Is Hollywood really going green, or is it greenwashing

Who killed the electric car at Hollywood Goes Green

I went to the Hollywood Goes Green event this week, not because I'm trying to profit from Hollywood's green interests, but mostly because it offered an opportunity to test drive some of GM's hybrid vehicles. And, since I haven't yet driven the hot new Malibu, I though I'd give the Malibu hybrid a spin, even if it is a mild hybrid (more on this). There was also a cool panel that focused on who killed the electric car.

Still, I thought I'd give the rest of the event a chance, especially since there were some great vendors at the event with some cool products that I'll be writing about over the next few days.

Yet, while many at the event talked about greenwashing, it was hard not to feel the whole event was one big greenwash. If you looked around the conference rooms at the very swanky, old Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Blvd., you would never have thought you were at a green event. This was an affair for business suits and the latest Hollywood fashions, none of which I'm sure were made in an environmentally-fashioned way.

The Hollywood goes Green event, however, wasn't always about what people weren't doing, but the small actions that were being taken and could be taken. Fair enough.

Nonetheless, as the green movement grows, I think Hollywood, even if it has the greatest intentions, smells green, the real green, money. Let's be honest, the green movement has been going on for decades, maybe forever, and Hollywood is a new participant in this movement. So, it comes across as a little hypocritical and disingenuous when Hollywood acts as if it has taken a leadership role.

Ultimately, the whole affair between Hollywood and the green movement, is a marriage of convenience, a marriage that at times will be more about greenwashing than going green, but more on that in a later post. If there wasn't publicity, aka money, in the green game, Hollywood would go back to its glitzy, bling-bling, red carpet ways.

Still, it cannot be denied that Hollywood can bring a lot of attention to green issues. Hopefully, however, that attention leads to action and not just a bunch of rich Hollywood stars patting themselves on the back because they drive a hybrid vehicle or use energy efficient lightbulbs.