Money Talks With Forked Tongue

Today's green is yesterday's lo-fat. Corporate America has discovered that environmental awareness sells, so we should all be prepared for a tsunami of "green" companies who, we're told, have lowered their carbon footprints in the rush to be responsible stewards of the planet. The problem with this, as we know too well, is that it's a marketing con job, another bit of Orwellian doublespeak. It has yet to be seen whether reversing global harming will be done without cutting profits, but you can be sure if there's a choice profits will come first. Meanwhile, as the pundits argue about whether Man's profligacy or the inevitability of naural cycles is shrinking the ozone layer and melting the ice caps, the ozone layer continues to shrink and the ice goes right on melting. And the simple reality missed by the pundits is that Man with his appetites is as much a destructive force of nature as locusts devouring a field of crops. The other reality is that if the coporate geniuses show some uncharacteristic foresight and planning, "green" can be good for business.