Ten years ago, being green was great for marketing. It was unique, it was innovative, it was thoughtful...it was a real marketplace differentiator. Now it's simply expected.

According to the National Geographic Society and the consultancy GlobeScan, Americans lag behind the rest of the world regarding sustainable behavior, but notably don't feel that bad about it.

Four years ago, I saw the CEO of Patagonia, Yvonne Chouinard, tell a crowd that his company and other companies could make more money by going green. He was referring to finding sustainable methods of creating products, but,also, his message related to a company's image. Consumers were making more informed decisions and were evaluating what product was better for the environment, and themselves.