It's Not Easy Being Green.

Aw, Kermit. If only we had known how right you were.

I've always been an advocate for the idea that small changes can make a big difference. I do not, however, appreciate it when the responsibility for a huge political and economic problem is passed along to the 'little guy'.

The influx of green products, and now the looming carbon tax, focus responsibility on the consumer to make better choices. That's all well and good, but Big Business needs to take their responsibility to make better, sustainable products more seriously- what need would we have for a carbon tax if there were more viable fuel alternatives, for example?

There certainly are viable alternatives to the way products are made and organizations operate - it's just easier for them to stick with the status quo. Change means work and, in my humble opinion, corporations are often much better at managing work than actually doing any.

Case in point, firms are able to sustain themselves quite well solely by doing it for them. IDEO, a design and innovation firm, published a joint report with Business for Social Responsibility, a nonprofit business association, entitled Aligned for Sustainable Design: An A-B-C-D Approach to Making Better Products this last week. The A-B-C-D framework serves as a guide for companies to Assess, Bridge, Create and Diffuse sustainable capabilities in their organizations. Perhaps breaking things down in Sesame simplicity such as this may make it obvious enough for Big Business to finally get the point.

The success of the Green category shows that people are more than happy to buy better. It's not their fault that things aren't made better, though time and again they are made to pay for it, literally and figuratively. Green would be a lot easier if the powers that be would stop selling it to us and actually buy into it themselves.

Designed by Women, for Women

A team of 6 women student researchers at Canada's Simon Fraser University have invented a purse called the Ladybag that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. RFID tags are inserted into your items (such as wallet or keys) and a reader at the bottom of the purse. If something is missing, a pattern associated with that item lights up on the outside of the bag.

I applaud innovators' enthusiasm especially utilizing technology in new ways. However, I could not help but wonder ... have they asked or observed how women use their purses in real life?

A woman likely has more than one purse (some many, too many!). The collection is needed for aesthetic or functional reasons, likely both. Inserting readers to every single bag sounds more like a chore than a "clever invention" to me.

Mothers of young ones may be at any time carrying multiple bags. Important items like cell phone or keys would reside in coat pockets, on the wrists, or other places deem more convenient.

In theory, key items can be defined as one's wallet, keys, and cell phone. In reality, they vary from day to day. My most important item today is a Thank You card for my son's school teachers. Will I forget it on my way out of the door? Maybe. Will I take the time to tag all important items du jour, a la high tech fashion? Definitely not.