Well – you know if Coca Cola is taking major steps to be more eco-conscious then this “green” thing is more than just a fad. Brandweek reported that Coke’s newest digital billboard in Times Square is powered by wind-power. Not bad! Even better – they have influenced a trend and about 30 billboards will be wind-powered. In total, they will be preventing about 1866 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year.

Coke seems to be taking the green thing pretty seriously. They are also aiming to have all of their cans and bottles in the US recycled or reused by consumers. That’s a lot of bottles and cans – considering the amount of Coke consumed in the US each year.

Say what you want about Coca Cola (and I have a lot to say about that beverage – mostly not good) – but that is one powerful brand. I was fortunate to participate in a marketing competition in graduate school and our team was challenged by the Coca Cola corporation to increase marketing efforts in Malaysia. Traveling throughout even the most remote areas of Malaysia – I learned a lot about the depth of the brand’s reach. In tiny towns with only a handful of people you would still find Coca Cola products and signs. And each and every person I spoke to not only knew about Coke, but had an opinion on the “health benefits” of the drink. It was considered excellent for digestion and many even believed that it broke down fats and cholesterol thereby improving heart health. Crazy! But it clearly showed me the Coke – love it or hate it – is an incredible brand.

So if they are going to do their part in going green – more power to them. If they can inspire other companies to do the right thing – fantastic. I know their reasons are not purely (or even largely) altruistic – but hopefully it will have an overall positive impact. Now, if only they didn’t sell such an addictive, high-fructose-corn-syrup-laden, obesity-inducing drink….