About once a week someone asks me if I think consumers are giving up on “green” because of the recession. Some of them hope it’s true---because their company has not capitalized on the green trend. Some of them are scared it’s true---because they are personally or professionally committed to sustainability.

       My answer is always the same: a loud “NO.” And, for those of you who don’t consider my word gospel (hard to believe, but...), there is a pile of research studies on my desk that support that conclusion. The most recent poll, from Harris Interactive, shows that 67% of people who purchased green products last year are buying the same number this year despite the economy. 26% are buying more, and only 8% are buying fewer. These results are quite similar to data from other studies.

       What’s more, it’s a mistake to assume that consumers who are not buying green products today (for whatever reason) will not buy them very soon. A full 70% of Americans say they are, “Paying full attention to companies’ environmental actions, even if they cannot buy until the future.” And 35% say they have higher expectations for companies’ sustainability activities during the downturn than they did a year ago.

       Green is here. Green is going to stay. A small segment of green buyers have gone into hibernation, but, the economic winter will come to an end soon, and they’ll be back.