"The Secret to Turning Consumers Green" by Stephanie Simon

1) Simon really focuses on the psychology of going green. Consumers respond best when they are peer pressured into making a decision. The article presents many interesting studies of how customers respond to different types of green advertisements. Advertisements that talk about what other people are doing to be green generally work better than advertisements such as "Go Green!" If people know that their neighbors are making green decisions, then they are more likely to follow suit. Thus, with this psychological nature of people kept in mind, green designers need to promote their products in such a way as to take advantage of this.

2) I definitely am more affected by peer pressuring advertisements even though that's probably not good. If I am at the store and plastic grocery bags are a choice, I would feel bad accepting them because of everybody else watching me. I generally do not care much if a product says that it is environmentally friendly for whatever reason. However, if I know that other people are being green, then I want to follow suit. Most of the time I try not to be a conformist, but it is hard to argue against being green. Saying that trying to help the environment is a bad thing generally does not hold well.

3) I bought a reusable shopping bag that I take to the store with me. This way, I do not need to use lots of plastic bags. People sometimes commend me on my choice of having a reusable shopping bag, which is a nice feeling. My bag also is much sturdier than the plastic bags, so I don't have to worry about heavy items ripping the bag.

4) A good example of products that have been made more environmentally friendly are the plastic water bottles. Most companies now advertise them as being made with 30% less plastic and being completely recyclable. There is less paper used to create the label too. Another product is the fluorescent light bulb. These bulbs are far more efficient than their incandescent counterparts. They not only use less energy but last much longer meaning they do not need to be replaced or produced as much.