Four Generations of Green

The four current generations are each now green, and their consuming power is remarkable if marketers can access them.  Target them by what appeals to them uniquely.

Boomers: The first modern green generation

This pioneering generation were the first to celebrate Earth Day, in 1970, followed by the first Solar Day in 1971. Their demonstrations of concern gave rise to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the founding of the US Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, the Clean Air and the Clean Water Acts that same year, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Today, over half of Baby Boomers consider themselves socially conscious shoppers. That’s 40 million green boomers who choose to organize, pluck resource conserving products from the shelves, boycott products of companies that poll ute, and “pro-cott” the products of companies that give back to the community.

GenX: Eyes on the world

CNN brought global issues into the living room of this generation, and GenXers see environmental concerns through a lens that aligns social, educational, and political issues. They witnessed the fire in the Union Carbide plant in India, and the aftermath of the explosion in Chernobyl. In 1985, the Live Aid concert broadcast the need for famine relief in developing nations, and in 1989, they saw the massive devastation by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.

Millennials: Digital media at their command

This generation grew up with computers and Internet. They are generally distrustful of government and authority, and quick to challenge marketing practices they deem to be unauthentic or untruthful. They lived through Hurricane Katrina and the BP Oil Spill, and share awareness of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (the size of Texas). The majority believes that h umans cause climate change and this majority is twice as likely to buy green products than those who believe climate change is occurring naturally.

Generation Z: Green is a natural part of their lives

Take a close look at this generation's habits and know that Green is here to stay. The first generation to be brought up in an environmentally conscious world, green is part of their everyday life. This generation – currently under the age of 16 – think nothing of living in solar-powered homes with a hybrid car in the driveway. Sorting paper and plastic for recycling is a natural daily activity, and in school and at home they learn the 3Rs of “reduce, reuse, recycle.” 

From The New Rules of Green Marketing by Jacquelyn Ottman 

Reprint requests, contact Cynthia Shannon, cshannon@bkpub.com