being green isn't just a fad, and that people are going green not to show off that they are, but because they want to actually minimize their carbon footprint. So when you see a new product being advertised based on their environmentally friendly factors, ask yourself if you would buy that because it will help you reduce your waste, or just because its something new to try out. Hopefully some day company's won't have to advertise how eco-friendly they are because everyone will know that their products are good for the environment, if products can ever truly be "good" for the environment. 

Professional publishing vs. independent publishing

I am in the process of writing a book that I have been researching now for two years. I had dreamed of completing it by now, but that was an unrealistic goal for a full time student and part time worker. So the book remains written in my mind, but I am determined to take this novel from a dream to a reality. I have researched popular publishers in an effort to better prepare myself for publishing my story, and all seem overwhelming. When Tom mentioned instant publication through Amazon I became extremely excited. My story is one that won't be written for fame or money but for myself, so publishing one copy would be as big a success as publishing a thousand copies for me! Of course, I would be very proud if other people were to enjoy my story, but that is not my main goal. The dilemma I face is if I publish an unedited version of my story, will that hinder the possibility of someone else fully enjoying what I have written? Tom discussed the benefits of editing and the trials of it as well, that an author must be fully capable of handling critique and working with an editor. This seems easier said than done. I would want to have my manuscript professionally edited before publication, but for a story I intend on investing years on, will I be able to handle making significant changes to my story for the sake of selling my story? As I mentioned earlier, I am writing this story as a personal goal, and not for the profits it might create. Tom's lecture has left me with alternative options for publishing, and now I must decide (when the time comes) whether to take the easy way out and Amazon publish or seek professional help to make my dream a reality.

Die Commercials Die!

Was there ever a time when advertisements did not exist? And what does one consider an advertisment in the first place? Is it the "Sale" sign next to that gallon of milk you bought the other day? Or is it the coupons you recieve every sunday in the paper? Once upon a time I'm sure that was a companys dominant form of advertisement, but in an era of globalization and instant communication are these simpler, less in you face, forms of communication practical anymore?

In The Persuaders it is mentioned that Americans are becoming immune to advertisements. Tivo is allowing us to fast forward through commercials, and we have been so exposed to advertisements in almost every aspect of our lives they've become a background setting rather than center stage. The Persuaders went as far as to suggest American's stop advertising because they are not bringing in enough revenue. The problem with that is that company's are afraid to stop advertising because they will quickly be forgotton about. So we are at a point where a vicious cycle swallows billions of dollars, company's advertist more to stay in the game and less people respond to the advertisement because it's "just another ad."

As much as I want to live in a world where one hour of tv time doesn't consist of 20 minutes of commercials, driving past bright flashy moving billboards doesnt almost send me careening off the freeway, and I can watch my favorite tv show without wondering if the nike shoes every character is wearing is not a coincidence, I realize this is unlikely. I want to be that person who stands up against advertising, end this insanity that is becoming American culture! Unfortunately, as much as I hate being bombarded with advertisements I am a business major and will need to market my business in the future if I want it to stay alive. I just have to be careful not to get sucked into the world of advertising.