Jeffrey Hollender returns to “Green is Good” to discuss his latest book, Planet Home, and explain the challenges the earth will face ahead. He feels that now is the time that everyone must ramp up efforts to conserve and reuse — from teachers and children, to politicians and business leaders. Though Hollender says that consumers, in particular, are doing their due diligence while shopping, he cites a number of resources, such as Good Guide, as tools that can help consumers make informed green purchases. “One of the reasons I wrote Planet Home was that too many people are confused about what really makes a difference, where to get started [and] what decisions are the most critical to make as a consumer,” Hollender explains. “We need to think about how we change the rules of the game so that everyone is incentivized to do the right thing.”

David Levine, co-founder and Executive Director of the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), was a visionary from the council’s conceptualization in 2009 as a voice for earth-friendly businesses in the realms of public policy and media. The council started with six member organizations, and in less than two years has ballooned to 28 organizations representing 75,000 U.S. businesses. Levine credits this growth to the increased understanding of strategies to rebuild the economy using sustainable means. “It’s really time to break down the traditional barriers that we’ve had,” Levine says. “The voice that we bring is a business case for why we believe that a sustainable economy is a direction to move toward.” Podcast: Play in new window | Download (49.4MB)