Adam Vaughan, editor of SmartPlanet.com

Is it Still Cool To Be Green?

Chambers Dictionary says cool means something that's admirable. Well, 2006 and 2007 were the years 'green' officially became admirable in the UK.

While celebs jostled to be snapped in a Prius, An Incovenient Truth packed cinemas, Razorlight rocked for climate change, M&S and Tesco battled to pledge the most ambitious carbon plans, and David Cameron posed with huskies in the Arctic, sported recycled trainers and finally installed his domestic wind turbine.

But apparently green is no longer cool.

Alice Thomson of The Times says we're now going green because of thrift, not because it's cool. Treehugger's Lloyd Alter argues it was never cool, but about survival: "less about bamboo skivvies and a lot more about vegetable gardens."

David Cameron has been keen to boast of his green credentials in the past but does he still like to?

It's no surprise to hear people proclaiming green is no longer the new black, but what's surprising is they're saying it now. Judged against the usual umpires of what's cool - celebrities, the media, trend-spotters - green has never been more trendy.

Saving the planet one celeb at a time

Take a look at the celebs who frequently dictate fashion. From Tommy Lee Jones and Ludacris advertising a green TV station and Paris Hilton bragging about her hybrid, to Leonardo DiCaprio presenting eco documentary The 11th Hour, Brad Pitt narrating a green building TV show and Will Ferrell acting in a hilarious 'Green Team' viral video, stars are falling over themselves to be seen to be green.

The avalanche of eco celeb news has even spawned a thriving blog called Ecorazzi.

The media clearly still thinks green is cool. Gadget mags such as Stuff feature energy-saving kit, home mags like House Beautiful showcase low carbon houses, and women's mag Marie Claire dedicated an entire issue this year to 'eco chic'. The Guardian and Independent newspapers have made aspirational green living one of their big USPs over rivals.

Leonardo DiCaprio still wants to be seen as green (Image © PA Photos)

It's still cool because people still care

Trend-spotters say green is still hip. The founder of Trendwatching.com, Reinier Evers, tells me "green is still cool because millions of people around the world are deeply concerned about the environmental challenges we’re facing".

Why it's healthy to be green

The editor of style bible Wallpaper*, Tony Chambers, adds "it’s not a trend and it’s not subject to fashion. It’s here to stay -- thank God. Sustainability is now part of the very definition of 'good design'."

Joe Public seems to agree. A Virgin Money survey showed eighty per cent of 1,000 people said the credit crunch wouldn't stop them buying eco products, despite those products adding an average of £12 a month to their monthly food bills.

Garden seed sales are soaring for grow-your-own veg, with B&Q reporting a 25 per cent rise. Organic food sales are growing faster than the big four supermarket's sales, despite the credit crunch and the price premium on organic grub.

On the web, searches for 'global warming' reached their highest level on Yahoo! last year and search volume for the term 'Green Living' doubled since 2004 according to Google Insights.

People no longer want to buy 4x4 cars because of the cost and stigma attached to them (Image © Dominic Lipinski/PA Archive/PA Photos)

Another sign that green's cool status has become embedded is to look at how uncool anything 'ungreen' has become. Among a sea of examples -- patio heater bans, flying, coal power stations -- the latest news is that 4x4 Chelsea Tractors are "proving impossible to part-exchange" on the second-hand market.

The word might be naff but the movement isn't

It's true, the all-encompassing word 'green' has become overused, tired and even a little naff. That's what happens when a fringe movement gets adopted by the mainstream. It reminds me of when drum 'n' bass moved from hip underground genre to the soundtrack for a B&Q DIY advert.

Even if the word has lost some of its buzz, being green and buying green remains cool, whether it involves starting an organic allotment or lusting after electric sports cars like the Telsa and Lightning.

Green may no longer be deemed cool by some early adopters, but the fact green living is now seen as admirable and normal is a sign that it's achieved a lasting kind of 'cool'. Hopefully we won't need the word in the future -- normal will have become cool.

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